Elsevier

Gene

Volume 135, Issues 1–2, 15 December 1993, Pages 99-109
Gene

DNA comes in many forms

https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1119(93)90054-7Get rights and content

Abstract

Forty years ago, we learned of the major double helical structure adopted by DNA. It combined both elegance and simplicity in its design. Since then we have learned that DNA can also adopt other conformations. We now know that it can exist in a variety of triple-stranded and quadruple-stranded forms, as well as forms that are left-handed. The list of alternative conformations that can be adopted by this molecule is still growing. These conformations represent a major biological challenge to understand their role in biological systems. This type of work represents an active frontier in molecular biology today.

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    Presented at the COGENE Symposium, ‘From the Double Helix to the Human Genome: 40 Years of Molecular Genetics’, UNESCO, Paris, 21–23 April 1993.

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