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Sample records for watson-crick base pairs

  1. [Under what conditions does G.C Watson-Crick DNA base pair acquire all four configurations characteristic for A.T Watson-Crick DNA base pair?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', O O

    2013-01-01

    At the MP2/6-311++G(2df,pd)//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory it was established for the first time, that the Löwdin's G*.C* DNA base pair formed by the mutagenic tautomers can acquire, as the A-T Watson-Crick DNA base pair, four biologically important configurations, namely: Watson-Crick, reverse Watson-Crick, Hoogsteen and reverse Hoogsteen. This fact demonstrates rather unexpected role of the tautomerisation of the one of the Watson-Crick DNA base pairs, in particular, via double proton transfer: exactly the G.C-->G*.C* tautomerisation allows to overcome steric hindrances for the implementation of the above mentioned configurations. Geometric, electron-topological and energetic properties of the H-bonds that stabilise the studied pairs, as well as the energetic characteristics of the latters are presented.

  2. Predicting the Mechanism and Kinetics of the Watson-Crick to Hoogsteen Base Pairing Transition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vreede, J.; Bolhuis, P.G.; Swenson, D.W.H.

    2016-01-01

    DNA duplexes predominantly contain Watson-Crick (WC) base pairs. Yet, a non-negligible number of base pairs converts to the Hoogsteen (HG) hydrogen bonding pattern, involving a 180° rotation of the purine base relative to Watson-Crick. These WC to HG conversions alter the conformation of DNA, and

  3. Hydration of Watson-Crick base pairs and dehydration of Hoogsteen base pairs inducing structural polymorphism under molecular crowding conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyoshi, Daisuke; Nakamura, Kaori; Tateishi-Karimata, Hisae; Ohmichi, Tatsuo; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2009-03-18

    It has been revealed recently that molecular crowding, which is one of the largest differences between in vivo and in vitro conditions, is a critical factor determining the structure, stability, and function of nucleic acids. However, the effects of molecular crowding on Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pairs remain unclear. In order to investigate directly and quantitatively the molecular crowding effects on base pair types in nucleic acids, we designed intramolecular parallel- and antiparallel-stranded DNA duplexes consisting of Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick base pairs, respectively, as well as an intramolecular parallel-stranded triplex containing both types of base pairs. Thermodynamic analyses demonstrated that the values of free energy change at 25 degrees C for Hoogsteen base-pair formations decreased from +1.45 +/- 0.15 to +1.09 +/- 0.13 kcal mol(-1), and from -1.89 +/- 0.13 to -2.71 +/- 0.11 kcal mol(-1) in the intramolecular duplex and triplex, respectively, when the concentration of PEG 200 (polyethylene glycol with average molecular weight 200) increased from 0 to 20 wt %. However, corresponding values for Watson-Crick formation in the duplex and triplex increased from -10.2 +/- 0.2 to -8.7 +/- 0.1 kcal mol(-1), and from -10.8 +/- 0.2 to -9.2 +/- 0.2 kcal mol(-1), respectively. Furthermore, it was revealed that the opposing effects of molecular crowding on the Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick base pairs were due to different behaviors of water molecules binding to the DNA strands.

  4. Conformational analysis of a covalently cross-linked Watson-Crick base pair model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Erik A; Allen, Benjamin D; Kishi, Yoshito; O'Leary, Daniel J

    2008-11-15

    Low-temperature NMR experiments and molecular modeling have been used to characterize the conformational behavior of a covalently cross-linked DNA base pair model. The data suggest that Watson-Crick or reverse Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding geometries have similar energies and can interconvert at low temperatures. This low-temperature process involves rotation about the crosslink CH(2)C(5') (psi) carbon-carbon bond, which is energetically preferred over the alternate CH(2)N(3) (phi) carbon-nitrogen bond rotation.

  5. Comparable stability of Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick base pairs in ionic liquid choline dihydrogen phosphate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tateishi-Karimata, Hisae; Nakano, Miki; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2014-01-08

    The instability of Hoogsteen base pairs relative to Watson-Crick base pairs has limited biological applications of triplex-forming oligonucleotides. Hydrated ionic liquids (ILs) provide favourable environments for a wide range of chemical reactions and are known to impact the stabilities of Watson-Crick base pairs. We found that DNA triplex formation was significantly stabilized in hydrated choline dihydrogen phosphate as compared with an aqueous buffer at neutral pH. Interestingly, the stability of Hoogsteen base pairs was found to be comparable with that of Watson-Crick base pairs in the hydrated IL. Molecular dynamics simulations of a DNA triplex in the presence of choline ions revealed that the DNA triplex was stabilized because of the binding of choline ion around the third strand in the grooves. Our finding will facilitate the development of new DNA materials. Our data also indicate that triplex formation may be stabilized inside cells where choline ions and their derivatives are abundant in vivo.

  6. Silver(I)-Mediated Base Pairs in DNA Sequences Containing 7-Deazaguanine/Cytosine: towards DNA with Entirely Metallated Watson-Crick Base Pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Méndez-Arriaga, José M; Maldonado, Carmen R; Dobado, José A; Galindo, Miguel A

    2018-03-26

    DNA sequences comprising noncanonical 7-deazaguanine ( 7C G) and canonical cytosine (C) are capable of forming Watson-Crick base pairs via hydrogen bonds as well as silver(I)-mediated base pairs by coordination to central silver(I) ions. Duplexes I and II containing 7C G and C have been synthesized and characterized. The incorporation of silver(I) ions into these duplexes has been studied by means of temperature-dependent UV spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and DFT calculations. The results suggest the formation of DNA molecules comprising contiguous metallated 7C G-Ag I -C Watson-Crick base pairs that preserve the original B-type conformation. Furthermore, additional studies performed on duplex III indicated that, in the presence of Ag I ions, 7C G-C and 7C A-T Watson-Crick base pairs ( 7C A, 7-deazadenine; T, thymine) can be converted to metallated 7C G-Ag I -C and 7C A-Ag I -T base pairs inside the same DNA molecule whilst maintaining its initial double helix conformation. These findings are very important for the development of customized silver-DNA nanostructures based on a Watson-Crick complementarity pattern. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Conformational Analysis of a Covalently Cross-Linked Watson-Crick Base Pair Model

    OpenAIRE

    Jensen, Erik A.; Allen, Benjamin D.; Kishi, Yoshito; O'Leary, Daniel J.

    2008-01-01

    Low temperature NMR experiments and molecular modeling have been used to characterize the conformational behavior of a covalently cross-linked DNA base pair model. The data suggest that Watson-Crick or reverse Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding geometries have similar energies and can interconvert at low temperatures. This low-temperature process involves rotation about the crosslink CH2–C(5′) (ψ) carbon-carbon bond, which is energetically preferred over the alternate CH2–N(3) (ϕ) carbon-nitrogen ...

  8. Watson-Crick base pairing controls excited-state decay in natural DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucher, Dominik B; Schlueter, Alexander; Carell, Thomas; Zinth, Wolfgang

    2014-10-13

    Excited-state dynamics are essential to understanding the formation of DNA lesions induced by UV light. By using femtosecond IR spectroscopy, it was possible to determine the lifetimes of the excited states of all four bases in the double-stranded environment of natural DNA. After UV excitation of the DNA duplex, we detected a concerted decay of base pairs connected by Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds. A comparison of single- and double-stranded DNA showed that the reactive charge-transfer states formed in the single strands are suppressed by base pairing in the duplex. The strong influence of the Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds indicates that proton transfer opens an efficient decay path in the duplex that prohibits the formation or reduces the lifetime of reactive charge-transfer states. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Non-Watson Crick base pairs might stabilize RNA structural motifs in ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Watson Crick base pairs, internal loops and pseudoknots have been the highlighting feature of recent structural determination of RNAs. The recent crystal structure of group-I introns has demonstrated that these might constitute RNA structural ...

  10. DNA base dimers are stabilized by hydrogen-bonding interactions including non-Watson-Crick pairing near graphite surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shankar, Akshaya; Jagota, Anand; Mittal, Jeetain

    2012-10-11

    Single- and double-stranded DNA are increasingly being paired with surfaces and nanoparticles for numerous applications, such as sensing, imaging, and drug delivery. Unlike the majority of DNA structures in bulk that are stabilized by canonical Watson-Crick pairing between Ade-Thy and Gua-Cyt, those adsorbed on surfaces are often stabilized by noncanonical base pairing, quartet formation, and base-surface stacking. Not much is known about these kinds of interactions. To build an understanding of the role of non-Watson-Crick pairing on DNA behavior near surfaces, one requires basic information on DNA base pair stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions. All-atom molecular simulations of DNA bases in two cases--in bulk water and strongly adsorbed on a graphite surface--are conducted to study the relative strengths of stacking and hydrogen bond interactions for each of the 10 possible combinations of base pairs. The key information obtained from these simulations is the free energy as a function of distance between two bases in a pair. We find that stacking interactions exert the dominant influence on the stability of DNA base pairs in bulk water as expected. The strength of stability for these stacking interactions is found to decrease in the order Gua-Gua > Ade-Gua > Ade-Ade > Gua-Thy > Gua-Cyt > Ade-Thy > Ade-Cyt > Thy-Thy > Cyt-Thy > Cyt-Cyt. On the other hand, mutual interactions of surface-adsorbed base pairs are stabilized mostly by hydrogen-bonding interactions in the order Gua-Cyt > Ade-Gua > Ade-Thy > Ade-Ade > Cyt-Thy > Gua-Gua > Cyt-Cyt > Ade-Cyt > Thy-Thy > Gua-Thy. Interestingly, several non-Watson-Crick base pairings, which are commonly ignored, have similar stabilization free energies due to interbase hydrogen bonding as Watson-Crick pairs. This clearly highlights the importance of non-Watson-Crick base pairing in the development of secondary structures of oligonucleotides near surfaces.

  11. The extension of a DNA double helix by an additional Watson-Crick base pair on the same backbone

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kumar, P.; Sharma, P. K.; Madsen, Charlotte S.

    2013-01-01

    Additional base pair: The DNA duplex can be extended with an additional Watson-Crick base pair on the same backbone by the use of double-headed nucleotides. These also work as compressed dinucleotides and form two base pairs with cognate nucleobases on the opposite strand.......Additional base pair: The DNA duplex can be extended with an additional Watson-Crick base pair on the same backbone by the use of double-headed nucleotides. These also work as compressed dinucleotides and form two base pairs with cognate nucleobases on the opposite strand....

  12. Ultraviolet Absorption Induces Hydrogen-Atom Transfer in G⋅C Watson-Crick DNA Base Pairs in Solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Röttger, Katharina; Marroux, Hugo J B; Grubb, Michael P; Coulter, Philip M; Böhnke, Hendrik; Henderson, Alexander S; Galan, M Carmen; Temps, Friedrich; Orr-Ewing, Andrew J; Roberts, Gareth M

    2015-12-01

    Ultrafast deactivation pathways bestow photostability on nucleobases and hence preserve the structural integrity of DNA following absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. One controversial recovery mechanism proposed to account for this photostability involves electron-driven proton transfer (EDPT) in Watson-Crick base pairs. The first direct observation is reported of the EDPT process after UV excitation of individual guanine-cytosine (G⋅C) Watson-Crick base pairs by ultrafast time-resolved UV/visible and mid-infrared spectroscopy. The formation of an intermediate biradical species (G[-H]⋅C[+H]) with a lifetime of 2.9 ps was tracked. The majority of these biradicals return to the original G⋅C Watson-Crick pairs, but up to 10% of the initially excited molecules instead form a stable photoproduct G*⋅C* that has undergone double hydrogen-atom transfer. The observation of these sequential EDPT mechanisms across intermolecular hydrogen bonds confirms an important and long debated pathway for the deactivation of photoexcited base pairs, with possible implications for the UV photochemistry of DNA. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Complexes of DNA bases and Watson-Crick base pairs with small neutral gold clusters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kryachko, E S; Remacle, F

    2005-12-08

    The nature of the DNA-gold interaction determines and differentiates the affinity of the nucleobases (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) to gold. Our preliminary computational study [Kryachko, E. S.; Remacle, F. Nano Lett. 2005, 5, 735] demonstrates that two major bonding factors govern this interaction: the anchoring, either of the Au-N or Au-O type, and the nonconventional N-H...Au hydrogen bonding. In this paper, we offer insight into the nature of nucleobase-gold interactions and provide a detailed characterization of their different facets, i.e., geometrical, energetic, and spectroscopic aspects; the gold cluster size and gold coordination effects; proton affinity; and deprotonation energy. We then investigate how the Watson-Crick DNA pairing patterns are modulated by the nucleobase-gold interaction. We do so in terms of the proton affinities and deprotonation energies of those proton acceptors and proton donors which are involved in the interbase hydrogen bondings. A variety of properties of the most stable Watson-Crick [A x T]-Au3 and [G x C]-Au3 hybridized complexes are described and compared with the isolated Watson-Crick A x T and G x C ones. It is shown that enlarging the gold cluster size to Au6 results in a rather short gold-gold bond in the Watson-Crick interbase region of the [G x C]-Au6 complex that bridges the G x C pair and thus leads to a significant strengthening of G x C pairing.

  14. Stability of non-Watson-Crick G-A/A-G base pair in synthetic DNA and RNA oligonucleotides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ito, Yuko; Sone, Yumiko; Mizutani, Takaharu

    2004-03-01

    A non-Watson-Crick G-A/A-G base pair is found in SECIS (selenocysteine-insertion sequence) element in the 3'-untranslated region of Se-protein mRNAs and in the functional site of the hammerhead ribozyme. We studied the stability of G-A/A-G base pair (bold) in 17mer GT(U)GACGGAAACCGGAAC synthetic DNA and RNA oligonucleotides by thermal melting experiments and gel electrophoresis. The measured Tm value of DNA oligonucleotide having G-A/A-G pair showed an intermediate value (58 degrees C) between that of Watson-Crick G-C/C-G base pair (75 degrees C) and that of G-G/A-A of non-base-pair (40 degrees C). Similar thermal melting patterns were obtained with RNA oligonucleotides. This result indicates that the secondary structure of oligonucleotide having G-A/A-G base pair is looser than that of the G-C type Watson-Crick base pair. In the comparison between RNA and DNA having G-A/A-G base pair, the Tm value of the RNA oligonucleotide was 11 degrees C lower than that of DNA, indicating that DNA has a more rigid structure than RNA. The stained pattern of oligonucleotide on polyacrylamide gel clarified that the mobility of the DNA oligonucleotide G-A/A-G base pair changed according to the urea concentration from the rigid state (near the mobility of G-C/C-G oligonucleotide) in the absence of urea to the random state (near the mobility of G-G/A-A oligonucleotide) in 7 M urea. However, the RNA oligonucleotide with G-A/A-G pair moved at an intermediate mobility between that of oligonucleotide with G-C/C-G and of the oligonucleotide with G-G/A-A, and the mobility pattern did not depend on urea concentration. Thus, DNA and RNA oligonucleotides with the G-A/A-G base pair showed a pattern indicating an intermediate structure between the rigid Watson-Crick base pair and the random structure of non-base pair. RNA with G-A/A-G base pair has the intermediate structure not influenced by urea concentration. Finally, this study indicated that the intermediate rigidity imparted by Non-Watson-Crick

  15. How a low-fidelity DNA polymerase chooses non-Watson-Crick from Watson-Crick incorporation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wen-Jin; Su, Mei-I; Wu, Jian-Li; Kumar, Sandeep; Lim, Liang-Hin; Wang, Chun-Wei Eric; Nelissen, Frank H T; Chen, Ming-Chuan Chad; Doreleijers, Jurgen F; Wijmenga, Sybren S; Tsai, Ming-Daw

    2014-04-02

    A dogma for DNA polymerase catalysis is that the enzyme binds DNA first, followed by MgdNTP. This mechanism contributes to the selection of correct dNTP by Watson-Crick base pairing, but it cannot explain how low-fidelity DNA polymerases overcome Watson-Crick base pairing to catalyze non-Watson-Crick dNTP incorporation. DNA polymerase X from the deadly African swine fever virus (Pol X) is a half-sized repair polymerase that catalyzes efficient dG:dGTP incorporation in addition to correct repair. Here we report the use of solution structures of Pol X in the free, binary (Pol X:MgdGTP), and ternary (Pol X:DNA:MgdGTP with dG:dGTP non-Watson-Crick pairing) forms, along with functional analyses, to show that Pol X uses multiple unprecedented strategies to achieve the mutagenic dG:dGTP incorporation. Unlike high fidelity polymerases, Pol X can prebind purine MgdNTP tightly and undergo a specific conformational change in the absence of DNA. The prebound MgdGTP assumes an unusual syn conformation stabilized by partial ring stacking with His115. Upon binding of a gapped DNA, also with a unique mechanism involving primarily helix αE, the prebound syn-dGTP forms a Hoogsteen base pair with the template anti-dG. Interestingly, while Pol X prebinds MgdCTP weakly, the correct dG:dCTP ternary complex is readily formed in the presence of DNA. H115A mutation disrupted MgdGTP binding and dG:dGTP ternary complex formation but not dG:dCTP ternary complex formation. The results demonstrate the first solution structural view of DNA polymerase catalysis, a unique DNA binding mode, and a novel mechanism for non-Watson-Crick incorporation by a low-fidelity DNA polymerase.

  16. Charge transport properties of DNA aperiodic molecule: The role of interbase hopping in Watson-Crick base pair

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinurat, E. N.; Yudiarsah, E.

    2017-07-01

    The charge transport properties of DNA aperiodic molecule has been studied by considering various interbase hopping parameter on Watson-Crick base pair. 32 base pairs long double-stranded DNA aperiodic model with sequence GCTAGTACGTGACGTAGCTAGGATATGCCTGA on one chain and its complement on the other chain is used. Transfer matrix method has been used to calculate transmission probabilities, for determining I-V characteristic using Landauer Büttiker formula. DNA molecule is modeled using tight binding hamiltonian combined with the theory of Slater-Koster. The result show, the increment of Watson-Crick hopping value leads to the transmission probabilities and current of DNA aperiodic molecule increases.

