DNA 'Palindromes' Linked To Disease

Long DNA sequences, or palindromes, change the shape of the molecule from double helix to hairpin-like formation, which causes replication to stall. Altered or stalled replication causes chromosomal breaking, resulting in cancers and diseases. In the context of everyday life, palindromes are quite common. They are words, phrases, numbers or other sequences of units that read the same way in either direction, such as 'A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama!'