title: Salt effects on nucleic acids.
abstract: Salt-dependent electrostatic effects are a major factor in determining the stability, structure, reactivity, and binding behavior of nucleic acids. Increasingly detailed theoretical methods, especially those based on Monte Carlo and Poisson-Boltzmann methodologies, combined with powerful computational algorithms are being used to examine how the shape, charge distribution and dielectric properties of the molecules affect the ion distribution in the surrounding aqueous solution, and how they play a role in ligand binding, structural transitions and other biologically important reactions. These studies indicate that inclusion of detailed structural information about the nucleic acid and its ligands is crucial for improving models of nucleic acid electrostatics, and that better treatment of the ion atmosphere and dielectric effects is also of major importance.
authors.affiliation: Johnson Research Foundation, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Honig
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D012492:Salts