Secondary Structures of DNA

Secondary structures of DNA.

In view of the differences of the X-ray diffraction patterns for DNA fibers at 66 and 92 per cent relative humidities, it is proposed that the secondary structure of DNA consists of two partially intercalated double helices at 92 per cent. Possible biological implications are discussed.

Targeting DNA secondary structures.

DNA secondary structures containing regions of single-stranded DNA have now been identified in the genomic DNA of a number of prokaryotic and eukaryotic species, including humans. Many of these secondary structures are associated with regions of DNA involved in regulation of transcription: promoters or upstream elements. The secondary structures involved appear likely to be hairpin or cruciform...

DNA secondary structures and epigenetic determinants of cancer genome evolution

950 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 8 AUGUST 2011 NAture StructurAL & moLecuLAr bIoLogY Loss of genomic integrity is a common hallmark of cancer genomes1. Recent technological advances have led to several large-scale cancer genome profiling studies2–5 that have identified genome-wide patterns of alterations in many cancer samples. Notably, DNA breakpoints in cancer genomes, and also in the genomes of apparent...

Influence of thermodynamically unfavorable secondary structures on DNA hybridization kinetics

Nucleic acid secondary structure plays an important role in nucleic acid-nucleic acid recognition/hybridization processes, and is also a vital consideration in DNA nanotechnology. Although the influence of stable secondary structures on hybridization kinetics has been characterized, unstable secondary structures, which show positive ΔG° with self-folding, can also form, and their effects have n...

Computing with Hairpins and Secondary Structures of DNA