  17. Direct NMR Evidence that Transient Tautomeric and Anionic States in dG·dT Form Watson-Crick-like Base Pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szymanski, Eric S; Kimsey, Isaac J; Al-Hashimi, Hashim M

    2017-03-29

    The replicative and translational machinery utilizes the unique geometry of canonical G·C and A·T/U Watson-Crick base pairs to discriminate against DNA and RNA mismatches in order to ensure high fidelity replication, transcription, and translation. There is growing evidence that spontaneous errors occur when mismatches adopt a Watson-Crick-like geometry through tautomerization and/or ionization of the bases. Studies employing NMR relaxation dispersion recently showed that wobble dG·dT and rG·rU mismatches in DNA and RNA duplexes transiently form tautomeric and anionic species with probabilities (≈0.01-0.40%) that are in concordance with replicative and translational errors. Although computational studies indicate that these exceptionally short-lived and low-abundance species form Watson-Crick-like base pairs, their conformation could not be directly deduced from the experimental data, and alternative pairing geometries could not be ruled out. Here, we report direct NMR evidence that the transient tautomeric and anionic species form hydrogen-bonded Watson-Crick-like base pairs. A guanine-to-inosine substitution, which selectively knocks out a Watson-Crick-type (G)N2H 2 ···O2(T) hydrogen bond, significantly destabilized the transient tautomeric and anionic species, as assessed by lack of any detectable chemical exchange by imino nitrogen rotating frame spin relaxation (R 1ρ ) experiments. An 15 N R 1ρ NMR experiment targeting the amino nitrogen of guanine (dG-N2) provides direct evidence for Watson-Crick (G)N2H 2 ···O2(T) hydrogen bonding in the transient tautomeric state. The strategy presented in this work can be generally applied to examine hydrogen-bonding patterns in nucleic acid transient states including in other tautomeric and anionic species that are postulated to play roles in replication and translational errors.

  18. Weighted Watson-Crick automata

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamrin, Mohd Izzuddin Mohd [Department of Information System, Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology, International Islamic University Malaysia, 50728 Gombak, Selangor (Malaysia); Turaev, Sherzod; Sembok, Tengku Mohd Tengku [Department of Computer Science, Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology, International Islamic University Malaysia, 50728 Gombak, Selangor (Malaysia)

    2014-07-10

    There are tremendous works in biotechnology especially in area of DNA molecules. The computer society is attempting to develop smaller computing devices through computational models which are based on the operations performed on the DNA molecules. A Watson-Crick automaton, a theoretical model for DNA based computation, has two reading heads, and works on double-stranded sequences of the input related by a complementarity relation similar with the Watson-Crick complementarity of DNA nucleotides. Over the time, several variants of Watson-Crick automata have been introduced and investigated. However, they cannot be used as suitable DNA based computational models for molecular stochastic processes and fuzzy processes that are related to important practical problems such as molecular parsing, gene disease detection, and food authentication. In this paper we define new variants of Watson-Crick automata, called weighted Watson-Crick automata, developing theoretical models for molecular stochastic and fuzzy processes. We define weighted Watson-Crick automata adapting weight restriction mechanisms associated with formal grammars and automata. We also study the generative capacities of weighted Watson-Crick automata, including probabilistic and fuzzy variants. We show that weighted variants of Watson-Crick automata increase their generative power.

  19. Weighted Watson-Crick automata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamrin, Mohd Izzuddin Mohd; Turaev, Sherzod; Sembok, Tengku Mohd Tengku

    2014-01-01

    There are tremendous works in biotechnology especially in area of DNA molecules. The computer society is attempting to develop smaller computing devices through computational models which are based on the operations performed on the DNA molecules. A Watson-Crick automaton, a theoretical model for DNA based computation, has two reading heads, and works on double-stranded sequences of the input related by a complementarity relation similar with the Watson-Crick complementarity of DNA nucleotides. Over the time, several variants of Watson-Crick automata have been introduced and investigated. However, they cannot be used as suitable DNA based computational models for molecular stochastic processes and fuzzy processes that are related to important practical problems such as molecular parsing, gene disease detection, and food authentication. In this paper we define new variants of Watson-Crick automata, called weighted Watson-Crick automata, developing theoretical models for molecular stochastic and fuzzy processes. We define weighted Watson-Crick automata adapting weight restriction mechanisms associated with formal grammars and automata. We also study the generative capacities of weighted Watson-Crick automata, including probabilistic and fuzzy variants. We show that weighted variants of Watson-Crick automata increase their generative power

  20. Thermodynamic stability of Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick base pairs in the presence of histone H3-mimicking peptide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pramanik, Smritimoy; Nakamura, Kaori; Usui, Kenji; Nakano, Shu-ichi; Saxena, Sarika; Matsui, Jun; Miyoshi, Daisuke; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2011-03-14

    We found that Hoogsteen base pairs were stabilized by molecular crowding and a histone H3-mimicking peptide, which was not observed for Watson-Crick base pairs. Our findings demonstrate that the type of DNA base pair is critical for the interaction between DNA and histones.

  1. AVE bond index in the H-bond of the Watson-Crick pairs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giambiagi, M.; Giambiagi, M.S. de; Barroso Filho, W.

    1981-01-01

    The normal Watson-Crick base pairs are treated as super-molecules. The properties of the electronic distribution along the N-H...Y bonds are studied in an all-valence-electrons calculation, through a bond index formula devised for non-orthogonal basis. Eletronic density diagrams of the adenine-uracil base pair are analysed. (Auhor) [pt

  2. Substituent effif ects on hydrogen bonding in Watson-Crick base pairs. A theoretical study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fonseca Guerra, C.; van der Wijst, T.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.

    2005-01-01

    We have theoretically analyzed Watson-Crick AT and GC base pairs in which purine C8 and/or pyrimidine C6 positions carry a substituent X = H, F, Cl or Br, using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of density functional theory at BP86/TZ2P. The purpose is to study the effects on structure

  3. RNAHelix: computational modeling of nucleic acid structures with Watson-Crick and non-canonical base pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharyya, Dhananjay; Halder, Sukanya; Basu, Sankar; Mukherjee, Debasish; Kumar, Prasun; Bansal, Manju

    2017-02-01

    Comprehensive analyses of structural features of non-canonical base pairs within a nucleic acid double helix are limited by the availability of a small number of three dimensional structures. Therefore, a procedure for model building of double helices containing any given nucleotide sequence and base pairing information, either canonical or non-canonical, is seriously needed. Here we describe a program RNAHelix, which is an updated version of our widely used software, NUCGEN. The program can regenerate duplexes using the dinucleotide step and base pair orientation parameters for a given double helical DNA or RNA sequence with defined Watson-Crick or non-Watson-Crick base pairs. The original structure and the corresponding regenerated structure of double helices were found to be very close, as indicated by the small RMSD values between positions of the corresponding atoms. Structures of several usual and unusual double helices have been regenerated and compared with their original structures in terms of base pair RMSD, torsion angles and electrostatic potentials and very high agreements have been noted. RNAHelix can also be used to generate a structure with a sequence completely different from an experimentally determined one or to introduce single to multiple mutation, but with the same set of parameters and hence can also be an important tool in homology modeling and study of mutation induced structural changes.

  4. The extension of a DNA double helix by an additional Watson-Crick base pair on the same backbone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Pawan; Sharma, Pawan K; Madsen, Charlotte S; Petersen, Michael; Nielsen, Poul

    2013-06-17

    Additional base pair: The DNA duplex can be extended with an additional Watson-Crick base pair on the same backbone by the use of double-headed nucleotides. These also work as compressed dinucleotides and form two base pairs with cognate nucleobases on the opposite strand. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Mispairs with Watson-Crick base-pair geometry observed in ternary complexes of an RB69 DNA polymerase variant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Shuangluo; Konigsberg, William H

    2014-04-01

    Recent structures of DNA polymerase complexes with dGMPCPP/dT and dCTP/dA mispairs at the insertion site have shown that they adopt Watson-Crick geometry in the presence of Mn(2+) indicating that the tautomeric or ionization state of the base has changed. To see whether the tautomeric or ionization state of base-pair could be affected by its microenvironment, we determined 10 structures of an RB69 DNA polymerase quadruple mutant with dG/dT or dT/dG mispairs at position n-1 to n-5 of the Primer/Template duplex. Different shapes of the mispairs, including Watson-Crick geometry, have been observed, strongly suggesting that the local environment of base-pairs plays an important role in their tautomeric or ionization states. © 2014 The Protein Society.

  6. Photoinduced electron transfer in a Watson-Crick base-paired, 2-aminopurine:uracil-C60 hydrogen bonding conjugate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Souza, Francis; Gadde, Suresh; Islam, D-M Shafiqul; Pang, Siew-Cheng; Schumacher, Amy Lea; Zandler, Melvin E; Horie, Rumiko; Araki, Yasuyaki; Ito, Osamu

    2007-02-07

    A fluorescent reporter molecule, 2-aminopurine was self-assembled via Watson-Crick base-pairing to a uracil appended fullerene to form a donor-acceptor conjugate; efficient photoinduced charge separation was confirmed by time-resolved emission and transient absorption spectral studies.

  7. Watson-Crick base pairs with thiocarbonyl groups: How sulfur changes the hydrogen bonds in DNA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fonseca Guerra, C.; Baerends, E.J.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.

    2008-01-01

    We have theoretically analyzed mimics of Watson-Crick AT and GC base pairs in which N-H•••O hydrogen bonds are replaced by N-H•••S, using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of density functional theory at BP86/TZ2P level. The general effect of the above substitutions is an elongation and a

  8. Principles of RNA base pairing: Structures and energies of cis and trans-Watson-Crick/Sugar Edge base pairs revealed by quantum chemical calculations

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šponer, Judit E.; Leszczynski, J.; Šponer, Jiří

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 22, č. 6 (2005), s. 826 ISSN 0739-1102. [Albany 2005. Conversation /14./. 14.06.2005-18.06.2005, Albany] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : RNA base pairing * DNA * Watson-Crick/Sugar Edge Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics

  9. Replication infidelity via a mismatch with Watson-Crick geometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bebenek, Katarzyna; Pedersen, Lars C; Kunkel, Thomas A

    2011-02-01

    In describing the DNA double helix, Watson and Crick suggested that "spontaneous mutation may be due to a base occasionally occurring in one of its less likely tautomeric forms." Indeed, among many mispairing possibilities, either tautomerization or ionization of bases might allow a DNA polymerase to insert a mismatch with correct Watson-Crick geometry. However, despite substantial progress in understanding the structural basis of error prevention during polymerization, no DNA polymerase has yet been shown to form a natural base-base mismatch with Watson-Crick-like geometry. Here we provide such evidence, in the form of a crystal structure of a human DNA polymerase λ variant poised to misinsert dGTP opposite a template T. All atoms needed for catalysis are present at the active site and in positions that overlay with those for a correct base pair. The mismatch has Watson-Crick geometry consistent with a tautomeric or ionized base pair, with the pH dependence of misinsertion consistent with the latter. The results support the original idea that a base substitution can originate from a mismatch having Watson-Crick geometry, and they suggest a common catalytic mechanism for inserting a correct and an incorrect nucleotide. A second structure indicates that after misinsertion, the now primer-terminal G • T mismatch is also poised for catalysis but in the wobble conformation seen in other studies, indicating the dynamic nature of the pathway required to create a mismatch in fully duplex DNA.

  10. Closure properties of Watson-Crick grammars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zulkufli, Nurul Liyana binti Mohamad; Turaev, Sherzod; Tamrin, Mohd Izzuddin Mohd; Azeddine, Messikh

    2015-12-01

    In this paper, we define Watson-Crick context-free grammars, as an extension of Watson-Crick regular grammars and Watson-Crick linear grammars with context-free grammar rules. We show the relation of Watson-Crick (regular and linear) grammars to the sticker systems, and study some of the important closure properties of the Watson-Crick grammars. We establish that the Watson-Crick regular grammars are closed under almost all of the main closure operations, while the differences between other Watson-Crick grammars with their corresponding Chomsky grammars depend on the computational power of the Watson-Crick grammars which still need to be studied.

  11. Accommodation of an N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene adduct in the active site of human DNA polymerase iota: Hoogsteen or Watson-Crick base pairing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donny-Clark, Kerry; Shapiro, Robert; Broyde, Suse

    2009-01-13

    Bypass across DNA lesions by specialized polymerases is essential for maintenance of genomic stability. Human DNA polymerase iota (poliota) is a bypass polymerase of the Y family. Crystal structures of poliota suggest that Hoogsteen base pairing is employed to bypass minor groove DNA lesions, placing them on the spacious major groove side of the enzyme. Primer extension studies have shown that poliota is also capable of error-free nucleotide incorporation opposite the bulky major groove adduct N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene (dG-AAF). We present molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations suggesting that Watson-Crick base pairing could be employed in poliota for bypass of dG-AAF. In poliota with Hoogsteen-paired dG-AAF the bulky AAF moiety would reside on the cramped minor groove side of the template. The Hoogsteen-capable conformation distorts the active site, disrupting interactions necessary for error-free incorporation of dC opposite the lesion. Watson-Crick pairing places the AAF rings on the spacious major groove side, similar to the position of minor groove adducts observed with Hoogsteen pairing. Watson-Crick-paired structures show a well-ordered active site, with a near reaction-ready ternary complex. Thus our results suggest that poliota would utilize the same spacious region for lesion bypass of both major and minor groove adducts. Therefore, purine adducts with bulk on the minor groove side would use Hoogsteen pairing, while adducts with the bulky lesion on the major groove side would utilize Watson-Crick base pairing as indicated by our MD simulations for dG-AAF. This suggests the possibility of an expanded role for poliota in lesion bypass.

  12. Accommodation of an N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene adduct in the active site of human DNA polymerase ι: Hoogsteen or Watson-Crick base pairing?†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donny-Clark, Kerry; Shapiro, Robert; Broyde, Suse

    2009-01-01

    Bypass across DNA lesions by specialized polymerases is essential for maintenance of genomic stability. Human DNA polymerase ι (polι) is a bypass polymerase of the Y family. Crystal structures of polι suggest that Hoogsteen base pairing is employed to bypass minor groove DNA lesions, placing them on the spacious major groove side of the enzyme. Primer extension studies have shown that polι is also capable of error-free nucleotide incorporation opposite the bulky major groove adduct N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetyl-aminofluorene (dG-AAF). We present molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations suggesting that Watson-Crick base pairing could be employed in polι for bypass of dG-AAF. In polι with Hoogsteen paired dG-AAF the bulky AAF moiety would reside on the cramped minor groove side of the template. The Hoogsteen-capable conformation distorts the active site, disrupting interactions necessary for error-free incorporation of dC opposite the lesion. Watson-Crick pairing places the AAF rings on the spacious major groove side, similar to the position of minor groove adducts observed with Hoogsteen pairing. Watson-Crick paired structures show a well-ordered active site, with a near reaction-ready ternary complex. Thus our results suggest that polι would utilize the same spacious region for lesion bypass of both major and minor groove adducts. Therefore, purine adducts with bulk on the minor groove side would use Hoogsteen pairing, while adducts with the bulky lesion on the major groove side would utilize Watson-Crick base pairing as indicated by our MD simulations for dG-AAF. This suggests the possibility of an expanded role for polι in lesion bypass. PMID:19072536

  13. Metal-mediated DNA base pairing: alternatives to hydrogen-bonded Watson-Crick base pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takezawa, Yusuke; Shionoya, Mitsuhiko

    2012-12-18

    With its capacity to store and transfer the genetic information within a sequence of monomers, DNA forms its central role in chemical evolution through replication and amplification. This elegant behavior is largely based on highly specific molecular recognition between nucleobases through the specific hydrogen bonds in the Watson-Crick base pairing system. While the native base pairs have been amazingly sophisticated through the long history of evolution, synthetic chemists have devoted considerable efforts to create alternative base pairing systems in recent decades. Most of these new systems were designed based on the shape complementarity of the pairs or the rearrangement of hydrogen-bonding patterns. We wondered whether metal coordination could serve as an alternative driving force for DNA base pairing and why hydrogen bonding was selected on Earth in the course of molecular evolution. Therefore, we envisioned an alternative design strategy: we replaced hydrogen bonding with another important scheme in biological systems, metal-coordination bonding. In this Account, we provide an overview of the chemistry of metal-mediated base pairing including basic concepts, molecular design, characteristic structures and properties, and possible applications of DNA-based molecular systems. We describe several examples of artificial metal-mediated base pairs, such as Cu(2+)-mediated hydroxypyridone base pair, H-Cu(2+)-H (where H denotes a hydroxypyridone-bearing nucleoside), developed by us and other researchers. To design the metallo-base pairs we carefully chose appropriate combinations of ligand-bearing nucleosides and metal ions. As expected from their stronger bonding through metal coordination, DNA duplexes possessing metallo-base pairs exhibited higher thermal stability than natural hydrogen-bonded DNAs. Furthermore, we could also use metal-mediated base pairs to construct or induce other high-order structures. These features could lead to metal-responsive functional

  14. Dissociation of single-strand DNA: single-walled carbon nanotube hybrids by Watson-Crick base-pairing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Seungwon; Cha, Misun; Park, Jiyong; Jeong, Namjo; Kim, Gunn; Park, Changwon; Ihm, Jisoon; Lee, Junghoon

    2010-08-18

    It has been known that single-strand DNA wraps around a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) by pi-stacking. In this paper it is demonstrated that such DNA is dissociated from the SWNT by Watson-Crick base-pairing with a complementary sequence. Measurement of field effect transistor characteristics indicates a shift of the electrical properties as a result of this "unwrapping" event. We further confirm the suggested process through Raman spectroscopy and gel electrophoresis. Experimental results are verified in view of atomistic mechanisms with molecular dynamics simulations and binding energy analyses.

  15. Enol tautomers of Watson-Crick base pair models are metastable because of nuclear quantum effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez, Alejandro; Tuckerman, Mark E; Hjalmarson, Harold P; von Lilienfeld, O Anatole

    2010-08-25

    Intermolecular enol tautomers of Watson-Crick base pairs could emerge spontaneously via interbase double proton transfer. It has been hypothesized that their formation could be facilitated by thermal fluctuations and proton tunneling, and possibly be relevant to DNA damage. Theoretical and computational studies, assuming classical nuclei, have confirmed the dynamic stability of these rare tautomers. However, by accounting for nuclear quantum effects explicitly through Car-Parrinello path integral molecular dynamics calculations, we find the tautomeric enol form to be dynamically metastable, with lifetimes too insignificant to be implicated in DNA damage.

