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Related Experiment Videos

Some implications of an alternative structure for DNA.

V Sasisekharan, N Pattabiraman, G Gupta

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
    |September 1, 1978
    PubMed
    Summary

    Researchers propose a new DNA model, distinct from the double helix, featuring side-by-side strands with alternating helical segments. This alternative DNA structure offers solutions for supercoiling and replication, proving energetically favorable.

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    Area of Science:

    • Molecular Biology
    • Biophysics
    • Structural Biology

    Background:

    • The DNA double helix is the canonical model for genetic material structure.
    • Understanding DNA's structural dynamics is crucial for comprehending replication and supercoiling.
    • Alternative structural models can offer new insights into DNA function.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To construct and analyze a novel, non-double helical DNA model.
    • To evaluate the energetic favorability and functional implications of this alternative DNA structure.
    • To address limitations of the current double helix model concerning DNA supercoiling and replication.

    Main Methods:

    • Construction of a space-filling (Corey-Pauling-Koltun) model.
    • Analysis of polynucleotide strand arrangement and base pairing.

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  • Evaluation of sugar residue orientation within helical segments.
  • Comparison of the proposed model's energetic properties with the double helix.

    • Main Results:

    • A novel DNA structure composed of two parallel polynucleotide strands held by Watson-Crick base pairing was modeled.
    • Each strand exhibits alternating right- and left-handed helical segments (approx. 5 base pairs).
    • Sugar residues in alternating segments point in opposite directions, ruling out a previously proposed similar structure.
    • The model provides natural solutions for DNA supercoiling and strand separation during replication.
    • This alternative DNA model is energetically more favorable than the double helix.

    Conclusions:

    • The proposed alternative DNA structure offers a viable model that addresses key challenges in DNA mechanics.
    • This model presents a potentially more energetically stable conformation for DNA compared to the double helix.
    • Further research into this model could elucidate new mechanisms for DNA replication and regulation.