Structures of the human telomeric repeat.
(a,b) Parallel structure from crystal structure, PDB 1KF1. (c,d) NMR structure, PDB 143D. (a,c) Top views. (b,d) Side views.
Guanines are shown in blue, the phosphate backbone as a gold ribbon.
Guanines are shown in blue, the phosphate backbone as a gold ribbon.
"We need to be open about what its structure is, because it's dynamic."
Shankar Balasubramanian
... the four-stranded DNA arose most frequently during the so-called "s-phase" when a cell copies its DNA just prior to dividing.
Russian DNA Discoveries Proof of 12-Strand DNA Activation Theory?
Different opinions on that:
The genome looks like it is far more of a network of RNA transcripts that are all collaborating together. Some go off and make proteins; [and] quite a few, although we know they are there, we really do not have a good understanding of what they do.
The Encode Project
