They used the hydrophobic solution polyethylene glycol, and step-by-step changed the DNA’s surroundings from the naturally hydrophilic environment to a hydrophobic one. The researchers studied how DNA behaves in an environment which is more hydrophobic than normal, a method they were the first to experiment with. More information on the methods the researchers used to show how DNA binds together: “We have shown that DNA behaves totally differently in a hydrophobic environment. To understand that, we first need to understand DNA itself,” says Bobo Feng. “To understand cancer, we need to understand how DNA repairs. In human cells, the protein Rad51 repairs DNA and fixes mutated DNA sequences, which otherwise could lead to cancer. Bacteria use a protein called RecA to repair their DNA, and the researchers believe their results could provide new insight into how this process works – potentially offering methods for stopping it and thereby killing the bacteria. Understanding these proteins could yield many new insights into how we could, for example, fight resistant bacteria, or potentially even cure cancer. This type of protein is central to all DNA repairs, meaning it could be the key to fighting many serious sicknesses. A catalytic protein creates the hydrophobic environment. When it comes to repairing damaged DNA, the damaged areas are subjected to a hydrophobic environment, to be replaced. Enzymes then copy both sides of the helix to create new DNA. Reproduction, for example, involves the base pairs dissolving from one another and opening up. “We believe that the cell keeps its DNA in a water solution most of the time, but as soon as a cell wants to do something with its DNA, like read, copy or repair it, it exposes the DNA to a hydrophobic environment.” “But at the same time, the cells’ DNA needs to open up in order to be used.” “Cells want to protect their DNA, and not expose it to hydrophobic environments, which can sometimes contain harmful molecules,” says Bobo Feng, one of the researchers behind the study. Credit: Johan Bodell/Chalmers University of Technology Those hydrogen bonds have sometimes been seen as crucial to holding the two strands together.īobo Feng, Postdoc, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Between these two strands are nitrogen bases, the compounds which make up organisms’ genes, with hydrogen bonds between them. The research is presented in the journal PNAS.ĭNA is constructed of two strands, consisting of sugar molecules and phosphate groups. The discovery opens doors for a new understanding in research in medicine and life sciences. They show how small changes in water properties can delicately control the binding process. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have discovered a new aspect to the way that DNA binds itself, and the role played by hydrophobic effects. Note: This article and headline were updated on September 29, 2019, to clarify the impact of the research. Illustration Credit: Yen Strandqvist/Chalmers University of Technology This happens when the cells use a catalytic protein to create a hydrophobic environment around the molecule. For DNA to be read, replicated or repaired, DNA molecules must open themselves.
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