BootsMcGraw Lv 1
Why does the DNA look like cooked spaghetti, and not a nice double-helix?
Closed since 16 days ago
Novice Overall Prediction Electron DensityThe structure of this protein-DNA complex has already been solved and published, but close inspection suggests that there are some problems with the published solution. We'd like to see if Foldit players can use the same electron density data to reconstruct a better model. This puzzle comes from PDB entry 2NRE.
Why does the DNA look like cooked spaghetti, and not a nice double-helix?
I think it's RNA rather than DNA (tab reveals Uracil rather than Thymine). And RNA structures tend to rather messier than the clean-looking double helices DNA tends to form. From the PDB entry it looks like this is part of a tRNA molecule which have various weird loops and non-standard nucleotides.
What are the red bars on the nucleic acid molecules?
Yep, RNA- and RNA takes all sorts of shapes as it performs a variety of functions.