Unveiling the solution structure of a DNA duplex with continuous silver-modified Watson-Crick base pairs Javornik, Uroš Pérez Romero, Antonio López-Chamorro, Carmen Smith, Rachelle M. Dobado Jiménez, José Antonio Palacios, Óscar Bera, Mrinal K. Nyman, May Plavec, Janez Galindo, Miguel A. The challenge of transforming organized DNA structures into their metallized counterparts persists in the scientific field. In this context, utilizing DNA moleculesmodified with 7-deazapurine, provides a transformative solution. In this study, we present the solution structure of a DNA duplex that can be transformed into its metallized equivalent while retaining the natural base pairing arrangement through the creation of silver-modified Watson-Crick base pairs. Unlike previously documented X-ray structures, our research demonstrates the feasibility of preserving the intrinsic DNA self-assembly while incorporating AgI into the double helix, illustrating that the binding of silver does not disrupt the canonical base-pairing organization. Moreover, in our case, the uninterrupted AgI chain deviates from forming conventional straight linear chains; instead, it adheres to a helical arrangement dictated by the underlying DNA structure. This research challenges conventional assumptions and opens the door to precisely design structures based on the organization of highly stable Ag-DNA assemblies. 2024-10-02T07:37:42Z 2024-10-02T07:37:42Z 2024-09-05 journal article Javornik, U. et. al. Nat Commun 15, 7763 (2024). [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51876-8] https://hdl.handle.net/10481/95393 10.1038/s41467-024-51876-8 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Nature Research