Stella Teacher Double helix Reference Materials

▶ What is DNA?
DNA stands for "Deoxyribonucleic Acid," a molecule that contains genetic information of all living things. This molecule is
located mostly in the nucleus of a cell and provides instructions for living things to grow and develop! The structure of
DNA is double helix-shaped, and this structure was discovered by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953. For your
information, chromosome/DNA/gene are confused with each other, but different concepts. First, a gene is the part of DNA
that contains genetic information (the DNA ⊃ gene), and a chromosome is a condensed form when DNA binds to a
protein. In other words, chromosome>DNA>gene is the order of the category.

▶ Why is DNA structure discovery important?

In 1946, Schrödinger's "What is Life" was published, and it was widely accepted that genes were the key components of
cells. And it is known that genetic information is transmitted to offspring through genes. In the past, the idea that genes
are protein molecules was popular, and people did a lot of research on this protein. But studies have shown that the
genes that make up DNA determine our biological information!

▶ James Watson and Francis Crick

Scientists knew that DNA had important genetic information at the time, but no one knew its structure. Watson and Crick
first suggested that DNA is a structure in which two chains are twisted around each other. Watson and Crick's suggestion
came from Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction experiment

▶ Linus Pauling
Pauling first discovered the alpha-helix structure among protein structures in 1951. He used a technique called X-ray
crystallography to find out the three-dimensional binding structure. At the time of Pauling's presentation, many scientists
lacked an understanding of X-ray crystallography. So, after Pauling's presentation, there were many attempts to
understand the structure of molecules. For reference, the alpha-helix structure is shown in the figure below. It's not a
straight line, but a single line is twisted, right?

▶ Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin

While working at King's college London, Wilkins studied x-ray diffraction images of DNA with Franklin. They were
competing with each other, so they didn't get along very well. Wilson was the first person to introduce x-ray diffraction
images of DNA at a 1951 conference in Naples. From these images, Wilkinson discovered that the radius of the DNA was
thicker than the alpha-helix structure Pauling discovered. So he thought that DNA might be a combination of several helix
structures rather than a single alpha-helix structure. Franklin obtained the famous x-ray diffraction image called Photo51
which revealed the double helix structure of DNA. Afterwards, Wilkins passed it to Watson and Crick. For this
achievement, Wilkins, Watson, and Crick won the Nobel Prize, but Franklin, who actually took Photo51, did not win it and
received little recognition, because she passed away early.
▶ Trials and Errors of James Watson
Watson, Crick, Franklin, Pauling, and Wilkinson played a key role in discovering DNA structures. Since this book was
written from Watson's point of view, we will focus on his trial and error until discovering DNA structures. First, Watson was
a biologist with no knowledge of chemistry or physics. So, he went to Herman to learn biochemistry. However, Herman’s
divorce caused him to neglect his research. Afterwards, Watson continued his genetic research on viruses. Next, he went
to Naples, and he thought he would figure out the structure of DNA if he could learn from Wilkins' X-ray diffraction
photographs. Eventually, He went to England to learn X-rays, and his relationship with Crick began here.

▶ What is X-ray diffraction?

When an X-ray is shot on a DNA sample, the X-rays are scattered and record a pattern, which is called an X-ray diffraction
photograph! You can find the arrangement of atoms with this photograph. Through Photo51 taken by Franklin, Watson
learned specific information such as 1) a double helix structure in which two strands wrap around each other, 2) the width
of the DNA is constant, and 3) twisted clockwise.

Pauling discovered the alpha-helix structure, and Wilkinson expected the DNA to consist of more than one alpha-helix,
right? As shown above, DNA is a double helix structure!