DNA
Canonical B-DNA 20 Å GC AT CG TA CGCGTTGACAACTGCAGAATC 34 Å AT GC TA Minor Groove 3.4 Å TA CG AT Major Groove Strands are antiparallel CG GC GC
Canonical B DNA First determined experimentally by fiber diffraction (Arnott) C2 -endo sugar puckers High anti glycosidic angles Right handed 10 base pairs per turn Bases perpendicular to the helix axis and stacked over the axis Overall bending as much as 15 degrees Over 230 structures 25 with base mis-pairing only cause local perturbations
A and B DNA allomorphs 5 3 3 5 Hydration Antiparallel strands B A
Review of DNA Structure
DNA Structures: A, B and Z
Review of DNA Structure
DNA Structures: A, B and Z Property A-DNA B-DNA Z-DNA Helix Right-handed Right-handed Left-handed Sugar C2 -endo C3 -endo C2 endo (C) C3 endo (G) Base pairs /turn 11 10 12 Pitch 28 Å 34 Å 44.6 Å Tilt 20 deg 0-7 deg Rise /bp 2.3 Å 3.4 Å 3.7 Å Diameter 23 Å 20 Å 17 Å
DNA grooves MAJOR MINOR Important for recognition and binding
Spine of Hydration
B-DNA (longitudinal view)
R.H. helix B-DNA (lateral view)
DNA Structures: B-DNA d(cgcgaattcgcg) d(cgcgaattcgcg)
A-DNA (longitudinal view)
R.H. helix A-DNA (lateral view)
DNA Structures: A-DNA d(agcttgccttgag) d(ctcaaggcaagct)
Canonical A DNA C3 -endo sugar puckers brings consecutive phosphates closer together 5.9A rather than 7.0 Glycosidic angle from high anti to anti Base pairs twisted and nearly 5A from helix axis Helix rise 2.56A rather than 3.4A Helix wider and 11 base pairs per repeat Major groove now deep and narrow Minor grove wide and very shallow
Z-DNA (longitudinal view)
L.H. helix Z-DNA (lateral view)
DNA Structures: Z-DNA d(cgcgcgcgcgcg) d(cgcgcgcgcgcg)
Base pairs are rotated in Z-DNA
Z-DNA Helix has left-handed sense Can be formed in vivo, given proper sequence and superhelical tension, but function remains obscure. Narrower, more elongated helix than A or B. Major "groove" not really groove Narrow minor groove Conformation favored by high salt concentrations, some base substitutions, but requires alternating purine-pyrimidine sequence. N2-amino of G H-bonds to 5' PO: explains slow exchange of proton, need for G purine. Base pairs nearly perpendicular to helix axis GpC repeat, not single base-pair P-P distances: vary for GpC and CpG GpC stack: good base overlap CpG: less overlap. Zigzag backbone due to C sugar conformation compensating for G glycosidic bond conformation Conformations: G; syn, C2'-endo C; anti, C3'-endo
Drug complexes to DNA Bound to the base pair double helix can accommodate this Bound in the minor grove show base specificity Cis-platinum drugs
Nucleotide triphosphates - O NH 2 N N N N O O O P O P O P O CH 5' 2 O H H O - O - O - 1' 4' 2'-deoxyadenosine 5' triphosphate H 3' 2' H OH H O HN N H 2 N N N O O O - O P O P O P O CH 5' 2 O 2'-deoxyguanosine 5' triphosphate O - O - O - 4' H H 1' H 3' 2' H OH H 2'-deoxycytidine 5' triphosphate O O O - O P O P O P O CH 5' 2 NH 2 N O N O H H O - O - O - 4' 1' H H 3' 2' OH H - O O H N O N O O O P O P O P O CH 5' 2 O O - O - O - 4' H H 1' thymidine 5' triphosphate H H 3' 2' OH H CH 3
Unusual DNA structures
Alternative base pairs Reversed Watson-Crick Watson-Crick Hoogsteen Reversed Hoogsteen
- note C(N3) protonation Watson-Crick + Hoogsteen = Base triplet
Triple helix DNA
Guanine Hoogsteen pairing Base tetraplex
Quadruplex DNA
Inverted repeat can lead to loop formation
Holliday junction DNA cruciform
PNA versus DNA
Achiral, peptide-like backbone Backbone is uncharged High thermal stability High-specificity hybridization with DNA Resistant to enzymatic degradation Can displace DNA strand of duplex Pyrimidine PNA strands can form 2:1 triplexes with ssdna Biotechnological applications Peptide Nucleic acid(pna)
Parallel-stranded DNA
I-DNA: intercalated parallel-stranded duplexes
α and β nucleotide anomers
H OH is not the only change in passing from DNA to RNA...
Books on DNA Principles of Nucleic Acid Structure, W. Saenger, 1984 Springer-Verlag Nucleic Acid Structure, Ed. S. Neidle, 1999 Oxford University Press DNA Structure and Function, R.R. Sinden, 1994 Academic Press Biochemistry, D. Voet and J.G. Voet, 1998 DeBoeck The Eighth Day of Creation, H.F. Judson, 1996 Cold Spring Harbour Press