Correlated motions in DNA
The furanose ring of nucleic acids plays a key role in detrmining the conformations of nucleic acids because it shares a common bond C3'-C4'(psi') with the sugar-phosphate backbone. This structural feature enables the transmission of conformational changes between the side-chain base and the backbone through conformational correlations between the base and sugar. Thermally-induced local fluctuations of P can be transmitted along the backbone through psi', particularly when the sugar is in the C2'-endo domain. The sugar pucker-dependent flexibility of DNA is further exemplified by studies that have shown that due to steric interactions, absence of the 2'-OH group in deoxyribose tends to increase the conformational flexibility about the internucleotide phosphodiester (..omega.., ..omega..') especially when the sugar assumes the C2'-endo pucker.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 6796108
- Journal Information:
- Biophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 32:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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