Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics

Table of Contents - 1993 - Volume 26, Issue 02  

Research Article

The structure of branched DNA species

David M. J. Lilleya1 and Robert M. Clegga2

a1 CRC Nucleic Acid Structure Group, Department of Biochemistry, The University, Dundee DD1 4HN, U.K.

a2 Abteilung Molekulare Biologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Am Fassberg, D-3400 Göttingen, Federal Republic of Germany

Branched DNA molecules provide a challenging set of structural problems. Operationally we define branched DNA species as molecules in which double helical segments are interrupted by abrupt discontinuities, and we draw together a number of different kinds of structure in the class, including helical junctions of different orders, and base bulges (Fig. 1).