DNA APTAMERS AND DNA ENZYMES

Investigators using combinatorial methods are revealing the surprising structural and functional abilities of DNA. A consequence of DNA's st ructure-forming potential is its ability to form highly specific recep tors and ligands, and even its ability to catalyze chemical reactions. Unlike the classical images of double-stranded DNA, these DNA structu res have many of the higher-ordered structural features that are found with ribozymes and other folded RNAs. Recent research is beginning to indicate that these new DNA structures are not rare exceptions, and t hat DNA, despite the absence of 2' hydroxyl groups, could rival RNA in its ability to form intricate structures and in its ability to functi on as an enzyme.