When anyone hears the word “double helix” they tend to
associate it with the shape of our DNA. Over sixty years ago colleagues at the
University of Cambridge released a paper stating they had found the fundamental
structure of DNA. Today researchers at the same university have discovered what
they call quadruple helixes, two strands of DNA wrapped into one.
This isn’t however the first time scientists have
contemplated the existence of quadruple helixes. Prior to this discovery,
quadruple helixes were discovered in test tubes. Scientists found when they
manipulated DNA a certain way they could make this replication occur, but this recent discovery was the first time that evidence appeared of this in human cells.
Scientists believe the occurrence of quadruple helixes in human
cells could signal an unhealthy state for DNA, which has lead researchers to
believe that this replication only happens in cancerous cells or cells that
have aberrant cell division. Researchers believe that a chemical found within
DNA may be responsible for this abnormal replication and as well as division in
cells.
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| Quadruple helix joining of two chomosomes (left and right) Image from Google Images |
Guanine is one of four chemicals within DNA that carries
information for our genetic “code.” The bonding of four guanine molecules forms
the quadruple helix. This abnormality
only seems to occur in DNA that is highly enriched in guanine. This discovery
has led researchers to believe this chemical is linked with the replication of
this abnormality. If researchers would
be able to pinpoint the areas of higher guanine concentration, a treatment
could be used to form a prevention treatment for diseases such as Downs
syndrome, Alzheimers or cancer.
References:
Amos, J. (2013). “Quadruple helix” DNA seen in human cells.
Retrieved Feb 13,
2013, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21091066
Lewsey, F (2013). Four-stranded “quadruple helix” DNA structure
proven to exist
In human
cells. Retrieved Feb 13, 2012, from http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/four-stranded-quadruple-helix-dna-structure-proven-to-exist-in-human-cells/
Again, this is a post that hits close to home for me (with discussion of cancer research). So I was really caught up with what you were saying. I had an immediate question: what other types of "aberrant" cells are there in the human body, ones that are not cancerous?
ReplyDeleteMaybe a bit more explanation for those of us literary nerds and for the science uninitiated, and this post works brilliantly.
One other thing: did you ever watch the TV show called Threshold? They imagined an alien race with a triple helix. Very interesting...
I came across this article but never got the opportunity to read it. It seems very interesting and intriguing. Could it also be possible that this quadruple helix be a sign of evolution in the process?
ReplyDeleteNice post,and truly interesting.