  16. Structural variability and the nature of intermolecular interactions in Watson-Crick B-DNA base pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czyznikowska, Z; Góra, R W; Zaleśny, R; Lipkowski, P; Jarzembska, K N; Dominiak, P M; Leszczynski, J

    2010-07-29

    A set of nearly 100 crystallographic structures was analyzed using ab initio methods in order to verify the effect of the conformational variability of Watson-Crick guanine-cytosine and adenine-thymine base pairs on the intermolecular interaction energy and its components. Furthermore, for the representative structures, a potential energy scan of the structural parameters describing mutual orientation of the base pairs was carried out. The results were obtained using the hybrid variational-perturbational interaction energy decomposition scheme. The electron correlation effects were estimated by means of the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory and coupled clusters with singles and doubles method adopting AUG-cc-pVDZ basis set. Moreover, the characteristics of hydrogen bonds in complexes, mimicking those appearing in B-DNA, were evaluated using topological analysis of the electron density. Although the first-order electrostatic energy is usually the largest stabilizing component, it is canceled out by the associated exchange repulsion in majority of the studied crystallographic structures. Therefore, the analyzed complexes of the nucleic acid bases appeared to be stabilized mainly by the delocalization component of the intermolecular interaction energy which, in terms of symmetry adapted perturbation theory, encompasses the second- and higher-order induction and exchange-induction terms. Furthermore, it was found that the dispersion contribution, albeit much smaller in terms of magnitude, is also a vital stabilizing factor. It was also revealed that the intermolecular interaction energy and its components are strongly influenced by four (out of six) structural parameters describing mutual orientation of bases in Watson-Crick pairs, namely shear, stagger, stretch, and opening. Finally, as a part of a model study, much of the effort was devoted to an extensive testing of the UBDB databank. It was shown that the databank quite successfully reproduces the

  17. Evidence for Watson-Crick and not Hoogsteen or wobble base pairing in the selection of nucleotides for insertion opposite pyrimidines and a thymine dimer by yeast DNA pol eta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Hanshin; Taylor, John-Stephen

    2005-03-29

    We have recently reported that pyrene nucleotide is preferentially inserted opposite an abasic site, the 3'-T of a thymine dimer, and most undamaged bases by yeast DNA polymerase eta (pol eta). Because pyrene is a nonpolar molecule with no H-bonding ability, the unusually high efficiencies of dPMP insertion are ascribed to its superior base stacking ability, and underscore the importance of base stacking in the selection of nucleotides by pol eta. To investigate the role of H-bonding and base pair geometry in the selection of nucleotides by pol eta, we determined the insertion efficiencies of the base-modified nucleotides 2,6-diaminopurine, 2-aminopurine, 6-chloropurine, and inosine which would make a different number of H-bonds with the template base depending on base pair geometry. Watson-Crick base pairing appears to play an important role in the selection of nucleotide analogues for insertion opposite C and T as evidenced by the decrease in the relative insertion efficiencies with a decrease in the number of Watson-Crick H-bonds and an increase in the number of donor-donor and acceptor-acceptor interactions. The selectivity of nucleotide insertion is greater opposite the 5'-T than the 3'-T of the thymine dimer, in accord with previous work suggesting that the 5'-T is held more rigidly than the 3'-T. Furthermore, insertion of A opposite both Ts of the dimer appears to be mediated by Watson-Crick base pairing and not by Hoogsteen base pairing based on the almost identical insertion efficiencies of A and 7-deaza-A, the latter of which lacks H-bonding capability at N7. The relative efficiencies for insertion of nucleotides that can form Watson-Crick base pairs parallel those for the Klenow fragment, whereas the Klenow fragment more strongly discriminates against mismatches, in accord with its greater shape selectivity. These results underscore the importance of H-bonding and Watson-Crick base pair geometry in the selection of nucleotides by both pol eta and the

  18. The influence of anharmonic and solvent effects on the theoretical vibrational spectra of the guanine-cytosine base pairs in Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen configurations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bende, Attila; Muntean, Cristina M

    2014-03-01

    The theoretical IR and Raman spectra of the guanine-cytosine DNA base pairs in Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen configurations were computed using DFT method with M06-2X meta-hybrid GGA exchange-correlation functional, including the anharmonic corrections and solvent effects. The results for harmonic frequencies and their anharmonic corrections were compared with our previously calculated values obtained with the B3PW91 hybrid GGA functional. Significant differences were obtained for the anharmonic corrections calculated with the two different DFT functionals, especially for the stretching modes, while the corresponding harmonic frequencies did not differ considerable. For the Hoogtseen case the H⁺ vibration between the G-C base pair can be characterized as an asymmetric Duffing oscillator and therefore unrealistic anharmonic corrections for normal modes where this proton vibration is involved have been obtained. The spectral modification due to the anharmonic corrections, solvent effects and the influence of sugar-phosphate group for the Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pair configurations, respectively, were also discussed. For the Watson-Crick case also the influence of the stacking interaction on the theoretical IR and Raman spectra was analyzed. Including the anharmonic correction in our normal mode analysis is essential if one wants to obtain correct assignments of the theoretical frequency values as compared with the experimental spectra.

  19. Multi-head Watson-Crick automata

    OpenAIRE

    Chatterjee, Kingshuk; Ray, Kumar Sankar

    2015-01-01

    Inspired by multi-head finite automata and Watson-Crick automata in this paper, we introduce new structure namely multi-head Watson-Crick automata where we replace the single tape of multi-head finite automaton by a DNA double strand. The content of the second tape is determined using a complementarity relation similar to Watson-Crick complementarity relation. We establish the superiority of our model over multi-head finite automata and also show that both the deterministic and non-determinis...

  20. Formation of base triplets by non-Watson-Crick bonds mediates homologous recognition in RecA recombination filaments.

    OpenAIRE

    Rao, B J; Radding, C M

    1994-01-01

    Whereas complementary strands of DNA recognize one another by forming Watson-Crick base pairs, the way in which RecA protein enables a single strand to recognize homology in duplex DNA has remained unknown. Recent experiments, however, have shown that a single plus strand in the RecA filament can recognize an identical plus strand via bonds that, by definition, are non-Watson-Crick. In experiments reported here, base substitutions had the same qualitative and quantitative effects on the pairi...

  1. Watson-Crick Base Pair Radical Cation as a Model for Oxidative Damage in DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feketeová, Linda; Chan, Bun; Khairallah, George N; Steinmetz, Vincent; Maitre, Philippe; Radom, Leo; O'Hair, Richard A J

    2017-07-06

    The deleterious cellular effects of ionizing radiation are well-known, but the mechanisms causing DNA damage are poorly understood. The accepted molecular events involve initial oxidation and deprotonation at guanine sites, triggering hydrogen atom abstraction reactions from the sugar moieties, causing DNA strand breaks. Probing the chemistry of the initially formed radical cation has been challenging. Here, we generate, spectroscopically characterize, and examine the reactivity of the Watson-Crick nucleobase pair radical cation in the gas phase. We observe rich chemistry, including proton transfer between the bases and propagation of the radical site in deoxyguanosine from the base to the sugar, thus rupturing the sugar. This first example of a gas-phase model system providing molecular-level details on the chemistry of an ionized DNA base pair paves the way toward a more complete understanding of molecular processes induced by radiation. It also highlights the role of radical propagation in chemistry, biology, and nanotechnology.

  2. [Quantum-chemical investigation of tautomerization ways of Watson-Crick DNA base pair guanine-cytosine].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', O O; Hovorun, D M

    2010-01-01

    A novel physico-chemical mechanism of the Watson-Crick DNA base pair Gua.Cyt tautomerization Gua.Cyt*Gua.CytGua*.Cyt (mutagenic tautomers of bases are marked by asterisks) have been revealed and realized in a pathway of single proton transfer through two mutual isoenergetic transition states with Gibbs free energy of activation 30.4 and 30.6 kcal/mol and they are ion pairs stabilized by three (N2H...N3, N1H...N4- and O6+H...N4-) and five (N2H...O2, N1H...O2, N1H...N3, O6+H...N4- and 06+H...N4-) H-bonds accordingly. Stable base pairs Gua-Cyt* and Gua*.Cyt which dissociate comparably easy into monomers have acceptable relative Gibbs energies--12.9 and 14.3 kcal/mol--for the explanation of the nature of the spontaneous transitions of DNA replication. Results are obtained at the MP2/6-311++G(2df,pd)//B3LYP/6-31 1++G(d,p) level of theory in vacuum approach.

  3. DFT investigation of the vibrational properties of GC Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pairs in the presence of Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cu²⁺ ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morari, Cristian; Muntean, Cristina M; Tripon, Carmen; Buimaga-Iarinca, Luiza; Calborean, Adrian

    2014-04-01

    The binding effects of Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cu²⁺ ions on the vibrational properties of guanine-cytosine base pairs have been performed using density functional theory investigations. Both Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen configurations of the base pairs were investigated. In Watson-Crick configuration, the metal was coordinated at N7 atom of guanine, while in the case of Hoogsteen configuration, the coordination is at N3 atom of guanine. We have pointed out the geometric properties of the metal-GC base pairs structure, as well as the vibrational bands that can be used to detect the presence of metallic ions in the Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen GC structures. For the geometric models used by us, the vibrational amplitudes of metallic atoms were stronger for wavenumbers lower than 500 cm⁻¹. This suggests that in the experimental studies on DNA the presence of the three metallic atoms (Mg, Ca, and Cu) can be explicitly detected at low frequencies.

  4. Watson-Crick Base Pairing, Electronic and Photophysical Properties of Triazole Modified Adenine Analogues: A Computational Study

    KAUST Repository

    Das, Shubhajit

    2015-09-17

    We employ first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) to elucidate structural, electronic and optical properties of a few recently reported triazole adenine nucleobase analogues. The results are compared against the findings obtained for both natural adenine nucleobase and available experimental data. The optical absorption of these adenine analogues are calculated both in gas-phase and in solvent (methanol) using Polarized Continuum Model (PCM). We find that all the analogues show a red-shifted absorption profile as compared to adenine. Our simulated emission spectra in solvent compare fairly well with experimentally observed results. We investigate base paring ability of these adenine analogues with thymine. The calculations on the intrinsic stability of these base pairs ascertain that all the adenine analogues form the hydrogen bonded Watson-Crick base pair with similar H-bonding energy as obtained for natural adenine-thymine base pair. In our study, we provide a microscopic origin of the low-energy absorption and emission peaks, observed experimentally.

  5. Watson-Crick Base Pairing, Electronic and Photophysical Properties of Triazole Modified Adenine Analogues: A Computational Study

    KAUST Repository

    Das, Shubhajit; Samanta, Pralok Kumar; Pati, Swapan

    2015-01-01

    We employ first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) to elucidate structural, electronic and optical properties of a few recently reported triazole adenine nucleobase analogues. The results are compared against the findings obtained for both natural adenine nucleobase and available experimental data. The optical absorption of these adenine analogues are calculated both in gas-phase and in solvent (methanol) using Polarized Continuum Model (PCM). We find that all the analogues show a red-shifted absorption profile as compared to adenine. Our simulated emission spectra in solvent compare fairly well with experimentally observed results. We investigate base paring ability of these adenine analogues with thymine. The calculations on the intrinsic stability of these base pairs ascertain that all the adenine analogues form the hydrogen bonded Watson-Crick base pair with similar H-bonding energy as obtained for natural adenine-thymine base pair. In our study, we provide a microscopic origin of the low-energy absorption and emission peaks, observed experimentally.

  6. Highly Stable Double-Stranded DNA Containing Sequential Silver(I)-Mediated 7-Deazaadenine/Thymine Watson-Crick Base Pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santamaría-Díaz, Noelia; Méndez-Arriaga, José M; Salas, Juan M; Galindo, Miguel A

    2016-05-17

    The oligonucleotide d(TX)9 , which consists of an octadecamer sequence with alternating non-canonical 7-deazaadenine (X) and canonical thymine (T) as the nucleobases, was synthesized and shown to hybridize into double-stranded DNA through the formation of hydrogen-bonded Watson-Crick base pairs. dsDNA with metal-mediated base pairs was then obtained by selectively replacing W-C hydrogen bonds by coordination bonds to central silver(I) ions. The oligonucleotide I adopts a duplex structure in the absence of Ag(+) ions, and its stability is significantly enhanced in the presence of Ag(+) ions while its double-helix structure is retained. Temperature-dependent UV spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and ESI mass spectrometry were used to confirm the selective formation of the silver(I)-mediated base pairs. This strategy could become useful for preparing stable metallo-DNA-based nanostructures. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Energy Landscape and Pathways for Transitions between Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen Base Pairing in DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Debayan; Wales, David J

    2018-01-04

    The recent discovery that Hoogsteen (HG) base pairs are widespread in DNA across diverse sequences and positional contexts could have important implications for understanding DNA replication and DNA-protein recognition. While evidence is emerging that the Hoogsteen conformation could be a thermodynamically accessible conformation of the DNA duplex and provide a means to expand its functionality, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying the Watson-Crick (WC) to HG transition. In this Perspective, we describe pathways and kinetics for this transition at an atomic level of detail, using the energy landscape perspective. We show that competition between the duplex conformations results in a double funnel landscape, which explains some recent experimental observations. The interconversion pathways feature a number of intermediates, with a variable number of WC and HG base pairs. The relatively slow kinetics, with possible deviations from two-state behavior, suggest that this conformational switch is likely to be a challenging target for both simulation and experiment.

  8. Higher order structural effects stabilizing the reverse watson-crick guanine-cytosine base pair in functional RNAs

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit

    2013-10-10

    The G:C reverse Watson-Crick (W:W trans) base pair, also known as Levitt base pair in the context of tRNAs, is a structurally and functionally important base pair that contributes to tertiary interactions joining distant domains in functional RNA molecules and also participates in metabolite binding in riboswitches. We previously indicated that the isolated G:C W:W trans base pair is a rather unstable geometry, and that dicationic metal binding to the Guanine base or posttranscriptional modification of the Guanine can increase its stability. Herein, we extend our survey and report on other H-bonding interactions that can increase the stability of this base pair. To this aim, we performed a bioinformatics search of the PDB to locate all the occurencies of G:C trans base pairs. Interestingly, 66% of the G:C trans base pairs in the PDB are engaged in additional H-bonding interactions with other bases, the RNA backbone or structured water molecules. High level quantum mechanical calculations on a data set of representative crystal structures were performed to shed light on the structural stability and energetics of the various crystallographic motifs. This analysis was extended to the binding of the preQ1 metabolite to a preQ1-II riboswitch. 2013 The Author(s).

  9. Effect of Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pairing on the conformational stability of C8-phenoxyl-2'-deoxyguanosine adducts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millen, Andrea L; Churchill, Cassandra D M; Manderville, Richard A; Wetmore, Stacey D

    2010-10-14

    Bulky DNA addition products (adducts) formed through attack at the C8 site of guanine can adopt the syn orientation about the glycosidic bond due to changes in conformational stability or hydrogen-bonding preferences directly arising from the bulky group. Indeed, the bulky substituent may improve the stability of (non-native) Hoogsteen pairs. Therefore, such adducts often result in mutations upon DNA replication. This work examines the hydrogen-bonded pairs between the Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen faces of the ortho or para C8-phenoxyl-2'-deoxyguanosine adduct and each natural (undamaged) nucleobase with the goal to clarify the conformational preference of this type of damage, as well as provide insight into the likelihood of subsequent mutation events. B3LYP/6-311+G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) hydrogen-bond strengths were determined using both nucleobase and nucleoside models for adduct pairs, as well as the corresponding complexes involving natural 2'-deoxyguanosine. In addition to the magnitude of the binding strengths, the R(C1'···C1') distances and ∠(N9C1'C1') angles, as well as the degree of propeller-twist and buckle distortions, were carefully compared to the values observed in natural DNA strands. Due to structural changes in the adduct monomer upon inclusion of the sugar moiety, the monomer deformation energy significantly affects the relative hydrogen-bond strengths calculated with the nucleobase and nucleoside models. Therefore, we recommend the use of at least a nucleoside model to accurately evaluate hydrogen-bond strengths of base pairs involving flexible, bulky nucleobase adducts. Our results also emphasize the importance of considering both the magnitude of the hydrogen-bond strength and the structure of the base pair when predicting the preferential binding patterns of nucleobases. Using our best models, we conclude that the Watson-Crick face of the ortho phenoxyl adduct forms significantly more stable complexes than the Hoogsteen face, which

  10. Detection of protonated non-Watson-Crick base pairs using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishida, Riyoko; Iwahashi, Hideo

    2018-03-01

    Many studies have shown that protonated nucleic acid base pairs are involved in a wide variety of nucleic acid structures. However, little information is available on relative stability of hemiprotonated self- and non-self-dimers at monomer level. We used electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to evaluate the relative stability under various concentrations of hydrogen ion. These enable conjecture of the formation of protonated non-Watson-Crick base pairs based on DNA and RNA base sequence. In the present study, we observed that ESI-MS peaks corresponded to respective self-dimers for all examined nucleosides except for adenosine. Peak heights depended on the concentration of hydrogen ion. The ESI-MS peak heights of the hemiprotonated cytidine dimers and the hemiprotonated thymidine dimer sharply increased with increased concentration of hydrogen ion, suggesting direct participation of hydrogen ion in dimer formations. In ESI-MS measurements of the solutions containing adenosine, cytidine, thymidine and guanosine, we observed protonated cytidine-guanosine dimer (CH+-G) and protonated cytidine-thymidine dimer (CH+-T) in addition to hemiprotonated cytidine-cytidine dimer (CH+-C) with following relative peak height, (CH+-C) > (CH+-G) ≈ (CH+-T) > (CH+-A). Additionally, in the ESI-MS measurements of solutions containing adenosine, thymidine and guanosine, we observed a considerable amount of protonated adenosine-guanosine (AH+-G) and protonated adenosine-thymidine (AH+-T).

  11. Can tautomerization of the A·T Watson-Crick base pair via double proton transfer provoke point mutations during DNA replication? A comprehensive QM and QTAIM analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets, Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2014-01-01

    Trying to answer the question posed in the title, we have carried out a detailed theoretical investigation of the biologically important mechanism of the tautomerization of the A·T Watson-Crick DNA base pair, information that is hard to establish experimentally. By combining theoretical investigations at the MP2 and density functional theory levels of QM theory with quantum theory of atoms in molecules analysis, the tautomerization of the A·T Watson-Crick base pair by the double proton transfer (DPT) was comprehensively studied in vacuo and in the continuum with a low dielectric constant (ϵ = 4) corresponding to a hydrophobic interfaces of protein-nucleic acid interactions. Based on the sweeps of the electron-topological, geometric, and energetic parameters, which describe the course of the tautomerization along its intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC), it was proved that the A·T → A(∗)·T(∗) tautomerization through the DPT is a concerted (i.e. the pathway without an intermediate) and asynchronous (i.e. protons move with a time gap) process. The limiting stage of this phenomenon is the final PT along the N6H⋯O4 hydrogen bond (H-bond). The continuum with ϵ = 4 does not affect qualitatively the course of the tautomerization reaction: similar to that observed in vacuo, it proceeds via a concerted asynchronous process with the same structure of the transition state (TS). For the first time, the nine key points along the IRC of the A·T base pair tautomerization, which could be considered as electron-topological "fingerprints" of a concerted asynchronous process of the tautomerization via the DPT, have been identified and fully characterized. These nine key points have been used to define the reactant, TS, and product regions of the DPT in the A·T base pair. Considering the energy dependence of each of the three H-bonds, which stabilize the Watson-Crick and Löwdin's base pairs, along the IRC of the tautomerization, it was found that all these H

  12. Proton tunneling in the A∙T Watson-Crick DNA base pair: myth or reality?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2015-01-01

    The results and conclusions reached by Godbeer et al. in their recent work, that proton tunneling in the A∙T(WC) Watson-Crick (WC) DNA base pair occurs according to the Löwdin's (L) model, but with a small (~10(-9)) probability were critically analyzed. Here, it was shown that this finding overestimates the possibility of the proton tunneling at the A∙T(WC)↔A*∙T*(L) tautomerization, because this process cannot be implemented as a chemical reaction. Furthermore, it was outlined those biologically important nucleobase mispairs (A∙A*↔A*∙A, G∙G*↔G*∙G, T∙T*↔T*∙T, C∙C*↔C*∙C, H∙H*↔H*∙H (H - hypoxanthine)) - the players in the field of the spontaneous point mutagenesis - where the tunneling of protons is expected and for which the application of the model proposed by Godbeer et al. can be productive.

