Molecular machines that loop chromosomes also twist DNA

https://phys.org/news/2024-12-molecular-machines-loop-chromosomes-dna.html

by wglb • 2 years ago

53 10 2 years ago

LMMojo• 2 years ago

Does this mean DNA is not really a double helix? It gets twisted because of the method of extraction?

bglazer3• 2 years ago

The DNA strand is a double helix, but it also “supercoils”. Imagine a rope thats stretched taught. Even the straight rope has twisted braids. Thats akin to the DNA double helix. Then imagine twisting the rope until it starts to bunch and twist up on itself. That’s the supercoil. Of course the superstructure of DNA even more complex and dynamic than that

amelius• 2 years ago

I always wonder why DNA never turns itself into a hard-to-undo knot (which is what invariably happens with headphone wires). Are these twists helping with that?

forgotpeeword• 2 years ago

.6 twist for dna across species

golden ratio is 1.61 is a .6 twist on 1 kind of 1.61?

when i look at the golden ratio conche shell, it’s a lot like looking down a dna strand from the top

bglazer3• 2 years ago

Interesting stuff, I studied a disease called Cornelia de Lange syndrome, which is caused by mutations in these “molecular machines”. Basically these machines (SMC proteins), grab the DNA then pinch two strands together to make a loop. This lets very distant pieces of DNA interact with each other. When this process is broken, thousands of genes are dysregulated and children suffer some devastating and often fatal developmental disorders.

moshegramovsky• 2 years ago

Thank god for topoisomerase!

ijidak• 2 years ago

I'm happy the article calls these molecular machines and not simply proteins or enzymes.

Generic words like proteins and enzymes don't accurately describe how these molecules function.

Calling them machines is much more apt.

Molecular machines that loop chromosomes also twist DNA

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