Perhaps, almost any person at least a little familiar with the science on the question “what is DNA?” answered “in the form of two spirals”. And this statement until the last moment was a fact, an axiom not requiring proof. However, recently a group of researchers from Australia have discovered an entirely new form of structure of DNA. And, performing all the same functions, it just does not like a usual dvuhseriynyy molecule.
Behind the opening stands a group of researchers from Germanskogo Institute of medical research, headed by Professor Daniel Christ. The authors describe a new form as the “twisted knot”, which confirms long-held hypothesis that our genetic code has much more complex structure than the symmetrical spiral.
“When most of us think about DNA, we think of the double helix.Our new study reminds us that there are absolutely different structure of DNA. And it may be critical to the operation of our cells. It is important to note that the forms are different molecular variants affect the functioning of our whole biology.”
Schematic representation of the i-motif
The DNA fragment is called i-motif. In laboratory conditions it was observed before, in 1990-ies, but for the first time found in the cells of some animals in the middle of this year. Continuing research, a team of scientists recently discovered that the i-motif exists in the functioning of human cells.
“I-motif is chetyrehsotletney “twisted knot” of DNA. It is formed in the following manner: on the same strand of DNA, the nitrogenous base cytosine linked to each other. This is fundamentally different from what we’re used to seeing, because cytosine is usually associated with guanine on the principle of complementarity.” — said the researcher of the genome Marcel Dinger.
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