A staircase in the shape of a double helix, in the Vatican Museum

Image of a DNA chain which shows the double helix replicating itself

In molecular biology, the double helix refers to the structure of DNA. The structure of DNA was first published in the journal Nature by James D. Watson and Francis Crick in 1953^[2], based upon data from Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin^[3]. Crick, Wilkins and Watson each received the Nobel Prize for their contributions to the discovery^[4]. Franklin died before her contribution could be acknowledged, and due to the fact that they cannot be awarded posthumously, never received a Nobel Prize.

The DNA double helix is a right-handed spiral polymer of nucleic acids, held together by nucleotides which base pair together^[5]. A single turn of the helix constitutes ten nucleotides^[5]. The double helix structure of DNA contains a major groove and minor groove, the major groove being wider than the minor groove^[5]. Given the difference in widths of the major groove and minor groove, many proteins which bind to DNA do so through the wider major groove ^[6].

The order, or sequence, of the nucleotides in the double helix within a gene specifies the primary structure of a protein.

References

See also

• Nucleic acid
• DNA
• Molecular structure of Nucleic Acids

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