Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Structures of helical junctions in nucleic acids.

D M Lilley1

  • 1CRC Nucleic Acid Structure Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK.

Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics
|December 29, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Recent advances in nucleic acid junction architecture reveal that pairwise coaxial stacking and metal ion interactions are key folding principles. These findings, confirmed by X-ray crystallography and other methods, apply to both DNA and RNA structures.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Nucleic acid structure and recognition.

Biophysical chemistry·2006
Same author

The structure and active site of the Varkud satellite ribozyme.

Biochemical Society transactions·2002
Same author

Origins of RNA catalysis in the hairpin ribozyme.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2002
Same author

The ribosome functions as a ribozyme.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2002
Same author

Distortion of DNA junctions imposed by the binding of resolving enzymes: a fluorescence study.

Journal of molecular biology·2001
Same author

The A730 loop is an important component of the active site of the VS ribozyme.

Journal of molecular biology·2001

Area of Science:

  • Structural biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Recent advances have significantly improved understanding of nucleic acid junction architecture.
  • DNA junction conformation is well-understood, providing a basis for analyzing RNA structural elements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and analyze recent data on nucleic acid junction folding principles.
  • To compare folding principles and structures between DNA and RNA junctions.
  • To explore the significance of nucleic acid junction flexibility in protein interactions.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray crystallography of four-way DNA junctions.
  • Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), chemical probing, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
  • Molecular modeling in conjunction with experimental data.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Pairwise coaxial stacking of helical arms and metal ion interactions are crucial folding principles for both DNA and RNA junctions.
  • Four-way DNA junctions fold into stacked X-structures, with sequence-dependent stability of conformers.
  • Three-way DNA junctions, particularly 3HS2 junctions, demonstrate these folding principles upon modification, unlike perfect 3H junctions.

Conclusions:

  • The folding principles of pairwise coaxial stacking and metal ion induction are broadly applicable to branched nucleic acids.
  • While RNA and DNA junctions share similarities, differences in electrostatic interactions and stability necessitate caution in extrapolating findings.
  • Branched nucleic acids' flexibility is significant for protein interactions, with enzymes often distorting junction structures.