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DNA Paper Origami - Instructions

The document provides instructions for building a paper model of DNA. It explains how to color nucleotide bases and sugar-phosphate backbones using different colors on template, replicate, and fill-in sheets. It describes how complementary base pairs of adenine-thymine and guanine-cytosine should be colored and arranged. The sheets are then glued together and folded along lines to form the twisted double helix shape of DNA. The folding involves sharp, alternating horizontal and diagonal folds to compress the paper into the recognizable structure.

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22 views9 pages

DNA Paper Origami - Instructions

The document provides instructions for building a paper model of DNA. It explains how to color nucleotide bases and sugar-phosphate backbones using different colors on template, replicate, and fill-in sheets. It describes how complementary base pairs of adenine-thymine and guanine-cytosine should be colored and arranged. The sheets are then glued together and folded along lines to form the twisted double helix shape of DNA. The folding involves sharp, alternating horizontal and diagonal folds to compress the paper into the recognizable structure.

Uploaded by

carol navarro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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‘How to build a paper DNA model’

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology


Hyderabad

Instructions

Coloring:

• Each triangle in the sheet is a nucleotide base,


abbreviated as Adenine – A, Thymine – T, Guanine – G and
Cytosine - C.
• Color the nucleotide bases: Adenine-Green, Thymine-
Pink, Guanine-Yellow and Cytosine-Cyan/Blue, following
the template sheet.

A C

T
G

• Color the alternate arrangement of sugar (shown as


orange pentagons) and phosphate (shown as brown
circles) molecules following the template sheet.

Sugar Phosphate
Coloring:
• There are three sheets: Template sheet, Replicate the
template sheet, and Fill the bases sheet.
• Color the Replicate the template sheet same as the
Template sheet.
• In double stranded DNA, Guanine (G) on one strand and
Cytosine (C) on the adjoining strand pair with each other.
This is called the G-C base pair. Similarly, Thymine (T) on
one strand pairs with Adenine (A) on the other strand.
This is called the A-T base pair.
• G and C are complementary bases for each other. A and T
are complementary with each other.
• In the sheets, the complementary bases are placed in
front of each other.

• Fill up the bases complementary to each other in the Fill


the bases sheet and color them accordingly.
• Color the phosphate and sugars in all the sheets same as
in the template sheet.
• NOTE: Don’t forget the bonding of the phosphate, sugar
and the nucleotide with “__” (dash).

Template sheet Replicate the template sheet Fill the bases sheet
Gluing the sheets

• Trim the edge of 'Replicate the template' sheet and ‘Fill the
bases’ sheet join the three sheets with glue.

Template sheet

G C C G

T A A T

G C C G
C
C G G C
After coloring the
A T T A Replicate the template
A T T A sheet
G C C G

T A A T

Fill up the bases and


color it!

After gluing the sheets together


Folding:
• Fold the DNA sheet at the center-line with a crisp
sharp fold, making as a half fold of the sheet.
Folding:
• Fold the sugar & phosphate columns, one column-fold
towards you.
• Flip the sheets to the other side and fold the sugar &
phosphate columns towards you.
• Start folding on horizontal bold lines towards
you using your fingernail giving a crisp sharp
fold.
• Start folding on diagonal dotted lines opposite
side which means against you, using your
fingernail giving a crisp sharp fold.
• Start from top, begin folding one on horizontal
dotted line and one fold on diagonal bold line one
by one gradually in a pleated manner, following
the earlier done folds which gives a twisted-
pleated-compressed shape of DNA.
• Loosen the compressed folds gradually, further
unfold the sugar and phosphate columns to some
extent, on both sides and gets to final shape of
DNA.

DNA Origami Tutorial Team


K. Lakshmi Rao, Somdatta Karak & Bharath Atthe

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