Researchers Disprove Prevailing Theory On What Holds DNA Together

Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have disproven a prevailing theory of what holds DNA together. The prevailing theory has been that hydrogen bonds the two sides of the DNA structure together. The researchers for Chalmers have disproven that theory and say that water is key to holding DNA together.The scientists say that the discovery opens doors for a new understanding in research in medicine and life sciences. The team says that its research shows that the molecules of DNA have a hydrophobic interior in an environment that is mostly water. The environment surrounding the DNA is hydrophilic.

However, the DNA molecules' nitrogen bases are hydrophobic and push away the surrounding water. When hydrophobic units are exposed to water, they group together to minimize exposure to the water. The researchers say that the role of hydrogen bonds that was seen as crucial to holding the DNA helixes together has more to do with sorting base pairs so they link in the correct sequence.

The discovery is said to be crucial for understanding DNA's relationship with its environment. The team says that it believes the cell keeps DNA in water solution most of the time. The team says that it thinks when a cell needs to read, copy, or repair the DNA, it exposed the DNA to a hydrophobic environment.

The team says that the cells use a catalytic protein to create the hydrophobic environment and that protein is central to all DNA repairs and could be the key to fighting illness. One example is in bacteria, which use a protein called RecA to repair DNA. The team thinks its results could pave the way to how that process works, potentially allowing the process to be stopped, killing the bacteria. The team believes that the breakthrough might also lead to new cancer treatments.