  13. Can an Excess Electron Localise on a Purine Moiety in the Adenine-thymine Watson-Crick Base Pair? A Computational Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazurkiewicz, Kamil; Haranczyk, Maciej; Gutowski, Maciej S.; Rak, Janusz

    2007-01-01

    The electron affinity and the propensity to electron-induced proton transfer (PT) of hydrogen-bonded complexes between the Watson-Crick adenine-thymine pair (AT) and simple organic acid (HX), attached to adenine in the Hoogsteen-type configuration, were studied at the B3LYP/6-31+G** level. Although the carboxyl group is deprotonated at physiological pH, its neutral form, COOH, resembles the peptide bond or the amide fragment in the side chain of asparagine (Asn) or glutamine (Gln). Thus, these complexes mimic the interaction between the DNA environment (e.g., proteins) and nucleobase pairs incorporated in the biopolymer. Electron attachment is thermodynamically feasible and adiabatic electron affinities range from 0.41 to 1.28 eV, while the vertical detachment energies of the resulting anions span the range of 0.39-2.88 eV. Low-energy activation barriers separate the anionic minima: aHX(AT) from the more stable single-PT anionic geometry, aHX(AT)-SPT, and aHX(AT)-SPT from the double-PT anionic geometry, aHX(AT)-DPT. Interaction between the adenine of the Watson-Crick AT base pair with an acidic proton donor probably counterbalances the larger EA of isolated thymine, as SOMO is almost evenly delocalized over both types of nucleic bases in the aHX(AT) anions. Moreover, as a result of PT the excess electron localizes entirely on adenine. Thus, in DNA interacting with its physiological environment, damage induced by low-energy electrons could begin, contrary to the current view, with the formation of purine anions, which are not formed in isolated DNA because of the greater stability of anionic pyrimidines.

  14. Fingerprints of Both Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen Isomers of the Isolated (Cytosine-Guanine)H+ Pair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz-Ortiz, Andrés F; Rossa, Maximiliano; Berthias, Francis; Berdakin, Matías; Maitre, Philippe; Pino, Gustavo A

    2017-11-16

     Gas phase protonated guanine-cytosine (CGH + ) pair was generated using an electrospray ionization source from solutions at two different pH (5.8 and 3.2). Consistent evidence from MS/MS fragmentation patterns and differential ion mobility spectra (DIMS) point toward the presence of two isomers of the CGH + pair, whose relative populations depend strongly on the pH of the solution. Gas phase infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in the 900-1900 cm -1 spectral range further confirms that the Watson-Crick isomer is preferentially produced (91%) at pH = 5.8, while the Hoogsteen isomer predominates (66%) at pH = 3.2). These fingerprint signatures are expected to be useful for the development of new analytical methodologies and to trigger isomer selective photochemical studies of protonated DNA base pairs.

  15. Light-emitting self-assembled peptide nucleic acids exhibit both stacking interactions and Watson-Crick base pairing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berger, Or; Adler-Abramovich, Lihi; Levy-Sakin, Michal; Grunwald, Assaf; Liebes-Peer, Yael; Bachar, Mor; Buzhansky, Ludmila; Mossou, Estelle; Forsyth, V Trevor; Schwartz, Tal; Ebenstein, Yuval; Frolow, Felix; Shimon, Linda J W; Patolsky, Fernando; Gazit, Ehud

    2015-04-01

    The two main branches of bionanotechnology involve the self-assembly of either peptides or DNA. Peptide scaffolds offer chemical versatility, architectural flexibility and structural complexity, but they lack the precise base pairing and molecular recognition available with nucleic acid assemblies. Here, inspired by the ability of aromatic dipeptides to form ordered nanostructures with unique physical properties, we explore the assembly of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), which are short DNA mimics that have an amide backbone. All 16 combinations of the very short di-PNA building blocks were synthesized and assayed for their ability to self-associate. Only three guanine-containing di-PNAs-CG, GC and GG-could form ordered assemblies, as observed by electron microscopy, and these di-PNAs efficiently assembled into discrete architectures within a few minutes. The X-ray crystal structure of the GC di-PNA showed the occurrence of both stacking interactions and Watson-Crick base pairing. The assemblies were also found to exhibit optical properties including voltage-dependent electroluminescence and wide-range excitation-dependent fluorescence in the visible region.

  16. Silver (I) as DNA glue: Ag+-mediated guanine pairing revealed by removing Watson-Crick constraints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swasey, Steven M.; Leal, Leonardo Espinosa; Lopez-Acevedo, Olga; Pavlovich, James; Gwinn, Elisabeth G.

    2015-01-01

    Metal ion interactions with DNA have far-reaching implications in biochemistry and DNA nanotechnology. Ag+ is uniquely interesting because it binds exclusively to the bases rather than the backbone of DNA, without the toxicity of Hg2+. In contrast to prior studies of Ag+ incorporation into double-stranded DNA, we remove the constraints of Watson-Crick pairing by focusing on homo-base DNA oligomers of the canonical bases. High resolution electro-spray ionization mass spectrometry reveals an unanticipated Ag+-mediated pairing of guanine homo-base strands, with higher stability than canonical guanine-cytosine pairing. By exploring unrestricted binding geometries, quantum chemical calculations find that Ag+ bridges between non-canonical sites on guanine bases. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the Ag+-mediated structuring of guanine homobase strands persists to at least 90 °C under conditions for which canonical guanine-cytosine duplexes melt below 20 °C. These findings are promising for DNA nanotechnology and metal-ion based biomedical science. PMID:25973536

  17. Silver (I) as DNA glue: Ag(+)-mediated guanine pairing revealed by removing Watson-Crick constraints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swasey, Steven M; Leal, Leonardo Espinosa; Lopez-Acevedo, Olga; Pavlovich, James; Gwinn, Elisabeth G

    2015-05-14

    Metal ion interactions with DNA have far-reaching implications in biochemistry and DNA nanotechnology. Ag(+) is uniquely interesting because it binds exclusively to the bases rather than the backbone of DNA, without the toxicity of Hg(2+). In contrast to prior studies of Ag(+) incorporation into double-stranded DNA, we remove the constraints of Watson-Crick pairing by focusing on homo-base DNA oligomers of the canonical bases. High resolution electro-spray ionization mass spectrometry reveals an unanticipated Ag(+)-mediated pairing of guanine homo-base strands, with higher stability than canonical guanine-cytosine pairing. By exploring unrestricted binding geometries, quantum chemical calculations find that Ag(+) bridges between non-canonical sites on guanine bases. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the Ag(+)-mediated structuring of guanine homobase strands persists to at least 90 °C under conditions for which canonical guanine-cytosine duplexes melt below 20 °C. These findings are promising for DNA nanotechnology and metal-ion based biomedical science.

  18. Silver (I) as DNA glue: Ag+-mediated guanine pairing revealed by removing Watson-Crick constraints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swasey, Steven M.; Leal, Leonardo Espinosa; Lopez-Acevedo, Olga; Pavlovich, James; Gwinn, Elisabeth G.

    2015-05-01

    Metal ion interactions with DNA have far-reaching implications in biochemistry and DNA nanotechnology. Ag+ is uniquely interesting because it binds exclusively to the bases rather than the backbone of DNA, without the toxicity of Hg2+. In contrast to prior studies of Ag+ incorporation into double-stranded DNA, we remove the constraints of Watson-Crick pairing by focusing on homo-base DNA oligomers of the canonical bases. High resolution electro-spray ionization mass spectrometry reveals an unanticipated Ag+-mediated pairing of guanine homo-base strands, with higher stability than canonical guanine-cytosine pairing. By exploring unrestricted binding geometries, quantum chemical calculations find that Ag+ bridges between non-canonical sites on guanine bases. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the Ag+-mediated structuring of guanine homobase strands persists to at least 90 °C under conditions for which canonical guanine-cytosine duplexes melt below 20 °C. These findings are promising for DNA nanotechnology and metal-ion based biomedical science.

  19. Free energy landscape and transition pathways from Watson-Crick to Hoogsteen base pairing in free duplex DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Changwon; Kim, Eunae; Pak, Youngshang

    2015-09-18

    Houghton (HG) base pairing plays a central role in the DNA binding of proteins and small ligands. Probing detailed transition mechanism from Watson-Crick (WC) to HG base pair (bp) formation in duplex DNAs is of fundamental importance in terms of revealing intrinsic functions of double helical DNAs beyond their sequence determined functions. We investigated a free energy landscape of a free B-DNA with an adenosine-thymine (A-T) rich sequence to probe its conformational transition pathways from WC to HG base pairing. The free energy landscape was computed with a state-of-art two-dimensional umbrella molecular dynamics simulation at the all-atom level. The present simulation showed that in an isolated duplex DNA, the spontaneous transition from WC to HG bp takes place via multiple pathways. Notably, base flipping into the major and minor grooves was found to play an important role in forming these multiple transition pathways. This finding suggests that naked B-DNA under normal conditions has an inherent ability to form HG bps via spontaneous base opening events. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  20. Pyrrolo-dC Metal-Mediated Base Pairs in the Reverse Watson-Crick Double Helix: Enhanced Stability of Parallel DNA and Impact of 6-Pyridinyl Residues on Fluorescence and Silver-Ion Binding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Haozhe; Mei, Hui; Seela, Frank

    2015-07-06

    Reverse Watson-Crick DNA with parallel-strand orientation (ps DNA) has been constructed. Pyrrolo-dC (PyrdC) nucleosides with phenyl and pyridinyl residues linked to the 6 position of the pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine base have been incorporated in 12- and 25-mer oligonucleotide duplexes and utilized as silver-ion binding sites. Thermal-stability studies on the parallel DNA strands demonstrated extremely strong silver-ion binding and strongly enhanced duplex stability. Stoichiometric UV and fluorescence titration experiments verified that a single (2py) PyrdC-(2py) PyrdC pair captures two silver ions in ps DNA. A structure for the PyrdC silver-ion base pair that aligns 7-deazapurine bases head-to-tail instead of head-to-head, as suggested for canonical DNA, is proposed. The silver DNA double helix represents the first example of a ps DNA structure built up of bidentate and tridentate reverse Watson-Crick base pairs stabilized by a dinuclear silver-mediated PyrdC pair. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. The multiple personalities of Watson and Crick strands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cartwright, Reed A; Graur, Dan

    2011-02-08

    In genetics it is customary to refer to double-stranded DNA as containing a "Watson strand" and a "Crick strand." However, there seems to be no consensus in the literature on the exact meaning of these two terms, and the many usages contradict one another as well as the original definition. Here, we review the history of the terminology and suggest retaining a single sense that is currently the most useful and consistent. The Saccharomyces Genome Database defines the Watson strand as the strand which has its 5'-end at the short-arm telomere and the Crick strand as its complement. The Watson strand is always used as the reference strand in their database. Using this as the basis of our standard, we recommend that Watson and Crick strand terminology only be used in the context of genomics. When possible, the centromere or other genomic feature should be used as a reference point, dividing the chromosome into two arms of unequal lengths. Under our proposal, the Watson strand is standardized as the strand whose 5'-end is on the short arm of the chromosome, and the Crick strand as the one whose 5'-end is on the long arm. Furthermore, the Watson strand should be retained as the reference (plus) strand in a genomic database. This usage not only makes the determination of Watson and Crick unambiguous, but also allows unambiguous selection of reference stands for genomics. This article was reviewed by John M. Logsdon, Igor B. Rogozin (nominated by Andrey Rzhetsky), and William Martin.

  2. The multiple personalities of Watson and Crick strands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graur Dan

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In genetics it is customary to refer to double-stranded DNA as containing a "Watson strand" and a "Crick strand." However, there seems to be no consensus in the literature on the exact meaning of these two terms, and the many usages contradict one another as well as the original definition. Here, we review the history of the terminology and suggest retaining a single sense that is currently the most useful and consistent. Proposal The Saccharomyces Genome Database defines the Watson strand as the strand which has its 5'-end at the short-arm telomere and the Crick strand as its complement. The Watson strand is always used as the reference strand in their database. Using this as the basis of our standard, we recommend that Watson and Crick strand terminology only be used in the context of genomics. When possible, the centromere or other genomic feature should be used as a reference point, dividing the chromosome into two arms of unequal lengths. Under our proposal, the Watson strand is standardized as the strand whose 5'-end is on the short arm of the chromosome, and the Crick strand as the one whose 5'-end is on the long arm. Furthermore, the Watson strand should be retained as the reference (plus strand in a genomic database. This usage not only makes the determination of Watson and Crick unambiguous, but also allows unambiguous selection of reference stands for genomics. Reviewers This article was reviewed by John M. Logsdon, Igor B. Rogozin (nominated by Andrey Rzhetsky, and William Martin.

  3. DNA polymerase catalysis in the absence of Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potapova, Olga; Chan, Chikio; DeLucia, Angela M.; Helquist, Sandra A.; Kool, Eric T.; Grindley, Nigel D. F.; Joyce, Catherine M.

    2008-01-01

    We report the first pre-steady-state kinetic studies of DNA replication in the absence of hydrogen bonds. We have used nonpolar nucleotide analogues that mimic the shape of a Watson-Crick base pair in order to investigate the kinetic consequences of a lack of hydrogen bonds in the polymerase reaction catalyzed by the Klenow fragment of DNA Polymerase I from Escherichia coli. With a thymine isostere lacking hydrogen bonding ability in the nascent pair, the efficiency (kpol/Kd) of the polymerase reaction is decreased by 30-fold, affecting ground state (Kd) and transition state (kpol) approximately equally. When both thymine and adenine analogues in the nascent pair lack hydrogen bonding ability, the efficiency of the polymerase reaction is decreased by about 1000-fold, with most the decrease attributable to the transition state. Reactions using nonpolar analogues at the primer terminal base pair demonstrated the requirement for a hydrogen bond between the polymerase and the minor groove of the primer-terminal base. The R668A mutation of Klenow fragment abolished this requirement, identifying R668 as the probable hydrogen bond donor. Detailed examination of the kinetic data suggested that Klenow fragment has an extremely low tolerance of even minor deviations of the analogue base pairs from ideal Watson-Crick geometry. Consistent with this idea, some analogue pairings were better tolerated by Klenow fragment mutants having more spacious active sites. By contrast, the Y-family polymerase Dbh was much less sensitive to changes in base pair dimensions, and more dependent on hydrogen bonding between base-paired partners. PMID:16411765

  4. High-Resolution Crystal Structure of a Silver(I)-RNA Hybrid Duplex Containing Watson-Crick-like C-Silver(I)-C Metallo-Base Pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, Jiro; Tada, Yoshinari; Dairaku, Takenori; Saneyoshi, Hisao; Okamoto, Itaru; Tanaka, Yoshiyuki; Ono, Akira

    2015-11-02

    Metallo-base pairs have been extensively studied for applications in nucleic acid-based nanodevices and genetic code expansion. Metallo-base pairs composed of natural nucleobases are attractive because nanodevices containing natural metallo-base pairs can be easily prepared from commercially available sources. Previously, we have reported a crystal structure of a DNA duplex containing T-Hg(II)-T base pairs. Herein, we have determined a high-resolution crystal structure of the second natural metallo-base pair between pyrimidine bases C-Ag(I)-C formed in an RNA duplex. One Ag(I) occupies the center between two cytosines and forms a C-Ag(I)-C base pair through N3-Ag(I)-N3 linear coordination. The C-Ag(I)-C base pair formation does not disturb the standard A-form conformation of RNA. Since the C-Ag(I)-C base pair is structurally similar to the canonical Watson-Crick base pairs, it can be a useful building block for structure-based design and fabrication of nucleic acid-based nanodevices. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Benchmark studies on the building blocks of DNA. 3. Watson-Crick and stacked base pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szalay, Péter G; Watson, Thomas; Perera, Ajith; Lotrich, Victor; Bartlett, Rodney J

    2013-04-18

    Excited states of stacked adenine-thymine and guanine-cytosine pairs as well as the Watson-Crick pair of guanine-thymine have been investigated using the equation of motion coupled-cluster (EOM-CC) method with single and double as well as approximate triple excitations. Transitions have been assigned, and the form of the excitations has been analyzed. The majority of the excitations could be classified as localized on the nucleobases, but for all three studied systems, charge-transfer (CT) transitions could also be identified. The main aim of this study was to compare the performance of lower-level methods (ADC(2) and TDDFT) to the high-level EOM-CC ones. It was shown that both ADC(2) and TDDFT with long-range correction have nonsystematic error in excitation energies, causing alternation of the energetic ordering of the excitations. Considering the high costs of the EOM-CC calculations, there is a need for reliable new approximate methods.

  6. Theoretical study of the Hoogsteen-Watson-Crick junctions in DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cubero, Elena; Luque, F Javier; Orozco, Modesto

    2006-02-01

    A series of d (AT)(n) oligonucleotides containing mixtures of normal B-type Watson-Crick and antiparallel Hoogsteen helices have been studied using molecular dynamics simulation techniques to analyze the structural and thermodynamic impact of the junction between Watson-Crick and antiparallel Hoogsteen structures. Analysis of molecular dynamics simulations strongly suggests that for all oligonucleotides studied the antiparallel Hoogsteen appears as a reasonable conformation, only slightly less stable than the canonical B-type Watson-Crick one. The junctions between the Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen structures introduces a priori a sharp discontinuity in the helix, because the properties of each type of conformation are very well preserved in the corresponding fragments. However, and quite counterintuitively, junctions do not largely distort the duplex in structural, dynamics or energetic terms. Our results strongly support the possibility that small fragments of antiparallel Hoogsteen duplex might be embedded into large fragments of B-type Watson-Crick helices, making possible protein-DNA interactions that are specific of the antiparallel Hoogsteen conformation.

