title: Crystal structure of domain A of Thermus flavus 5S rRNA and the contribution of water molecules to its structure.
abstract: This is the first high resolution crystal structure of an RNA molecule made by solid phase chemical synthesis and representing a natural RNA. The structure of the domain A of Thermus flavus ribosomal 5S RNA is refined to R = 18% at 2.4 A including 159 solvent molecules. Most of the 2'-hydroxyl groups as well as the phosphate oxygens are involved either in specific hydrogen bonds in intermolecular contacts or to solvent molecules. The two U-G and G-U base-pairs are stabilized by H-bonds supplied via three water molecules to compensate for the lack of base-pair hydrogen bonds. The structure shows for the first time in detail the importance of highly ordered internal water in stabilizing an RNA structure.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Betzel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lorenz
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fürste
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bald
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Erdmann
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012341:RNA, Ribosomal, 5S / Q000737:chemistry*; D013824:Thermus / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012341:RNA, Ribosomal, 5S; D014867:Water