Online Content : Physical and Structural Techniques Applied to Nucleic Acids

This chapter looks at the physical and structural techniques that can be applied to nucleic acids. The first few sections focus on spectroscopic techniques, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and diffraction techniques. The following sections explore cryogenic electron microscopy, optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and electrophoresis. Chromatographic methods, centrifugation and light scattering techniques are also discussed. Finally, the chapter concludes with sections on thermodynamic analysis, molecular mechanics and dynamics, and QM/MM methods for modelling nucleic acids reactions

Proton Transfer Studied Using a Combined Ab Initio Reactive Potential Energy Surface with Quantum Path Integral Methodology

The rates of intramolecular proton transfer are calculated on a full-dimensional reactive electronic potential energy surface that incorporates high-level ab initio calculations along the reaction path and by using classical transition state theory, path-integral quantum transition state theory, and the quantum instanton approach. The specific example problem studied is malonaldehyde. Estimates of the kinetic isotope effect using the latter two methods are found to be in reasonable agreement with each other. Improvements and extensions of this practical, yet chemically accurate framework for the calculations of quantized, reactive dynamics are also discussed

Computational DNA binding studies of (–)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate

<p>The catechin family of molecules that are present in the leaves of green tea has been under investigation since the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of tea were discovered. Among multiple proposed therapeutic targets of these molecules, the direct interaction with nucleic acids has been proposed and experimentally observed but without clear knowledge about the potential binding modes between these ligands and DNA. One of these catechin structures, (–)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has three aromatic rings that could interact with double-stranded DNA via terminal base-pair stacking, intercalation, or through groove binding. Using enhanced sampling techniques and molecular dynamics simulations, we have found a stable complex between the EGCG ligand and DNA through intercalation of the trihydroxybenzoate aromatic ring and an ApC step. Moreover, we have calculated the absorption spectra of four possible binding modes and compared these to absorption profiles reported in the literature, and explored the possible DNA sequence preference for the EGCG ligand to bind. Our results suggest that an intercalative mode of interaction through the major groove is possible between the EGCG ligands and DNA with apparently very little DNA sequence selectivity.</p