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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Iterative Optimization of DNA Duplexes for Crystallization of SeqA-DNA Complexes
Published on: November 1, 2012
X-ray crystallographic analysis of the hydration of A- and B-form DNA at atomic resolution
M Egli1, V Tereshko, M Teplova
1Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry and The Drug Discovery Program, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. m-egli@nwu.edu
Abstract:
We have determined single crystal structures of an A-DNA decamer and a B-DNA dodecamer at 0.83 and 0.95 A, respectively. The resolution of the former is the highest reported thus far for any right-handed nucleic acid duplex and the quality of the diffraction data allowed determination of the structure with direct methods. The structures reveal unprecedented details of DNA fine structure and hydration; in particular, we have reexamined the overall hydration of A- and B-form DNA, the distribution of water around phosphate groups, and features of the water structure that may underlie the B to A transition.
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