I-motif DNA I-motif DNA i-motif DNA is a type of deoxyribonucleic acid, discovered in 2018, that is found in the nuclei of human cells. An abbreviation of intercalated motif, the four-strand i-motif is unlike the iconic double helix DNA. I-motifs are four-stranded quadruplex structures formed by cytosine-rich DNA, similar to the G-quadruplex structures that guanine-rich DNA forms. C-rich DNA regions are common in gene regulation portions of the genome. Recently, i-motifs were discovered in human cells and were shown to play a role in cell reproduction. I-motifs have potential applications in nanotechnology and nanomedicine due to their unique pH sensitivity and have
Epigenetics in stem-cell differentiation one. "DNMT3A" and "DNMT3B" have both been linked to a role in the establishment of DNA methylation pattern in the early development of the stem cell, whereas "DNMT1" is required to methylate a newly synthesized strand of DNA after the cell has undergone replication in order to sustain the epigenetic regulatory state. Numerous proteins can physically interact with "DNMTs" themselves, which help target "DNMT1" to hemi-methylated DNA. Several new studies point to the central role of DNA methylation interacting with the regulation of cell cycles and DNA repair pathways in order to maintain the undifferentiated state. In embryonic stem cells,