Scientists Have Confirmed a New DNA Structure Inside Human Cells

For the first time, scientists have identified the existence of a new DNA structure never before seen in living cells.

The discovery of what's described as a 'twisted knot' of DNA in living cells confirms our complex genetic code is crafted with more intricate symmetry than just the double helix structure everybody associates with DNA – and the forms these molecular variants take affect how our biology functions.

"When most of us think of DNA, we think of the double helix," says antibody therapeutics researcher Daniel Christ from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia.

"This new research reminds us that totally different DNA structures exist – and could well be important for our cells."

The new DNA component the team identified is called the intercalated motif (i-motif) structure, which was first discovered by researchers in the 1990s, but up until now had only ever been witnessed in vitro, not in living cells.

Now, thanks to Christ's team, we know the i-motif occurs naturally in human cells, meaning the structure's significance to cell biology – which has previously been called into question, given it had only been demonstrated in the lab – demands new attention from researchers.

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