Nucleic acid double helix
Structure formed by double-stranded molecules / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Nucleic acid double helix?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
In molecular biology, the term double helix[1] refers to the structure formed by double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids such as DNA. The double helical structure of a nucleic acid complex arises as a consequence of its secondary structure, and is a fundamental component in determining its tertiary structure. The structure was discovered by Rosalind Franklin and her student Raymond Gosling,[2] but the term "double helix" entered popular culture with the publication in 1968 of The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson.
The DNA double helix biopolymer of nucleic acid is held together by nucleotides which base pair together.[3] In B-DNA, the most common double helical structure found in nature, the double helix is right-handed with about 10–10.5 base pairs per turn.[4] The double helix structure of DNA contains a major groove and minor groove. In B-DNA the major groove is wider than the minor groove.[3] Given the difference in widths of the major groove and minor groove, many proteins which bind to B-DNA do so through the wider major groove.[5]