Scientists have discovered a new structure inside human cells: a never-before-seen twisted “knot” of DNA. Dubbed the “i-motif,” this four-stranded knot looks totally different from the iconic double helix.
A team of researchers have homed in on these shapes in living human cells, which were previously studied only under artificial conditions in the lab. The scientists think the structure, which was detailed in a scientific paper published Monday in Nature Chemistry, might have crucial implications for the way DNA is “read.”

These shapes, researchers think, could affect the way genetic instructions are recognized within the body. “In the knot structure, C letters on the same strand of DNA bind to each other,” said research co-lead Marcel Dinger in the statement. “This is very different from a double helix, where ‘letters’ on opposite strands recognize each other, and where Cs bind to Gs [guanines].”

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