Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid

Nature volume 171, pages 737–738 (1953)Cite this article

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

WE wish to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (D.N.A.). This structure has novel features which are of considerable biological interest.

A structure for nucleic acid has already been proposed by Pauling and Corey1. They kindly made their manuscript available to us in advance of publication. Their model consists of three intertwined chains, with the phosphates near the fibre axis, and the bases on the outside. In our opinion, this structure is unsatisfactory for two reasons : (1) We believe that the material which gives the X-ray diagrams is the salt, not the free acid. Without the acidic hydrogen atoms it is not clear what forces would hold the structure together, especially as the negatively charged phosphates near the axis will repel each other. (2) Some of the van der Waals distances appear to be too small.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Pauling, L., and Corey, R. B., Nature, 171, 346 (1953); Proc. U.S. Nat. Acad. Sci., 39, 84 (1953).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Furberg, S., Acta Chem. Scand., 6, 634 (1952).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Chargaff, E., for references see Zamenhof, S., Brawerman, G., and Chargaff, E., Biochim. et Biophys. Acta, 9, 402 (1952).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wyatt, G. R., J. Gen. Physiol., 36, 201 (1952).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Astbury, W. T., Symp. Soc. Exp. Boil. 1, Nucleic Acid, 66 (Camb. Univ. Press, 1947).

  6. Wilkins, M. H. F., and Randall, J. T., Biochim. et Biophys. Acta, 10, 192 (1953).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Research Council Unit for the Study of the Molecular Structure of Biological Systems, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge. April 2. https://www.nature.com/nature

    J. D. WATSON & F. H. C. CRICK

Authors
  1. J. D. WATSON
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. H. C. CRICK
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

WATSON, J., CRICK, F. Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid. Nature 171, 737–738 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing