DNA ― springy, stretchy and coiled ― is the cell’s Slinky. And just like a Slinky, a DNA double helix can be stretched too far. The mechanics behind this process, called “overstretching,” may be less cut-and-dried than scientists previously thought, a new study suggests.
Contrary to one prevailing theory, DNA molecules don’t have to have loose-hanging single strands — called free ends— to overstretch, say researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colo. With or without free ends, the team reports in a paper to appear in the
Journal of the American Chemical Society