Sticky Ends

It is ironic that one of the biggest discoveries in the scientific world was found on a microscopic scale: sticky ends. When Ronald W. Davis, a professor in chemistry at Stanford University, was utilizing the EcoRI restriction endonuclease to cleave DNA, he noticed that the outcome was two single-stranded ends of DNA that had nucleotide base sequences complementary to each other. This was a result of the restriction enzyme creating overhang regions in the DNA strands which allowed for the sticky ends to be created. These ends of DNA were referred to as ‘sticky’ ends because their complementary base sequences allowed for base pairing, making it easy for the ends to be joined back together.
The discovery of sticky ends has transformed the field of biotechnology. DNA from two different sources could now be treated with the same restriction enzyme making the same cuts on each of the samples, resulting in identical sticky ends on both. Then, the complementary ends from each sample bond to each other creating recombinant DNA which would contain DNA from both sources.
One conventional yet impactful use of recombinant DNA is to genetically modify agricultural produce. Previously, corn borers destroyed corn crops leaving farmers with little to no harvest at the end of the season.
Ned Seeman, a professor in New York University’s DNA Structural Nanotechnology Lab, has created self- assembling DNA nanostructures using sticky ends as the primary method for formation. Since sticky ends allow for base pairing to occur, the DNA nanostructure can be held together as the sticky ends spontaneously bond to each other, allowing for self assembly. The applications of this new technology are extremely versatile and have the ability to perform surgery at the cellular level, removing individual diseased cells and even repairing defective portions of individual