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Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA
Published on: April 26, 2013
The influence of Ni2+ and other ions on the trigonal structure of DNA
Francisco J Acosta-Reyes1, Mireia Pagan1, Elsa Fonfría-Subirós1
1Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
We present a new structure of a DNA dodecamer obtained in the presence of Ni2+ ions. The DNA forms Ni-guanine cross-links between neighboring molecules. Our results show that an adequate dosage of Ni2+ may help to form well-defined DNA nanostructures. We also compare our structure with other dodecamers which present unique features and also crystallize in trigonal unit cells, strongly influenced by the counterions associated with DNA. In all cases, the DNA duplexes form parallel pseudo-helical columns in the crystal, similar to DNA-protamine and native DNA fibers.
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