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Structural basis of DNA flexibility

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Title Structural basis of DNA flexibility
 
Creator Bhattacharyya, Dhananjay
Majumdar, Rabi
 
Description 16-19
It has been recently shown by us, on the
basis of crystal structure database that the flexibility of B-DNA double
helices depends significantly on their base sequence. Our model building
studies further indicated that the existence of bifurcated cross-strand
hydrogen bonds between successive base pairs is possibly the main factor behind
the sequence directed DNA flexibility. These cross-strand hydrogen bonds are,
of course, weaker than the usual Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds and their bond
geometry is characterized by relatively larger bond lengths and smaller bond
angles. We have tried to improve our model structures by incorporating
non-planarity of the amino groups in DNA bases due to the presence of lone pair
electrons at the nitrogen atoms. Energy minimization studies have been carried
out by using different quantum chemical methods, whereby it is found that in
all cases of N—H...O type cross-strand hydrogen bonds, the bond
geometry improves significantly. In the cases of N—H...O type
hydrogen bonds, however, no such consistent improvements can be noticed.

Perhaps the true picture would emerge
only if all the other interactions present in the DNA macromolecule could be
appropriately taken into account.
 
Date 2013-07-16T05:21:33Z
2013-07-16T05:21:33Z
2001-04
 
Type Article
 
Identifier 0975-0959 (Online); 0301-1208 (Print)
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/19792
 
Language en_US
 
Rights CC Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India
 
Publisher NISCAIR-CSIR, India
 
Source IJBB Vol.38(1-2) [February-April 2001]