Chapter 6 - Nucleic Acid Structure and Dynamics from NMR

Abstract

The power of multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods has opened new opportunities for analysis of the structure of nucleic acids and proteins in solution. In this chapter, the focus is on recent applications of the NMR methodology to nucleic acid systems. There are a number of reviews covering somewhat older work on nucleic acids; hence, here the focus is on recent progress and examples. The basic methods for obtaining resonance assignments in duplex nucleic acids are reviewed. However, a number of modifications are described which are advantageous, particularly for systems that are more complex. In the following section, the sources for generating direct structural information is discussed, with a description of how they are applied in nucleic acid systems. The methods through which the structural information can be used to develop models for the solution structures are also presented along with the NMR methods for analyzing dynamics in nucleic acid systems. Finally, specific examples of the application of these NMR approaches are also given.