  7. Theoretical Study of the Hoogsteen–Watson-Crick Junctions in DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cubero, Elena; Luque, F. Javier; Orozco, Modesto

    2006-01-01

    A series of d (AT)n oligonucleotides containing mixtures of normal B-type Watson-Crick and antiparallel Hoogsteen helices have been studied using molecular dynamics simulation techniques to analyze the structural and thermodynamic impact of the junction between Watson-Crick and antiparallel Hoogsteen structures. Analysis of molecular dynamics simulations strongly suggests that for all oligonucleotides studied the antiparallel Hoogsteen appears as a reasonable conformation, only slightly less stable than the canonical B-type Watson-Crick one. The junctions between the Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen structures introduces a priori a sharp discontinuity in the helix, because the properties of each type of conformation are very well preserved in the corresponding fragments. However, and quite counterintuitively, junctions do not largely distort the duplex in structural, dynamics or energetic terms. Our results strongly support the possibility that small fragments of antiparallel Hoogsteen duplex might be embedded into large fragments of B-type Watson-Crick helices, making possible protein-DNA interactions that are specific of the antiparallel Hoogsteen conformation. PMID:16287814

  8. Crystal structure of an intermolecular 2:1 complex between adenine and thymine. Evidence for both Hoogsteen and 'quasi-Watson-Crick' interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandrasekhar, Sosale; Naik, Tangali R Ravikumar; Nayak, Susanta K; Row, Tayur N Guru

    2010-06-15

    The titled complex, obtained by co-crystallization (EtOH/25 degrees C), is apparently the only known complex of the free bases. Its crystal structure, as determined by X-ray diffraction at both 90 K and 313 K, showed that one A-T pair involves a Hoogsteen interaction, and the other a Watson-Crick interaction but only with respect to the adenine unit. The absence of a clear-cut Watson-Crick base pair raises intriguing questions about the basis of the DNA double helix. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. The first example of a Hoogsteen base-paired DNA duplex in dynamic equilibrium with a Watson-Crick base-paired duplex--a structural (NMR), kinetic and thermodynamic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isaksson, J; Zamaratski, E; Maltseva, T V; Agback, P; Kumar, A; Chattopadhyaya, J

    2001-06-01

    A single-point substitution of the O4' oxygen by a CH2 group at the sugar residue of A6 (i.e. 2'-deoxyaristeromycin moiety) in a self-complementary DNA duplex, 5'-d(C1G2C3G4A5A6T7T8C9G10C11G12)2(-3), has been shown to steer the fully Watson-Crick basepaired DNA duplex (1A), akin to the native counterpart, to a doubly A6:T7 Hoogsteen basepaired (1B) B-type DNA duplex, resulting in a dynamic equilibrium of (1A)(1B): Keq = k1/k(-1) = 0.56+/-0.08. The dynamic conversion of the fully Watson-Crick basepaired (1A) to the partly Hoogsteen basepaired (1B) structure is marginally kinetically and thermodynamically disfavoured [k1 (298K) = 3.9 0.8 sec(-1); deltaHdegrees++ = 164+/-14 kJ/mol; -TdeltaS degrees++ (298K) = -92 kJ/mol giving a deltaG degrees++ 298 of 72 kJ/mol. Ea (k1) = 167 14 kJ/mol] compared to the reverse conversion of the Hoogsteen (1B) to the Watson-Crick (1A) structure [k-1 (298K) = 7.0 0.6 sec-1, deltaH degrees++ = 153 13 kJ/mol; -TdeltaSdegrees++ (298K) = -82 kJ/mol giving a deltaGdegrees++(298) of 71 kJ/mol. Ea (k-1) = 155 13 kJ/mol]. Acomparison of deltaGdegrees++(298) of the forward (k1) and backward (k-1) conversions, (1A)(1B), shows that there is ca 1 kJ/mol preference for the Watson-Crick (1A) over the double Hoogsteen basepaired (1B) DNA duplex, thus giving an equilibrium ratio of almost 2:1 in favour of the fully Watson-Crick basepaired duplex. The chemical environments of the two interconverting DNA duplexes are very different as evident from their widely separated sets of chemical shifts connected by temperature-dependent exchange peaks in the NOESY and ROESY spectra. The fully Watson-Crick basepaired structure (1A) is based on a total of 127 intra, 97 inter and 17 cross-strand distance constraints per strand, whereas the double A6:T7 Hoogsteen basepaired (1B) structure is based on 114 intra, 92 inter and 15 cross-strand distance constraints, giving an average of 22 and 20 NOE distance constraints per residue and strand, respectively. In addition

  10. Solvent effects on hydrogen bonds in Watson-Crick, mismatched, and modified DNA base pairs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Poater, Jordi; Swart, Marcel; Guerra, Celia Fonseca; Bickelhaupt, F. Matthias

    2012-01-01

    We have theoretically analyzed a complete series of Watson–Crick and mismatched DNA base pairs, both in gas phase and in solution. Solvation causes a weakening and lengthening of the hydrogen bonds between the DNA bases because of the stabilization of the lone pairs involved in these bonds. We have

  11. Widespread Transient Hoogsteen Base-Pairs in Canonical Duplex DNA with Variable Energetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvey, Heidi S.; Gottardo, Federico L.; Nikolova, Evgenia N.; Al-Hashimi, Hashim M.

    2015-01-01

    Hoogsteen base-pairing involves a 180 degree rotation of the purine base relative to Watson-Crick base-pairing within DNA duplexes, creating alternative DNA conformations that can play roles in recognition, damage induction, and replication. Here, using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance R1ρ relaxation dispersion, we show that transient Hoogsteen base-pairs occur across more diverse sequence and positional contexts than previously anticipated. We observe sequence-specific variations in Hoogsteen base-pair energetic stabilities that are comparable to variations in Watson-Crick base-pair stability, with Hoogsteen base-pairs being more abundant for energetically less favorable Watson-Crick base-pairs. Our results suggest that the variations in Hoogsteen stabilities and rates of formation are dominated by variations in Watson-Crick base pair stability, suggesting a late transition state for the Watson-Crick to Hoogsteen conformational switch. The occurrence of sequence and position-dependent Hoogsteen base-pairs provide a new potential mechanism for achieving sequence-dependent DNA transactions. PMID:25185517

  12. pH-Modulated Watson-Crick duplex-quadruplex equilibria of guanine-rich and cytosine-rich DNA sequences 140 base pairs upstream of the c-kit transcription initiation site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucek, Pavel; Jaumot, Joaquim; Aviñó, Anna; Eritja, Ramon; Gargallo, Raimundo

    2009-11-23

    Guanine-rich regions of DNA are sequences capable of forming G-quadruplex structures. The formation of a G-quadruplex structure in a region 140 base pairs (bp) upstream of the c-kit transcription initiation site was recently proposed (Fernando et al., Biochemistry, 2006, 45, 7854). In the present study, the acid-base equilibria and the thermally induced unfolding of the structures formed by a guanine-rich region and by its complementary cytosine-rich strand in c-kit were studied by means of circular dichroism and molecular absorption spectroscopies. In addition, competition between the Watson-Crick duplex and the isolated structures was studied as a function of pH value and temperature. Multivariate data analysis methods based on both hard and soft modeling were used to allow accurate quantification of the various acid-base species present in the mixtures. Results showed that the G-quadruplex and i-motif coexist with the Watson-Crick duplex over the pH range from 3.0 to 6.5, approximately, under the experimental conditions tested in this study. At pH 7.0, the duplex is practically the only species present.

  13. Determination of redox potentials for the Watson-Crick base pairs, DNA nucleosides, and relevant nucleoside analogues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crespo-Hernandez, Carlos E; Close, David M; Gorb, Leonid; Leszczynski, Jerzy

    2007-05-17

    Redox potentials for the DNA nucleobases and nucleosides, various relevant nucleoside analogues, Watson-Crick base pairs, and seven organic dyes are presented based on DFT/B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) and B3YLP/6-311+G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-31+G* levels of calculations. The values are determined from an experimentally calibrated set of equations that correlate the vertical ionization (electron affinity) energy of 20 organic molecules with their experimental reversible oxidation (reduction) potential. Our results are in good agreement with those estimated experimentally for the DNA nucleosides in acetonitrile solutions (Seidel et al. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 5541). We have found that nucleosides with anti conformation exhibit lower oxidation potentials than the corresponding syn conformers. The lowering in the oxidation potential is due to the formation of an intramolecular hydrogen bonding interaction between the 5'-OH group of the sugar and the N3 of the purine bases or C2=O of the pyrimidine bases in the syn conformation. Pairing of adenine or guanine with its complementary pyrimidine base decreases its oxidation potential by 0.15 or 0.28 V, respectively. The calculated energy difference between the oxidation potential for the G.C base pair and that of the guanine base is in good agreement with the experimental value estimated recently (0.34 V: Caruso, T.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 15040). The complete and consistent set of reversible redox values determined in this work for the DNA constituents is expected to be of considerable value to those studying charge and electronic energy transfer in DNA.

  14. 2-Methoxypyridine as a Thymidine Mimic in Watson-Crick Base Pairs of DNA and PNA: Synthesis, Thermal Stability, and NMR Structural Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novosjolova, Irina; Kennedy, Scott D; Rozners, Eriks

    2017-11-02

    The development of nucleic acid base-pair analogues that use new modes of molecular recognition is important both for fundamental research and practical applications. The goal of this study was to evaluate 2-methoxypyridine as a cationic thymidine mimic in the A-T base pair. The hypothesis was that including protonation in the Watson-Crick base pairing scheme would enhance the thermal stability of the DNA double helix without compromising the sequence selectivity. DNA and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) sequences containing the new 2-methoxypyridine nucleobase (P) were synthesized and studied by using UV thermal melting and NMR spectroscopy. Introduction of P nucleobase caused a loss of thermal stability of ≈10 °C in DNA-DNA duplexes and ≈20 °C in PNA-DNA duplexes over a range of mildly acidic to neutral pH. Despite the decrease in thermal stability, the NMR structural studies showed that P-A formed the expected protonated base pair at pH 4.3. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of cationic unnatural base pairs; however, future optimization of such analogues will be required. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Nanoswitches based on DNA base pairs: why adenine-thymine is less suitable than guanine-cytosine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fonseca Guerra, C.; van der Wijst, T.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.

    2006-01-01

    Substituted Watson-Crick guanine-cytosine (GC) base pairs were recently shown to yield robust three-state nanoswitches. Here, we address the question: Can such supramolecular switches also be based on Watson-Crick adenine-thymine (AT) base pairs? We have theoretically analyzed AT pairs in which

  16. The influence of N-7 guanine modifications on the strength of Watson-Crick base pairing and guanine N-1 acidity: Comparison of gas-phase and condensed-phase trends

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Burda, J. V.; Šponer, Jiří; Hrabáková, J.; Zeizinger, M.; Leszczynski, J.

    2003-01-01

    Roč. 107, č. 22 (2003), s. 5349-5356 ISSN 1520-6106 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME 517; GA MŠk LN00A016 Grant - others:Wellcome Trust(GB) GR067507MF; ONR(US) N00034-03-1-0116; National Science Foundation(US) CREST 9805465 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5004920 Keywords : Watson-Crick base pairing * guanines * gas-phase and condensed-phase trends Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 3.679, year: 2003

  17. Theoretical Study of the Hoogsteen–Watson-Crick Junctions in DNA

    OpenAIRE

    Cubero, Elena; Luque, F. Javier; Orozco, Modesto

    2005-01-01

    A series of d (AT)n oligonucleotides containing mixtures of normal B-type Watson-Crick and antiparallel Hoogsteen helices have been studied using molecular dynamics simulation techniques to analyze the structural and thermodynamic impact of the junction between Watson-Crick and antiparallel Hoogsteen structures. Analysis of molecular dynamics simulations strongly suggests that for all oligonucleotides studied the antiparallel Hoogsteen appears as a reasonable conformation, only slightly less ...

  18. Determination of h2JNN and h1JHN coupling constants across Watson-Crick base pairs in the Antennapedia homeodomain-DNA complex using TROSY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pervushin, Konstantin; Fernandez, Cesar; Riek, Roland; Ono, Akira; Kainosho, Masatsune; Wuethrich, Kurt

    2000-01-01

    This paper describes NMR measurements of 15 N- 15 N and 1 H- 15 N scalar couplings across hydrogen bonds in Watson-Crick base pairs, h2 J NN and h1 J HN , in a 17 kDa Antennapedia homeodomain-DNA complex. A new NMR experiment is introduced which relies on zero-quantum coherence-based transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy (ZQ-TROSY) and enables measurements of h1 J HN couplings in larger molecules. The h2 J NN and h1 J HN couplings open a new avenue for comparative studies of DNA duplexes and other forms of nucleic acids free in solution and in complexes with proteins, drugs or possibly other classes of compounds

  19. Differential stabilities and sequence-dependent base pair opening dynamics of Watson-Crick base pairs with 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, 5-formylcytosine, or 5-carboxylcytosine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szulik, Marta W; Pallan, Pradeep S; Nocek, Boguslaw; Voehler, Markus; Banerjee, Surajit; Brooks, Sonja; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Egli, Martin; Eichman, Brandt F; Stone, Michael P

    2015-02-10

    5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC) form during active demethylation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and are implicated in epigenetic regulation of the genome. They are differentially processed by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG), an enzyme involved in active demethylation of 5mC. Three modified Dickerson-Drew dodecamer (DDD) sequences, amenable to crystallographic and spectroscopic analyses and containing the 5'-CG-3' sequence associated with genomic cytosine methylation, containing 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC placed site-specifically into the 5'-T(8)X(9)G(10)-3' sequence of the DDD, were compared. The presence of 5caC at the X(9) base increased the stability of the DDD, whereas 5hmC or 5fC did not. Both 5hmC and 5fC increased imino proton exchange rates and calculated rate constants for base pair opening at the neighboring base pair A(5):T(8), whereas 5caC did not. At the oxidized base pair G(4):X(9), 5fC exhibited an increase in the imino proton exchange rate and the calculated kop. In all cases, minimal effects to imino proton exchange rates occurred at the neighboring base pair C(3):G(10). No evidence was observed for imino tautomerization, accompanied by wobble base pairing, for 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC when positioned at base pair G(4):X(9); each favored Watson-Crick base pairing. However, both 5fC and 5caC exhibited intranucleobase hydrogen bonding between their formyl or carboxyl oxygens, respectively, and the adjacent cytosine N(4) exocyclic amines. The lesion-specific differences observed in the DDD may be implicated in recognition of 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC in DNA by TDG. However, they do not correlate with differential excision of 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC by TDG, which may be mediated by differences in transition states of the enzyme-bound complexes.

  20. Long-Range Vibrational Dynamics Are Directed by Watson-Crick Base Pairing in Duplex DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hithell, Gordon; Shaw, Daniel J; Donaldson, Paul M; Greetham, Gregory M; Towrie, Michael; Burley, Glenn A; Parker, Anthony W; Hunt, Neil T

    2016-05-05

    Ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy of a 15-mer A-T DNA duplex in solution has revealed structure-dependent vibrational coupling and energy transfer processes linking bases with the sugar-phosphate backbone. Duplex melting induces significant changes in the positions of off-diagonal peaks linking carbonyl and ring-stretching vibrational modes of the adenine and thymine bases with vibrations of the phosphate group and phosphodiester linkage. These indicate that Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding and helix formation lead to a unique vibrational coupling arrangement of base vibrational modes with those of the phosphate unit. On the basis of observations from time-resolved 2D-IR data, we conclude that rapid energy transfer processes occur between base and backbone, mediated by additional modes located on the deoxyribose moiety within the same nucleotide. These relaxation dynamics are insensitive to duplex melting, showing that efficient intramolecular energy relaxation to the solvent via the phosphate groups is the key to excess energy dissipation in both single- and double-stranded DNA.

  1. Visualizing Transient Watson-Crick Like Mispairs in DNA and RNA Duplexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimsey, Isaac J.; Petzold, Katja; Sathyamoorthy, Bharathwaj; Stein, Zachary W.; Al-Hashimi, Hashim M.

    2015-01-01

    Rare tautomeric and anionic nucleobases are believed to play fundamental biological roles but their prevalence and functional importance has remained elusive because they exist transiently, in low-abundance, and involve subtle movements of protons that are difficult to visualize. Using NMR relaxation dispersion, we show that wobble dG•dT and rG•rU mispairs in DNA and RNA duplexes exist in dynamic equilibrium with short-lived, low-populated Watson-Crick like mispairs that are stabilized by rare enolic or anionic bases. These mispairs can evade Watson-Crick fidelity checkpoints and form with probabilities (10−3-10−5) that strongly imply a universal role in replication and translation errors. Our results indicate that rare tautomeric and anionic bases are widespread in nucleic acids, expanding their structural and functional complexity beyond that attainable with canonical bases. PMID:25762137

  2. Visualizing transient Watson-Crick-like mispairs in DNA and RNA duplexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimsey, Isaac J; Petzold, Katja; Sathyamoorthy, Bharathwaj; Stein, Zachary W; Al-Hashimi, Hashim M

    2015-03-19

    Rare tautomeric and anionic nucleobases are believed to have fundamental biological roles, but their prevalence and functional importance has remained elusive because they exist transiently, in low abundance, and involve subtle movements of protons that are difficult to visualize. Using NMR relaxation dispersion, we show here that wobble dG•dT and rG•rU mispairs in DNA and RNA duplexes exist in dynamic equilibrium with short-lived, low-populated Watson-Crick-like mispairs that are stabilized by rare enolic or anionic bases. These mispairs can evade Watson-Crick fidelity checkpoints and form with probabilities (10(-3) to 10(-5)) that strongly imply a universal role in replication and translation errors. Our results indicate that rare tautomeric and anionic bases are widespread in nucleic acids, expanding their structural and functional complexity beyond that attainable with canonical bases.

  3. [Analysis of Conformational Features of Watson-Crick Duplex Fragments by Molecular Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics Methods].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poltev, V I; Anisimov, V M; Sanchez, C; Deriabina, A; Gonzalez, E; Garcia, D; Rivas, F; Polteva, N A

    2016-01-01

    limits typical for the corresponding family. We observe that popular functionals in density functional theory calculations lead to the overestimated distances between base pairs, while MP2 computations and the newer complex functionals produce the structures that have too close atom-atom contacts. A detailed study of some complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphate complexes with Na-ions highlights the existence of several energy minima corresponding to BI-conformations, in other words, the complexity of the relief pattern of the potential energy surface of complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphate complexes. This accounts for variability of conformational parameters of duplex fragments with the same base sequence. Popular molecular mechanics force fields AMBER and CHARMM reproduce most of the conformational characteristics of desoxydinucleoside monophosphates and their complementary complexes with Na-ions but fail to reproduce some details of the dependence of the Watson-Crick duplex conformation on the nucleotide sequence.

