2bna
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STRUCTURE OF A B-DNA DODECAMER AT 16 KELVIN
OverviewOverview
The crystal structure of the B-DNA dodecamer C-G-C-G-A-A-T-T-C-G-C-G, previously solved and refined at room temperature (290 K), has been, analyzed at 16 K (-257 degrees C). The end-to-end winding of the helix, does not vary with temperature but remains constant at 10.1 base pairs per, turn. Negatively charged phosphate groups throughout the structure do move, closer together on cooling, however, probably because of increase in the, dielectric constant of water as the temperature is lowered. This has the, two-fold effect of reducing the spacing between neighboring double helices, from 24.0 to 22.9 A and of narrowing the helix grooves within any isolated, molecule. Overall lattice displacements as deduced from crystallographic, temperature factors are very much decreased in the 16 K structure, yet, displacements at phosphates continue to exceed those of deoxyribose sugars, by B = 9 A2 and those of base pairs by B = 22 A2, even at this very low, temperature at which practically all thermal motion has been eliminated., These differences, formerly interpreted as evidence for thermal vibration, must now be attributed to static disorder.
About this StructureAbout this Structure
2BNA is a Protein complex structure of sequences from [1]. Full crystallographic information is available from OCA.
ReferenceReference
Structure of a B-DNA dodecamer at 16 K., Drew HR, Samson S, Dickerson RE, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Jul;79(13):4040-4. PMID:6955789
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