Abstract
A two-dimensional 500-MHz 1H-NMR study of two oligonucleotides, d(GGATATCC) and d(GGm6ATATCC), is presented in which we have investigated the effects of adenine methylation. The two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser spectra (NOESY) show that both oligonucleotides adopt a normal right-handed B-type helix and one-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) studies demonstrate that any difference in conformation must be small. However methylation drastically slows down the helix in equilibrium coil exchange which becomes slow on a proton NMR time scale. While d(GGATATCC) fits a two-site exchange model, d(GGm6ATATCC) does not and we invoke the presence of a third species which may be an intermediate in helix formation. NMR and ultraviolet spectroscopy show that methylation destabilizes the helix, measured by the melting temperature and enthalpy of dissociation.
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