Abstract
IT has been widely assumed that DNA from all sources is two-stranded. However, much of the available data are consistent with more complex structures. We wish to emphasize that only those methods which actually count the number of strands per molecule are valid for examining this question. Enzyme kinetics is such a method, and has been used to show that calf thymus DNA is approximately two-stranded1. We have recently carried out a detailed investigation2 of deoxyribonuclease II kinetics, using as substrates DNA samples from a variety of sources. Two classes of DNA molecules were found: namely, unitary molecules (two-stranded) and biunial molecules (four-stranded). The existence of four-stranded molecules, or pairs of double helices, has been confirmed by electron microscopy3. New evidence is presented here in support of these findings.
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CAVALIERI, L., FINSTON, R. & ROSENBERG, B. Multi-stranded Deoxyribonucleic Acid as determined by X-Irradiation. Nature 189, 833–834 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/189833a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/189833a0
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