The role of minor groove functional groups in DNA hydration.
Here we describe the crystal structure of modified [d(CGCGAATTCGCG)]2 refined to 2.04 A. The modification, which affects only the two thymines at the central ApT step, involves isosteric removal of the 2-keto oxygen atoms and substitution of the N1 nitrogen with carbon. The crystal structure reveals the ability of this modified thymine to effectively base pair with adenine in [d(CGCGAAtTCGCG)]2. The structure also suggests that the minor groove 'spine of hydration' is destabilized but essentially intact.
Woods
Kristen Kruger
KK
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
Lan
Tao
T
McLaughlin
Larry W
LW
Williams
Loren Dean
LD
D000225:Adenine / Q000737:chemistry; D020029:Base Pairing; D001665:Binding Sites; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D013941:Thymine / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
D014867:Water; D004247:DNA; D000225:Adenine; D013941:Thymine