DNA's complex folding enables new functions.
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have discovered that DNA can fold into complex, three-dimensional structures that mimic protein functions. The team used high-resolution imaging techniques to reveal the structure of a DNA molecule that mimics the activity of green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is often used as a fluorescent tag in cells. The findings will help researchers build DNA molecules for a variety of laboratory and clinical applications, including inexpensive fluorescent tags for labeling targeted pieces of DNA in biological studies and diagnostic test kits.