  4. How many tautomerization pathways connect Watson-Crick-like G*·T DNA base mispair and wobble mismatches?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we have theoretically demonstrated the intrinsic ability of the wobble G·T(w)/G*·T*(w)/G·T(w1)/G·T(w2) and Watson-Crick-like G*·T(WC) DNA base mispairs to interconvert into each other via the DPT tautomerization. We have established that among all these transitions, only one single G·T(w) ↔ G*·T(WC) pathway is eligible from a biological perspective. It involves short-lived intermediate - the G·T*(WC) base mispair - and is governed by the planar, highly stable, and zwitterionic [Formula: see text] transition state stabilized by the participation of the unique pattern of the five intermolecular O6(+)H⋯O4(-), O6(+)H⋯N3(-), N1(+)H⋯N3(-), N1(+)H⋯O2(-), and N2(+)H⋯O2(-) H-bonds. This non-dissociative G·T(w) ↔ G*·T(WC) tautomerization occurs without opening of the pair: Bases within mispair remain connected by 14 different patterns of the specific intermolecular interactions that successively change each other along the IRC. Novel kinetically controlled mechanism of the thermodynamically non-equilibrium spontaneous point GT/TG incorporation errors has been suggested. The mutagenic effect of the analogues of the nucleotide bases, in particular 5-bromouracil, can be attributed to the decreasing of the barrier of the acquisition by the wobble pair containing these compounds of the enzymatically competent Watson-Crick's geometry via the intrapair mutagenic tautomerization directly in the essentially hydrophobic recognition pocket of the replication DNA-polymerase machinery. Proposed approaches are able to explain experimental data, namely growth of the rate of the spontaneous point incorporation errors during DNA biosynthesis with increasing temperature.

  5. Structure of 2,4-Diaminopyrimidine - Theobromine Alternate Base Pairs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gengeliczki, Zsolt; Callahan, Michael P.; Kabelac, Martin; Rijs, Anouk M.; deVries, Mattanjah S.

    2011-01-01

    We report the structure of clusters of 2,4-diaminopyrimidine with 3,7-dimethylxanthine (theobromine) in the gas phase determined by IR-UV double resonance spectroscopy in both the near-IR and mid-IR regions in combination with ab initio computations. These clusters represent potential alternate nucleobase pairs, geometrically equivalent to guanine-cytosine. We have found the four lowest energy structures, which include the Watson-Crick base pairing motif. This Watson-Crick structure has not been observed by resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) in the gas phase for the canonical DNA base pairs.

  6. Complexes of DNA bases and Watson-Crick base pairs interaction with neutral silver Agn (n = 8, 10, 12) clusters: a DFT and TDDFT study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Ruby

    2018-03-01

    We study the binding of the neutral Ag n (n = 8, 10, 12) to the DNA base-adenine (A), guanine (G) and Watson-Crick -adenine-thymine, guanine-cytosine pairs. Geometries of complexes were optimized at the DFT level using the hybrid B3LYP functional. LANL2DZ effective core potential was used for silver and 6-31 + G ** was used for all other atoms. NBO charges were analyzed using the Natural population analysis. The absorption properties of Ag n -A,G/WC complexes were also studied using time-dependent density functional theory. The absorption spectra for these complexes show wavelength in the visible region. It was revealed that silver clusters interact more strongly with WC pairs than with isolated DNA complexes. Furthermore, it was found that the electronic charge transferred from silver to isolated DNA clusters are less than the electronic charge transferred from silver to the Ag n -WC complexes. The vertical ionization potential, vertical electron affinity, hardness, and electrophilicity index of Ag n -DNA/WC complexes have also been discussed.

  7. Non-Watson-Crick basepairing and hydration in RNA motifs: molecular dynamics of 5S rRNA loop E

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Réblová, K.; Špačková, Naďa; Štefl, R.; Csaszar, K.; Koča, J.; Leontis, N. B.; Šponer, Jiří

    2003-01-01

    Roč. 84, č. 6 (2003), s. 3564-3582 ISSN 0006-3495 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LN00A016 Grant - others:National Institutes of Health(US) 2R15 GM55898; National Science Foundation(US) CHE-9732563 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5004920 Keywords : non-Watson-Crick base pairs * ribosomal RNA * Loop E Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.463, year: 2003

  8. Crick's gossip test and Watson's boredom principle: A pseudo-mathematical analysis of effort in scientific research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlton, Bruce G

    2008-01-01

    Crick and Watson gave complementary advice to the aspiring scientist based on the insight that to do your best work you need to make your greatest possible effort. Crick made the positive suggestion to work on the subject which most deeply interests you, the thing about which you spontaneously gossip - Crick termed this 'the gossip test'. Watson made the negative suggestion of avoiding topics and activities that bore you - which I have termed 'the boredom principle'. This is good advice because science is tough and the easy things have already been done. Solving the harder problems that remain requires a lot of effort. But in modern biomedical science individual effort does not necessarily correlate with career success as measured by salary, status, job security, etc. This is because Crick and Watson are talking about revolutionary science - using Thomas Kuhn's distinction between paradigm-shifting 'revolutionary' science and incremental 'normal' science. There are two main problems with pursuing a career in revolutionary science. The first is that revolutionary science is intrinsically riskier than normal science, the second that even revolutionary success in a scientific backwater may be less career-enhancing than mundane work in a trendy field. So, if you pick your scientific problem using the gossip test and the boredom principle, you might also be committing career suicide. This may explain why so few people follow Crick and Watson's advice. The best hope for future biomedical science is that it will evolve towards a greater convergence between individual effort and career success.

  9. Spatial, Hysteretic, and Adaptive Host-Guest Chemistry in a Metal-Organic Framework with Open Watson-Crick Sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Hong; Li, Mian; Lin, Xiao-Rong; Chen, Wei; Chen, Guang-Hui; Huang, Xiao-Chun; Li, Dan

    2015-09-01

    Biological and artificial molecules and assemblies capable of supramolecular recognition, especially those with nucleobase pairing, usually rely on autonomous or collective binding to function. Advanced site-specific recognition takes advantage of cooperative spatial effects, as in local folding in protein-DNA binding. Herein, we report a new nucleobase-tagged metal-organic framework (MOF), namely ZnBTCA (BTC=benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxyl, A=adenine), in which the exposed Watson-Crick faces of adenine residues are immobilized periodically on the interior crystalline surface. Systematic control experiments demonstrated the cooperation of the open Watson-Crick sites and spatial effects within the nanopores, and thermodynamic and kinetic studies revealed a hysteretic host-guest interaction attributed to mild chemisorption. We further exploited this behavior for adenine-thymine binding within the constrained pores, and a globally adaptive response of the MOF host was observed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Observation of H-bond mediated 3hJH2H3coupling constants across Watson-Crick AU base pairs in RNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luy, Burkhard; Richter, Uwe; DeJong, Eric S.; Sorensen, Ole W.; Marino, John P.

    2002-01-01

    3h J H2H3 trans-hydrogen bond scalar coupling constants have been observed for the first time in Watson-Crick AU base pairs in uniformly 15 N-labeled RNA oligonucleotides using a new 2h J NN -HNN-E. COSY experiment. The experiment utilizes adenosine H2 (AH2) for original polarization and detection, while employing 2h J NN couplings for coherence transfer across the hydrogen bonds (H-bonds). The H3 protons of uracil bases are unperturbed throughout the experiment so that these protons appear as passive spins in E. COSY patterns. 3h J H2H3 coupling constants can therefore be accurately measured in the acquisition dimension from the displacement of the E. COSY multiplet components, which are separated by the relatively large 1 J H3N3 coupling constants in the indirect dimension of the two-dimensional experiment. The 3h J H2H3 scalar coupling constants determined for AU base pairs in the two RNA hairpins examined here have been found to be positive and range in magnitude up to 1.8 Hz. Using a molecular fragment representation of an AU base pair, density functional theory/finite field perturbation theory (DFT/FPT) methods have been applied to attempt to predict the relative contributions of H-bond length and angular geometry to the magnitude of 3h J H2H3 coupling constants. Although the DFT/FPT calculations did not reproduce the full range of magnitude observed experimentally for the 3h J H2H3 coupling constants, the calculations do predict the correct sign and general trends in variation in size of these coupling constants. The calculations suggest that the magnitude of the coupling constants depends largely on H-bond length, but can also vary with differences in base pair geometry. The dependency of the 3h J H2H3 coupling constant on H-bond strength and geometry makes it a new probe for defining base pairs in NMR studies of nucleic acids

  11. Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding of unlocked nucleic acids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Langkjær, Niels; Wengel, Jesper; Pasternak, Anna

    2015-01-01

    We herein describe the synthesis of two new unlocked nucleic acid building blocks containing hypoxanthine and 2,6-diaminopurine as nucleobase moieties and their incorporation into oligonucleotides. The modified oligonucleotides were used to examine the thermodynamic properties of UNA against unmo...... unmodified oligonucleotides and the resulting thermodynamic data support that the hydrogen bonding face of UNA is Watson-Crick like....

  12. NMR solution structure of an N2-guanine DNA adduct derived from the potent tumorigen dibenzo[a,l]pyrene: Intercalation from the minor groove with ruptured Watson-Crick base pairing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Yijin; Liu, Zhi; Ding, Shuang; Lin, Chin H.; Cai, Yuqin; Rodriguez, Fabian A.; Sayer, Jane M.; Jerina, Donald M.; Amin, Shantu; Broyde, Suse; Geacintov, Nicholas E.

    2012-01-01

    The most potent tumorigen identified among the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is the non-planar fjord region dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P). It is metabolically activated in vivo through the widely-studied diol epoxide (DE) pathway to form covalent adducts with DNA bases, predominantly guanine and adenine. The (+)-11S,12R,13R,14S DE enantiomer forms adducts via its C14-position with the exocyclic amino group of guanine. Here, we present the first NMR solution structure of a DB[a,l]P-derived adduct, the 14R (+)-trans-anti-DB[a,l]P–N2-dG (DB[a,l]P-dG) lesion in double-stranded DNA. In contrast to the stereochemically identical benzo[a]pyrene-derived N2-dG adduct (B[a]P-dG) in which the B[a]P rings reside in the B-DNA minor groove on the 3’-side of the modifed deoxyguanosine, in the DB[a,l]P-derived adduct the DB[a,l]P rings intercalate into the duplex on the 3’-side of the modified base from the sterically crowded minor groove. Watson-Crick base pairing of the modified guanine with the partner cytosine is broken, but these bases retain some stacking with the bulky DB[a,l]P ring system. This new theme in PAH DE - DNA adduct conformation differs from: (1) the classical intercalation motif where Watson-Crick base-pairing is intact at the lesion site, and (2) the base-displaced intercalation motif in which the damaged base and its partner are extruded from the helix . The structural considerations that lead to the intercalated conformation of the DB[a,l]P-dG lesion in contrast to the minor groove alignment of the B[a]P-dG adduct, and the implications of the DB[a,l]P-dG conformational motif for the recognition of such DNA lesions by the human nucleotide excision repair apparatus, are discussed. PMID:23121427

  13. Probing the Watson-Crick, wobble, and sugar-edge hydrogen bond sites of uracil and thymine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Andreas; Frey, Jann A; Leutwyler, Samuel

    2005-06-16

    The nucleobases uracil (U) and thymine (T) offer three hydrogen-bonding sites for double H-bond formation via neighboring N-H and C=O groups, giving rise to the Watson-Crick, wobble and sugar-edge hydrogen bond isomers. We probe the hydrogen bond properties of all three sites by forming hydrogen bonded dimers of U, 1-methyluracil (1MU), 3-methyluracil (3MU), and T with 2-pyridone (2PY). The mass- and isomer-specific S1 origins exhibit large spectral blue shifts relative to the 2PY monomer. Ab initio CIS calculations of the spectral shifts of the different hydrogen-bonded dimers show a linear correlation with experiment. This correlation allows us to identify the R2PI spectra of the weakly populated Watson-Crick and wobble isomers of both 2PY.U and 2PY.T. (3) PW91 density functional calculation of the ground-state binding and dissociation energies De and D0 are in agreement with the assignment of the dominant hydrogen bond isomers of 2PY.U, 2PY.3MU and 2PY.T as the sugar-edge form. For 2PY.U, 2PY.T and 2PY.1MU the measured wobble:Watson-Crick:sugar-edge isomer ratios are in good agreement with the calculated ratios, based on the ab initio dissociation energies and gas-phase statistical mechanics. The Watson-Crick and wobble isomers are thereby determined to be several kcal/mol less strongly bound than the sugar-edge isomers. The 36 observed intermolecular frequencies of the nine different H-bonded isomers give detailed insight into the intermolecular force field.

  14. Intramolecular CH···O hydrogen bonds in the AI and BI DNA-like conformers of canonical nucleosides and their Watson-Crick pairs. Quantum chemical and AIM analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurenko, Yevgen P; Zhurakivsky, Roman O; Samijlenko, Svitlana P; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2011-08-01

    The aim of this work is to cast some light on the H-bonds in double-stranded DNA in its AI and BI forms. For this purpose, we have performed the MP2 and DFT quantum chemical calculations of the canonical nucleoside conformers, relative to the AI and BI DNA forms, and their Watson-Crick pairs, which were regarded as the simplest models of the double-stranded DNA. Based on the atoms-in-molecules analysis (AIM), five types of the CH···O hydrogen bonds, involving bases and sugar, were detected numerically from 1 to 3 per a conformer: C2'H···O5', C1'H···O2, C6H···O5', C8H···O5', and C6H···O4'. The energy values of H-bonds occupy the range of 2.3-5.6 kcal/mol, surely exceeding the kT value (0.62 kcal/mol). The nucleoside CH···O hydrogen bonds appeared to "survive" turns of bases against the sugar, sometimes in rather large ranges of the angle values, pertinent to certain conformations, which points out to the source of the DNA lability, necessary for the conformational adaptation in processes of its functioning. The calculation of the interactions in the dA·T nucleoside pair gives evidence, that additionally to the N6H···O4 and N1···N3H canonical H-bonds, between the bases adenine and thymine the third one (C2H···O2) is formed, which, though being rather weak (about 1 kcal/mol), satisfies the AIM criteria of H-bonding and may be classified as a true H-bond. The total energy of all the CH···O nontraditional intramolecular H-bonds in DNA nucleoside pairs appeared to be commensurable with the energy of H-bonds between the bases in Watson-Crick pairs, which implies their possible important role in the DNA shaping.

  15. NMR studies of echinomycin bisintercalation complexes with d(A1-C2-G3-T4) and d(T1-C2-G3-A4) duplexes in aqueous solution: sequence-dependent formation of Hoogsteen A1 x T4 and Watson-Crick T1 x A4 base pairs flanking the bisintercalation site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, X.; Patel, D.J.

    1988-01-01

    The authors report on two-dimensional proton NMR studies of echinomycin complexes with the self-complementary d(A1-C2-G3-Tr) and d(T1-C2-G3-A4) duplexes in aqueous solution. The exchangeable and nonexchangeable antibiotic and nucleic acid protons in the 1 echinomycin per tetranucleotide duplex complexes have been assigned from analyses of scalar coupling and distance connectivities in two-dimensional data sets records in H 2 O and D 2 O solution. An analysis of the intermolecular NOE patterns for both complexes combined with large upfield imino proton and large downfield phosphorus complexation chemical shift changes demonstrates that the two quinoxaline chromophores of echinomycin bisintercalate into the minor groove surrounding the dC-dG step of each tetranucleotide duplex. Further, the quinoxaline rings selectively stack between A1 and C2 bases in the d(ACGT) complex and between T1 and C2 bases in the d(TCGA) complex. The intermolecular NOE patterns and the base and sugar proton chemical shifts for residues C2 and G3 are virtually identical for the d(ACGT) and d(TCGA) complexes. A large set of intermolecular contacts established from nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) between antibiotic and nucleic acid protons in the echinomycin-tetranucleotide complexes in solution are consistent with corresponding contacts reported for echinomycin-oligonucleotide complexes in the crystalline state. The authors demonstrate that the G x G base pairs adopt Watson-Crick pairing in both d(ACGT) and d(TCGA) complexes in solution. By contrast, the A1 x T4 base pairs adopt Hoogsteen pairing for the echinomycin-d(A1-C2-G3-Tr) complex while the T1 x A4 base pairs adopt Watson-Crick pairing for the echinomycin-d(T1-C2-G3-A4) complex in aqueous solution. These results emphasize the role of sequence in discriminating between Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen pairs at base pairs flanking the echinomycin bisintercalation site in solution

  16. Why the tautomerization of the G·C Watson-Crick base pair via the DPT does not cause point mutations during DNA replication? QM and QTAIM comprehensive analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2014-01-01

    The ground-state tautomerization of the G·C Watson-Crick base pair by the double proton transfer (DPT) was comprehensively studied in vacuo and in the continuum with a low dielectric constant (ϵ = 4), corresponding to a hydrophobic interface of protein-nucleic acid interactions, using DFT and MP2 levels of quantum-mechanical (QM) theory and quantum theory "Atoms in molecules" (QTAIM). Based on the sweeps of the electron-topological, geometric, polar, and energetic parameters, which describe the course of the G·C ↔ G*·C* tautomerization (mutagenic tautomers of the G and C bases are marked with an asterisk) through the DPT along the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC), it was proved that it is, strictly speaking, a concerted asynchronous process both at the DFT and MP2 levels of theory, in which protons move with a small time gap in vacuum, while this time delay noticeably increases in the continuum with ϵ = 4. It was demonstrated using the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM) that the continuum with ϵ = 4 does not qualitatively affect the course of the tautomerization reaction. The DPT in the G·C Watson-Crick base pair occurs without any intermediates both in vacuum and in the continuum with ϵ = 4 at the DFT/MP2 levels of theory. The nine key points along the IRC of the G·C base pair tautomerization, which could be considered as electron-topological "fingerprints" of a concerted asynchronous process of the tautomerization via the DPT, have been identified and fully characterized. These key points have been used to define the reactant, transition state, and product regions of the DPT reaction in the G·C base pair. Analysis of the energetic characteristics of the H-bonds allows us to arrive at a definite conclusion that the middle N1H⋯N3/N3H⋯N1 and the lower N2H⋯O2/N2H⋯O2 parallel H-bonds in the G·C/G*·C* base pairs, respectively, are anticooperative, that is, the strengthening of the middle H-bond is accompanied

  17. Human DNA primase uses Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds to distinguish between correct and incorrect nucleoside triphosphates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Chad L; Zivkovic, Aleksandra; Engels, Joachim W; Kuchta, Robert D

    2004-09-28

    Human DNA primase synthesizes short RNA primers that DNA polymerase alpha further elongates. Primase readily misincorporates the natural NTPs and will generate a wide variety of mismatches. In contrast, primase exhibited a remarkable resistance to polymerizing NTPs containing unnatural bases. This included bases whose shape was almost identical to the natural bases (4-aminobenzimidazole and 4,6-difluorobenzimidazole), bases shaped very differently than a natural base [e.g., 5- and 6-(trifluoromethyl)benzimidazole], bases much more hydrophobic than a natural base [e.g., 4- and 7-(trifluoromethyl)benzimidazole], bases of similar hydrophobicity as a natural base but with the Watson-Crick hydrogen-bonding groups in unusual positions (7-beta-D-guanine), and bases capable of forming only one Watson-Crick hydrogen bond with the template base (purine and 4-aminobenzimidazole). Primase only polymerized NTP analogues containing bases capable of forming hydrogen bonds between the equivalent of both N-1 and the exocyclic group at C-6 of a purine NTP (2-fluoroadenine, 2-chloroadenine, 3-deazaadenine, and hypoxanthine) and N-3 and the exocyclic group at C-4 of a pyrimidine. These data indicate that human primase requires the formation of Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds in order to polymerize a NTP, a situation very different than what is observed with some DNA polymerases. The implications of these results with respect to current theories of how polymerases discriminate between right and wrong (d)NTPs are discussed.

