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Published on: April 26, 2013
On Water Arrangements in Right- and Left-Handed DNA Structures
Liliya A Yatsunyk1, Stephen Neidle2
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA.
Abstract:
DNA requires hydration to maintain its structural integrity. Crystallographic analyses have enabled patterns of water arrangements to be visualized. We survey these water motifs in this review, focusing on left- and right-handed duplex and quadruplex DNAs, together with the i-motif. Common patterns of linear spines of water organization in grooves have been identified and are widely prevalent in right-handed duplexes and quadruplexes. By contrast, a left-handed quadruplex has a distinctive wheel of hydration populating the almost completely circular single groove in this structure.
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