The characterization of a new class of pyrrole-imidazole hairpin polyamides with beta-amino-gamma-turn units for recognition of the DNA minor groove is reported. A library of eight hairpins containing (R)and (S)-3,4-diaminobutyric acid (beta-amino-gamma-turn) has been synthesized, and the impact of the molecules on DNA-duplex stabilization was studied for comparison with the parent gamma-aminobutyric acid (gamma-turn) and standard (R)-2,4-diaminobutyric acid (alpha-amino-gamma-turn)-linked eight-ring polyamides. For some, but not all, sequence compositions, melting temperature analyses have revealed that both enantiomeric forms of the beta-amino-gamma-turn increase the DNA-binding affinity of polyamides relative to the (R)-alpha-amino-gamma-turn. The (R)beta-amine residue may be an attractive alternative for constructing hairpin polyamide conjugates. Biological assays have shown that (R)-beta-amino-gamma-turn hairpins are able to inhibit androgen receptor-mediated gene expression in cell culture similar to hairpins bearing the standard (R)-alpha-amino-gamma-turn, from which we infer they are cell-permeable.