  18. An unusual mode of DNA duplex association: Watson-Crick interaction of all-purine deoxyribonucleic acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battersby, Thomas R; Albalos, Maria; Friesenhahn, Michel J

    2007-05-01

    Nucleic acid duplexes associating through purine-purine base pairing have been constructed and characterized in a remarkable demonstration of nucleic acids with mixed sequence and a natural backbone in an alternative duplex structure. The antiparallel deoxyribose all-purine duplexes associate specifically through Watson-Crick pairing, violating the nucleobase size-complementarity pairing convention found in Nature. Sequence-specific recognition displayed by these structures makes the duplexes suitable, in principle, for information storage and replication fundamental to molecular evolution in all living organisms. All-purine duplexes can be formed through association of purines found in natural ribonucleosides. Key to the formation of these duplexes is the N(3)-H tautomer of isoguanine, preferred in the duplex, but not in aqueous solution. The duplexes have relevance to evolution of the modern genetic code and can be used for molecular recognition of natural nucleic acids.

  19. Nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure of an N(2)-guanine DNA adduct derived from the potent tumorigen dibenzo[a,l]pyrene: intercalation from the minor groove with ruptured Watson-Crick base pairing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Yijin; Liu, Zhi; Ding, Shuang; Lin, Chin H; Cai, Yuqin; Rodriguez, Fabian A; Sayer, Jane M; Jerina, Donald M; Amin, Shantu; Broyde, Suse; Geacintov, Nicholas E

    2012-12-04

    The most potent tumorigen identified among the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is the nonplanar fjord region dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P). It is metabolically activated in vivo through the widely studied diol epoxide (DE) pathway to form covalent adducts with DNA bases, predominantly guanine and adenine. The (+)-11S,12R,13R,14S DE enantiomer forms adducts via its C14 position with the exocyclic amino group of guanine. Here, we present the first nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure of a DB[a,l]P-derived adduct, the 14R-(+)-trans-anti-DB[a,l]P-N(2)-dG (DB[a,l]P-dG) lesion in double-stranded DNA. In contrast to the stereochemically identical benzo[a]pyrene-derived N(2)-dG adduct (B[a]P-dG) in which the B[a]P rings reside in the B-DNA minor groove on the 3'-side of the modifed deoxyguanosine, in the DB[a,l]P-derived adduct the DB[a,l]P rings intercalate into the duplex on the 3'-side of the modified base from the sterically crowded minor groove. Watson-Crick base pairing of the modified guanine with the partner cytosine is broken, but these bases retain some stacking with the bulky DB[a,l]P ring system. This new theme in PAH DE-DNA adduct conformation differs from (1) the classical intercalation motif in which Watson-Crick base pairing is intact at the lesion site and (2) the base-displaced intercalation motif in which the damaged base and its partner are extruded from the helix. The structural considerations that lead to the intercalated conformation of the DB[a,l]P-dG lesion in contrast to the minor groove alignment of the B[a]P-dG adduct, and the implications of the DB[a,l]P-dG conformational motif for the recognition of such DNA lesions by the human nucleotide excision repair apparatus, are discussed.

  20. Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Watson-Crick Base Pairing Driven DNA Origami Dimerization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zenk, John; Tuntivate, Chanon; Schulman, Rebecca

    2016-03-16

    We investigate the kinetics and thermodynamics of DNA origami dimerization using flat rectangle origami components and different architectures of Watson-Crick complementary single-stranded DNA ("sticky end") linking strategies. We systematically vary the number of linkers, the length of the sticky ends on the linker, and linker architecture and measure the corresponding yields as well as forward and reverse reaction rate constants through fluorescence quenching assays. Yields were further verified using atomic force microscopy. We calculate values of H° and ΔS° for various interface designs and find nonlinear van't Hoff behavior, best described by two linear equations, suggesting distinct regimes of dimerization between those with and those without well-formed interfaces. We find that self-assembly reactions can be tuned by manipulating the interface architecture without suffering a loss in yield, even when yield is high, ∼75-80%. We show that the second-order forward reaction rate constant (k(on)) depends on both linker architecture and number of linkers used, with typical values on the order of 10(5)-10(6) (M·s)(-1), values that are similar to those of bimolecular association of small, complementary DNA strands. The k(on) values are generally non-Arrhenius, tending to increase with decreasing temperature. Finally, we use kinetic and thermodynamic information about the optimal linking architecture to extend the system to an infinite, two-component repeating lattice system and show that we can form micron-sized lattices, with well-formed structures up to 8 μm(2).

  1. FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of 5-chlorocytosine: Solid state simulation and tautomerism. Effect of the chlorine substitution in the Watson-Crick base pair 5-chlorodeoxycytidine-deoxyguanosine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcolea Palafox, M.; Rastogi, V. K.; Singh, S. P.

    2018-01-01

    The laser Raman and IR spectra of 5-chlorocytosine have been recorded and accurately assigned in the solid state using Density functional calculations (DFT) together with the linear scaling equation procedure (LSE) and the solid state simulation of the crystal unit cell through a tetramer form. These results remarkably improve those reported previously by other authors. Several new scaling equations were proposed to be used in related molecules. The six main tautomers of the biomolecule 5-chlorocytosine were determined and optimized at the MP2 and CCSD levels, using different basis sets. The relative stabilities were compared with those obtained in cytosine and their 5-halo derivatives. Several relationships between energies, geometric parameters and NBO atomic charges were established. The effect of the chlorine substitution in the fifth position was evaluated through the stability of the Watson-Crick (WC) base pair of 5-chlorodeoxycytidine with deoxyguanosine, and through their vibrational spectra.

  2. Effect of electronic coupling of Watson-Crick hopping in DNA poly(dA)-poly(dT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Risqi, A. M.; Yudiarsah, E.

    2017-07-01

    Charge transport properties of poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA has been studied by using thigh binding Hamiltonian approach. Molecule DNA that we use consist of 32 base pair of adenine (A) and thymine (T) and backbone is consist of phosphate and sugar. The molecule DNA is contacted electrode at both ends. Charge transport in molecule DNA depend on the environment, we studied the effect of electronic coupling of Watson-Crick hopping in poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA to transmission probability and characteristic I-V. The electronic coupling constant influence charge transport between adenine-thymine base pairs at the same site. Transmission probability is studied by using transfer matrix and scattering matrix method, and the result of transmission probability is used to calculate the characteristic I-V by using formula Landauer Buttiker. The result shows that when the electronic coupling increase then transmission probability and characteristic I-V increase slightly.

  3. Tautomeric transition between wobble A·C DNA base mispair and Watson-Crick-like A·C* mismatch: microstructural mechanism and biological significance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2015-06-21

    Here, we use MP2/DFT quantum-chemical methods combined with Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules to study the tautomeric transition between wobble A·C(w) mismatch and Watson-Crick-like A·C*(WC) base mispair, proceeding non-dissociatively via sequential proton transfer between bases through the planar, highly stable and zwitterionic TS(A∙C-)(A∙C(W)A∙C&(WC)) transition state joined by the participation of (A)N6(+)H∙∙∙N4(-)(C), (A)N1(+)H∙∙∙N4(-)(C) and (A)C2(+)H∙∙∙N3(-)(C) H-bonds. Notably, the A·C(w) ↔ A·C*(WC) tautomerization reaction is accompanied by 10 unique patterns of the specific intermolecular interactions that consistently replace each other. Our data suggest that biologically significant A·C(w) → A·C*(WC) tautomerization is a kinetically controlled pathway for formation of the enzymatically competent Watson-Crick-like A·C*(WC) DNA base mispair in the essentially hydrophobic recognition pocket of the high-fidelity DNA-polymerase, responsible for the occurrence of spontaneous point AC/CA incorporation errors during DNA biosynthesis.

  4. Comparable Stability of Hoogsteen and Watson–Crick Base Pairs in Ionic Liquid Choline Dihydrogen Phosphate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tateishi-Karimata, Hisae; Nakano, Miki; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2014-01-01

    The instability of Hoogsteen base pairs relative to Watson–Crick base pairs has limited biological applications of triplex-forming oligonucleotides. Hydrated ionic liquids (ILs) provide favourable environments for a wide range of chemical reactions and are known to impact the stabilities of Watson–Crick base pairs. We found that DNA triplex formation was significantly stabilized in hydrated choline dihydrogen phosphate as compared with an aqueous buffer at neutral pH. Interestingly, the stability of Hoogsteen base pairs was found to be comparable with that of Watson–Crick base pairs in the hydrated IL. Molecular dynamics simulations of a DNA triplex in the presence of choline ions revealed that the DNA triplex was stabilized because of the binding of choline ion around the third strand in the grooves. Our finding will facilitate the development of new DNA materials. Our data also indicate that triplex formation may be stabilized inside cells where choline ions and their derivatives are abundant in vivo. PMID:24399194

  5. Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds : Nature and role in DNA replication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guerra, Célia Fonseca; Bickelhaupt, F. Matthias

    2006-01-01

    The hydrogen bonds in DNA Watson–Crick base pairs have long been considered predominantly electrostatic phenomena. In this chapter, we show with state-of-the-art calculations that this is not true and that electrostatic interactions and covalent contributions in these hydrogen bonds are in fact of

  6. Hydrogen Bonding in DNA Base Pairs: Reconciliation of Theory and Experiment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fonseca Guerra, C.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.; Snijders, J.G.; Baerends, E.J.

    2000-01-01

    Up till now, there has been a significant disagreement between theory and experiment regarding hydrogen bond lengths in Watson - Crick base pairs. To investigate the possible sources of this discrepancy, we have studied numerous model systems for adenine - thymine (AT) and guanine - cytosine (GC)

  7. Energetics and dynamics of the non-natural fluorescent 4AP:DAP base pair

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit

    2018-01-02

    The fluorescent non-natural 4-aminophthalimide (4AP) base, when paired to the complementary 2,4-diaminopyrimidine (DAP) nucleobase, is accommodated in a B-DNA duplex being efficiently recognized and incorporated by DNA polymerases. To complement the experimental studies and rationalize the impact of the above non-natural bases on the structure, stability and dynamics of nucleic acid structures, we performed quantum mechanics (QM) calculations along with classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. QM calculations were initially focused on the geometry and energetics of the 4AP:DAP non-natural pair and of H-bonded base pairs between 4AP and all the natural bases in their classical Watson-Crick geometries. The QM calculations indicate that the 4AP:DAP pair, despite the fact that it can form 3 H-bonds in a classic Watson-Crick geometry, has a stability comparable to the A:T pair. Then, we extended the study to reverse Watson-Crick geometries, characteristic of parallel strands. MD simulations were carried out on two 13-mer DNA duplexes, featuring a central 4AP:DAP or A:T pair, respectively. No major structural deformation of the duplex was observed during the MD simulation. Snapshots from the MD simulations were subjected to QM calculations to investigate the 4AP:DAP interaction energy when embedded into a duplex structure, and to investigate the impact of the two non-natural bases on the stacking interactions with adjacent bases in the DNA duplex. We found a slight increase in stacking interactions involving the 4AP:DAP pair, counterbalanced by a moderate decrease in H-bonding interactions of the 4AP:DAP and of the adjacent base pairs in the duplex. The results of our study are in agreement with experimental data and complement them by providing an insight into which factors contribute positively and which factors contribute negatively to the structural compatibility of the fluorescent 4AP:DAP pair with a B-DNA structure.

  8. Portrait of a discovery. Watson, Crick, and the double helix.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Chadarevian, Soraya

    2003-03-01

    This essay examines an iconic image of twentieth-century science: Antony Barrington Brown's photograph of James Watson, Francis Crick, and the double-helical model of DNA. The detailed reconstruction of the production, reception, and uses of the photograph reveals the central role of the image in making the discovery it portrays. Taken in May 1953, two full months after the scientists built the model, to accompany a report on the structure in Time magazine, the photograph (like the report) was never published. It came into circulation only fifteen years later, as an illustration in Watson's best-selling book The Double Helix. While the image served as a historical document and advertisement for the book, only the book provided the description that made the image as well as the people and the model it represented famous. The history of the image provides insights into the retrospective construction of the discovery, which has since been celebrated as the origin of a new science of life.

  9. Tunnel conductance of Watson-Crick nucleoside-base pairs from telegraph noise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang Shuai; He Jin; Lin Lisha; Zhang Peiming; Liang Feng; Huang Shuo; Lindsay, Stuart; Young, Michael

    2009-01-01

    The use of tunneling signals to sequence DNA is presently hampered by the small tunnel conductance of a junction spanning an entire DNA molecule. The design of a readout system that uses a shorter tunneling path requires knowledge of the absolute conductance across base pairs. We have exploited the stochastic switching of hydrogen-bonded DNA base-nucleoside pairs trapped in a tunnel junction to determine the conductance of individual molecular pairs. This conductance is found to be sensitive to the geometry of the junction, but a subset of the data appears to come from unstrained molecular pairs. The conductances determined from these pairs are within a factor of two of the predictions of density functional calculations. The experimental data reproduces the counterintuitive theoretical prediction that guanine-deoxycytidine pairs (3 H-bonds) have a smaller conductance than adenine-thymine pairs (2 H-bonds). A bimodal distribution of switching lifetimes shows that both H-bonds and molecule-metal contacts break.

  10. How Mg2+ ion and water network affect the stability and structure of non-Watson-Crick base pairs in E. coli loop E of 5S rRNA: a molecular dynamics and reference interaction site model (RISM) study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanker, Sudhanshu; Bandyopadhyay, Pradipta

    2017-08-01

    The non-Watson-Crick (non-WC) base pairs of Escherichia coli loop E of 5S rRNA are stabilized by Mg 2+ ions through water-mediated interaction. It is important to know the synergic role of Mg 2+ and the water network surrounding Mg 2+ in stabilizing the non-WC base pairs of RNA. For this purpose, free energy change of the system is calculated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation as Mg 2+ is pulled from RNA, which causes disturbance of the water network. It was found that Mg 2+ remains hexahydrated unless it is close to or far from RNA. In the pentahydrated form, Mg 2+ interacts directly with RNA. Water network has been identified by two complimentary methods; MD followed by a density-based clustering algorithm and three-dimensional-reference interaction site model. These two methods gave similar results. Identification of water network around Mg 2+ and non-WC base pairs gives a clue to the strong effect of water network on the stability of this RNA. Based on sequence analysis of all Eubacteria 5s rRNA, we propose that hexahydrated Mg 2+ is an integral part of this RNA and geometry of base pairs surrounding it adjust to accommodate the [Formula: see text]. Overall the findings from this work can help in understanding the basis of the complex structure and stability of RNA with non-WC base pairs.

  11. Discrimination among individual Watson–Crick base pairs at the termini of single DNA hairpin molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vercoutere, Wenonah A.; Winters-Hilt, Stephen; DeGuzman, Veronica S.; Deamer, David; Ridino, Sam E.; Rodgers, Joseph T.; Olsen, Hugh E.; Marziali, Andre; Akeson, Mark

    2003-01-01

    Nanoscale α-hemolysin pores can be used to analyze individual DNA or RNA molecules. Serial examination of hundreds to thousands of molecules per minute is possible using ionic current impedance as the measured property. In a recent report, we showed that a nanopore device coupled with machine learning algorithms could automatically discriminate among the four combinations of Watson–Crick base pairs and their orientations at the ends of individual DNA hairpin molecules. Here we use kinetic analysis to demonstrate that ionic current signatures caused by these hairpin molecules depend on the number of hydrogen bonds within the terminal base pair, stacking between the terminal base pair and its nearest neighbor, and 5′ versus 3′ orientation of the terminal bases independent of their nearest neighbors. This report constitutes evidence that single Watson–Crick base pairs can be identified within individual unmodified DNA hairpin molecules based on their dynamic behavior in a nanoscale pore. PMID:12582251

  12. A quantum theoretical study of reactions of methyldiazonium ion with DNA base pairs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shukla, P.K.; Ganapathy, Vinay; Mishra, P.C.

    2011-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Reactions of methyldiazonium ion at the different sites of the DNA bases in the Watson-Crick GC and AT base pairs were investigated employing density functional and second order Moller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theories. Display Omitted Highlights: → Methylation of the DNA bases is important as it can cause mutation and cancer. → Methylation reactions of the GC and AT base pairs with CH 3 N 2 + were not studied earlier theoretically. → Experimental observations have been explained using theoretical methods. - Abstract: Methylation of the DNA bases in the Watson-Crick GC and AT base pairs by the methyldiazonium ion was investigated employing density functional and second order Moller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theories. Methylation at the N3, N7 and O6 sites of guanine, N1, N3 and N7 sites of adenine, O2 and N3 sites of cytosine and the O2 and O4 sites of thymine were considered. The computed reactivities for methylation follow the order N7(guanine) > N3(adenine) > O6(guanine) which is in agreement with experiment. The base pairing in DNA is found to play a significant role with regard to reactivities of the different sites.

  13. Fanconi anaemia and the repair of Watson and Crick DNA crosslinks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kottemann, Molly C; Smogorzewska, Agata

    2013-01-17

    The function of Fanconi anaemia proteins is to maintain genomic stability. Their main role is in the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks, which, by covalently binding the Watson and the Crick strands of DNA, impede replication and transcription. Inappropriate repair of interstrand crosslinks causes genomic instability, leading to cancer; conversely, the toxicity of crosslinking agents makes them a powerful chemotherapeutic. Fanconi anaemia proteins can promote stem-cell function, prevent tumorigenesis, stabilize replication forks and inhibit inaccurate repair. Recent advances have identified endogenous aldehydes as possible culprits of DNA damage that may induce the phenotypes seen in patients with Fanconi anaemia.

  14. Wobble↔Watson-Crick tautomeric transitions in the homo-purine DNA mismatches: a key to the intimate mechanisms of the spontaneous transversions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2015-01-01

    The intrinsic capability of the homo-purine DNA base mispairs to perform wobble↔Watson-Crick/Topal-Fresco tautomeric transitions via the sequential intrapair double proton transfer was discovered for the first time using QM (MP2/DFT) and QTAIM methodologies that are crucial for understanding the microstructural mechanisms of the spontaneous transversions.

  15. Electrostatics Explains the Position-Dependent Effect of G⋅U Wobble Base Pairs on the Affinity of RNA Kissing Complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abi-Ghanem, Josephine; Rabin, Clémence; Porrini, Massimiliano; Dausse, Eric; Toulmé, Jean-Jacques; Gabelica, Valérie

    2017-10-06

    In the RNA realm, non-Watson-Crick base pairs are abundant and can affect both the RNA 3D structure and its function. Here, we investigated the formation of RNA kissing complexes in which the loop-loop interaction is modulated by non-Watson-Crick pairs. Mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance, and UV-melting experiments show that the G⋅U wobble base pair favors kissing complex formation only when placed at specific positions. We tried to rationalize this effect by molecular modeling, including molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MMPBSA) thermodynamics calculations and PBSA calculations of the electrostatic potential surfaces. Modeling reveals that the G⋅U stabilization is due to a specific electrostatic environment defined by the base pairs of the entire loop-loop region. The loop is not symmetric, and therefore the identity and position of each base pair matters. Predicting and visualizing the electrostatic environment created by a given sequence can help to design specific kissing complexes with high affinity, for potential therapeutic, nanotechnology or analytical applications. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Classification of pseudo pairs between nucleotide bases and amino acids by analysis of nucleotide-protein complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, Jiro; Westhof, Eric

    2011-10-01

    Nucleotide bases are recognized by amino acid residues in a variety of DNA/RNA binding and nucleotide binding proteins. In this study, a total of 446 crystal structures of nucleotide-protein complexes are analyzed manually and pseudo pairs together with single and bifurcated hydrogen bonds observed between bases and amino acids are classified and annotated. Only 5 of the 20 usual amino acid residues, Asn, Gln, Asp, Glu and Arg, are able to orient in a coplanar fashion in order to form pseudo pairs with nucleotide bases through two hydrogen bonds. The peptide backbone can also form pseudo pairs with nucleotide bases and presents a strong bias for binding to the adenine base. The Watson-Crick side of the nucleotide bases is the major interaction edge participating in such pseudo pairs. Pseudo pairs between the Watson-Crick edge of guanine and Asp are frequently observed. The Hoogsteen edge of the purine bases is a good discriminatory element in recognition of nucleotide bases by protein side chains through the pseudo pairing: the Hoogsteen edge of adenine is recognized by various amino acids while the Hoogsteen edge of guanine is only recognized by Arg. The sugar edge is rarely recognized by either the side-chain or peptide backbone of amino acid residues.

  17. Estimation of strength in different extra Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds in DNA double helices through quantum chemical studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandyopadhyay, D; Bhattacharyya, D

    2006-10-15

    It was shown earlier, from database analysis, model building studies, and molecular dynamics simulations that formation of cross-strand bifurcated or Extra Watson-Crick hydrogen (EWC) bonds between successive base pairs may lead to extra rigidity to DNA double helices of certain sequences. The strengths of these hydrogen bonds are debatable, however, as they do not have standard linear geometry criterion. We have therefore carried out detailed ab initio quantum chemical studies using RHF/6-31G(2d,2p) and B3LYP/6-31G(2p,2d) basis sets to determine strengths of several bent hydrogen bonds with different donor and acceptors. Interaction energy calculations, corrected for the basis set superposition errors, suggest that N-H...O type bent EWC hydrogen bonds are possible along same strands or across the strands between successive base pairs, leading to significant stability (ca. 4-9 kcal/mol). The N-H...N and C-H...O type interactions, however, are not so stabilizing. Hence, consideration of EWC N-H...O H-bonds can lead to a better understanding of DNA sequence directed structural features. Copyright (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Replication infidelity via a mismatch with Watson–Crick geometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bebenek, Katarzyna; Pedersen, Lars C.; Kunkel, Thomas A.

    2011-01-01

    In describing the DNA double helix, Watson and Crick suggested that “spontaneous mutation may be due to a base occasionally occurring in one of its less likely tautomeric forms.” Indeed, among many mispairing possibilities, either tautomerization or ionization of bases might allow a DNA polymerase to insert a mismatch with correct Watson–Crick geometry. However, despite substantial progress in understanding the structural basis of error prevention during polymerization, no DNA polymerase has yet been shown to form a natural base–base mismatch with Watson–Crick-like geometry. Here we provide such evidence, in the form of a crystal structure of a human DNA polymerase λ variant poised to misinsert dGTP opposite a template T. All atoms needed for catalysis are present at the active site and in positions that overlay with those for a correct base pair. The mismatch has Watson–Crick geometry consistent with a tautomeric or ionized base pair, with the pH dependence of misinsertion consistent with the latter. The results support the original idea that a base substitution can originate from a mismatch having Watson–Crick geometry, and they suggest a common catalytic mechanism for inserting a correct and an incorrect nucleotide. A second structure indicates that after misinsertion, the now primer-terminal G•T mismatch is also poised for catalysis but in the wobble conformation seen in other studies, indicating the dynamic nature of the pathway required to create a mismatch in fully duplex DNA. PMID:21233421

  19. Non-Watson-Crick structures in oligodeoxynucleotides: Self-association of d(TpCpGpA) stabilized at acidic pH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Topping, R.J.; Stone, M.P.; Brush, C.K.; Harris, T.M.

    1988-01-01

    The 1 H NMR spectrum of the tetradeoxynucleotide d(TpCpGpA) was examined as a function of temperature, pH, and concentration. At pH 7 and above the solution conformation for this oligodeoxynucleotide appears to be a mixture of random coil and Watson-Crick duplex. At 25 degree C, a pH titration of d(TpCpGaA) shown that distinct conformational changes occur as the pH is lowered below 7.0. These conformational changes are reversible upon readjusting the pH to neutrality, indicating the presence of a pH-dependent set of conformational equilibria. At 25 degree C, the various conformational state in the mixture are in rapid exchange on the NMR time scale. Examination of the titration curve shown the presence of distinct conformational states at pH greater than 7, and between pH 4 and pH 5. When the pH titration is repeated at 5 degree C, the conformational equilibria are in slow exchange on the NMR time scale; distinct signals from each conformational state are observable. The stable conformational state present between pH 4 and pH 5 represents an ordered conformation of d(TpCpGpA) which dissociates to a less ordered structure upon raising the temperature. The ordered conformation differs from the Watson-Crick helix, as is shown from nuclear Overhauser enhancement experiments, as well as chemical shift data. These results indicate that their ordered conformation is similar to the conformation of d(TpCpGpA) observed between pH 4 and pH 5. In the present case it is likely that stabilization of an ordered duplex conformation for d(TpCpGpA) is achieved by protonation of cytosine. A possible model which could explain the data involves formation of Hoogsteen C + :G base pairs

  20. [The Watson-Crick model of the DNA doublehelix. The history of the discovery and the role of the protein paradigm].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagemann, Rudolf

    2007-01-01

    At the beginning, the two fundamental papers by Watson and Crick published in 1953 are presented. Subsequently, the main phases of protein and nucleic acids research, starting in the middle of the 19th century, are shortly reviewed. It is outlined, how the 'protein-paradigm' was gradually developed and ultimately became widely accepted. It is then described how Caspersson in 1936 newly raised the question what the chemical nature of genes was: proteins or nucleic acids ? In the main part of this report six lines of research are reviewed, the results of which led to the demise of the 'protein paradigm', the creation of the Watson-Crick model of the DNA and the elaboration of the mechanism of DNA replication: (a) mutation experiments with UV and determination of the UV action spectrum, (b) determination of the chemical identity of the transforming agent in bacteria, (c) detailed chemical analysis of the DNA of different organisms, (d) molecular investigation of the infection of bacteria by bacteriophages, (e) X-ray analysis of DNA fibers, (f) model building and theoretical treatment of all data obtained. In this article, the factors promoting and inhibiting scientific progress in this field are described (and, above all, the relations between scientists with fixated concepts). The results from these lines of research led to the recognition of the decisive role of nucleic acids as the carriers of genetic information and, in this way, formally established the 'nucleic acid paradigm'. Finally the question is discussed why Watson and Crick found the right solution for the DNA structure (and not one of their competitors).

  1. Solid state radiation chemistry of co-crystallized DNA base pairs studied with EPR and ENDOR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, W.H.; Nimmala, S.; Hole, E.O.; Sagstuen, E.; Close, D.M.

    1995-01-01

    For a number of years, the authors' group has focused on identification of radicals formed from x-irradiation of DNA components by application of EPR and ENDOR spectroscopic techniques to samples in the form of single crystals. With single crystals as samples, it is possible to use the detailed packing and structural information available from x-ray or neutron diffraction reports. This report summarizes results from two crystal systems in which DNA bases are paired by hydrogen bonding. Extensive results are available from one of these, 1-methyl-thymine:9-methyladenine (MTMA), in which the base pairing is the Hoogsteen configuration. Although this configuration is different from that found by Watson-Crick in DNA, nonetheless the hydrogen bond between T(O4) and A(NH 2 ) is present. Although MTMA crystals have been studied previously, the objective was to apply the high-resolution technique of ENDOR to crystals irradiated and studied at temperatures of 10 K or lower in the effort to obtain direct evidence for specific proton transfers. The second system, from which the results are only preliminary, is 9-ethylguanine:1-methyl-5-fluorocytosine (GFC) in which the G:C bases pair is in the Watson Crick configuration. Both crystal systems are anhydrous, so the results include no possible effects from water interactions

  2. A rule of seven in Watson-Crick base-pairing of mismatched sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cisse, Ibrahim I; Kim, Hajin; Ha, Taekjip

    2012-05-13

    Sequence recognition through base-pairing is essential for DNA repair and gene regulation, but the basic rules governing this process remain elusive. In particular, the kinetics of annealing between two imperfectly matched strands is not well characterized, despite its potential importance in nucleic acid-based biotechnologies and gene silencing. Here we use single-molecule fluorescence to visualize the multiple annealing and melting reactions of two untethered strands inside a porous vesicle, allowing us to precisely quantify the annealing and melting rates. The data as a function of mismatch position suggest that seven contiguous base pairs are needed for rapid annealing of DNA and RNA. This phenomenological rule of seven may underlie the requirement for seven nucleotides of complementarity to seed gene silencing by small noncoding RNA and may help guide performance improvement in DNA- and RNA-based bio- and nanotechnologies, in which off-target effects can be detrimental.

  3. Targeting MicroRNAs with Small Molecules a Novel Approach to Treating Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-01

    or deoxyribozyme, is a catalytic DNA that site-specifically cleaves the target RNA WatsonCrick base pairing to a complementary target sequence...RNA A-helix fold among the selected pre- miRNA targets. Furthermore, 3D characteristics including Watson - Crick base pairs and wobble base pairs...phosphorothioate backbone in addition to 2′-O-methoxyethyl AMOs are ASOs against miRNAs and therefore produce ASO–miRNA duplexes through WatsonCrick binding

  4. KlenTaq polymerase replicates unnatural base pairs by inducing a Watson-Crick geometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betz, Karin; Malyshev, Denis A; Lavergne, Thomas; Welte, Wolfram; Diederichs, Kay; Dwyer, Tammy J; Ordoukhanian, Phillip; Romesberg, Floyd E; Marx, Andreas

    2012-07-01

    Many candidate unnatural DNA base pairs have been developed, but some of the best-replicated pairs adopt intercalated structures in free DNA that are difficult to reconcile with known mechanisms of polymerase recognition. Here we present crystal structures of KlenTaq DNA polymerase at different stages of replication for one such pair, dNaM-d5SICS, and show that efficient replication results from the polymerase itself, inducing the required natural-like structure.

  5. The nature of the transition mismatches with Watson-Crick architecture: the G*·T or G·T* DNA base mispair or both? A QM/QTAIM perspective for the biological problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2015-01-01

    This study provides the first accurate investigation of the tautomerization of the biologically important guanine*·thymine (G*·T) DNA base mispair with Watson-Crick geometry, involving the enol mutagenic tautomer of the G and the keto tautomer of the T, into the G·T* mispair (∆G = .99 kcal mol(-1), population = 15.8% obtained at the MP2 level of quantum-mechanical theory in the continuum with ε = 4), formed by the keto tautomer of the G and the enol mutagenic tautomer of the T base, using DFT and MP2 methods in vacuum and in the weakly polar medium (ε = 4), characteristic for the hydrophobic interfaces of specific protein-nucleic acid interactions. We were first able to show that the G*·T↔G·T* tautomerization occurs through the asynchronous concerted double proton transfer along two antiparallel O6H···O4 and N1···HN3 H-bonds and is assisted by the third N2H···O2 H-bond, that exists along the entire reaction pathway. The obtained results indicate that the G·T* base mispair is stable from the thermodynamic point of view complex, while it is dynamically unstable structure in vacuum and dynamically stable structure in the continuum with ε = 4 with lifetime of 6.4·10(-12) s, that, on the one side, makes it possible to develop all six low-frequency intermolecular vibrations, but, on the other side, it is by three orders less than the time (several ns) required for the replication machinery to forcibly dissociate a base pair into the monomers during DNA replication. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is that the short-lived G·T* base mispair, which electronic interaction energy between the bases (-23.76 kcal mol(-1)) exceeds the analogical value for the G·C Watson-Crick nucleobase pair (-20.38 kcal mol(-1)), "escapes from the hands" of the DNA replication machinery by fast transforming into the G*·T mismatch playing an indirect role of its supplier during the DNA replication. So

  6. Training IBM Watson using Automatically Generated Question-Answer Pairs

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Jangho; Kim, Gyuwan; Yoo, Jaeyoon; Jung, Changwoo; Kim, Minseok; Yoon, Sungroh

    2016-01-01

    IBM Watson is a cognitive computing system capable of question answering in natural languages. It is believed that IBM Watson can understand large corpora and answer relevant questions more effectively than any other question-answering system currently available. To unleash the full power of Watson, however, we need to train its instance with a large number of well-prepared question-answer pairs. Obviously, manually generating such pairs in a large quantity is prohibitively time consuming and...

  7. Targeting Micrornas With Small Molecules: A Novel Approach to Treating Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    DNAzyme, or deoxyribozyme, is a catalytic DNA that site-specifically cleaves the target RNA WatsonCrick base pairing to a complementary target...conserved antiparallel RNA A-helix fold among the selected pre- miRNA targets (Fig. 1a). Furthermore, 3D characteristics including Watson - Crick base pairs... WatsonCrick binding, leading to RNAse-H- mediated cleavage of the mRNA of the target gene. The ASOs also inhibit transcription, splicing, and

  8. Roles of the active site residues and metal cofactors in noncanonical base-pairing during catalysis by human DNA polymerase iota.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makarova, Alena V; Ignatov, Artem; Miropolskaya, Nataliya; Kulbachinskiy, Andrey

    2014-10-01

    Human DNA polymerase iota (Pol ι) is a Y-family polymerase that can bypass various DNA lesions but possesses very low fidelity of DNA synthesis in vitro. Structural analysis of Pol ι revealed a narrow active site that promotes noncanonical base-pairing during catalysis. To better understand the structure-function relationships in the active site of Pol ι we investigated substitutions of individual amino acid residues in its fingers domain that contact either the templating or the incoming nucleotide. Two of the substitutions, Y39A and Q59A, significantly decreased the catalytic activity but improved the fidelity of Pol ι. Surprisingly, in the presence of Mn(2+) ions, the wild-type and mutant Pol ι variants efficiently incorporated nucleotides opposite template purines containing modifications that disrupted either Hoogsteen or Watson-Crick base-pairing, suggesting that Pol ι may use various types of interactions during nucleotide addition. In contrast, in Mg(2+) reactions, wild-type Pol ι was dependent on Hoogsteen base-pairing, the Y39A mutant was essentially inactive, and the Q59A mutant promoted Watson-Crick interactions with template purines. The results suggest that Pol ι utilizes distinct mechanisms of nucleotide incorporation depending on the metal cofactor and reveal important roles of specific residues from the fingers domain in base-pairing and catalysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Supramolecular Switches Based on the Guanine–Cytosine (GC) Watson–Crick Pair: Effect of Neutral and Ionic Substituents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guerra, C.F.; van der Wijst, T.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.

    2006-01-01

    We have theoretically analyzed Watson–Crick guanine–cytosine (GC) base pairs in which purine-C8 and/or pyrimidine-C6 positions carry a substituent X = NH−, NH2, NH3+ (N series), O−, OH, or OH2+ (O series), using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of density functional theory at the

  10. Single-stranded γPNAs for in vivo site-specific genome editing via Watson-Crick recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahal, Raman; Quijano, Elias; McNeer, Nicole A; Liu, Yanfeng; Bhunia, Dinesh C; Lopez-Giraldez, Francesco; Fields, Rachel J; Saltzman, William M; Ly, Danith H; Glazer, Peter M

    2014-01-01

    Triplex-forming peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) facilitate gene editing by stimulating recombination of donor DNAs within genomic DNA via site-specific formation of altered helical structures that further stimulate DNA repair. However, PNAs designed for triplex formation are sequence restricted to homopurine sites. Herein we describe a novel strategy where next generation single-stranded gamma PNAs (γPNAs) containing miniPEG substitutions at the gamma position can target genomic DNA in mouse bone marrow at mixed-sequence sites to induce targeted gene editing. In addition to enhanced binding, γPNAs confer increased solubility and improved formulation into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles for efficient intracellular delivery. Single-stranded γPNAs induce targeted gene editing at frequencies of 0.8% in mouse bone marrow cells treated ex vivo and 0.1% in vivo via IV injection, without detectable toxicity. These results suggest that γPNAs may provide a new tool for induced gene editing based on Watson-Crick recognition without sequence restriction.

  11. Hoogsteen base pairs proximal and distal to echinomycin binding sites on DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendel, D.; Dervan, P.B.

    1987-01-01

    Forms of the DNA double helix containing non-Watson-Crick base-pairing have been discovered recently based on x-ray diffraction analysis of quionoxaline antibiotic-oligonucleotide complexes. In an effort to find evidence for Hoogsteen base-pairing at quinoxaline-binding sites in solution, chemical footprinting (differential cleavage reactivity) of echinomycin bound to DNA restriction fragments was examined. The authors report that purines (A>G) in the first and/or fourth base-pair positions of occupied echinomycin-binding sites are hyperreactive to diethyl pyrocarbonate. The correspondence of the solid-state data and the sites of diethyl pyrocarbonate hyperreactivity suggests that diethyl pyrocarbonate may be a sensitive reagent for the detection of Hoogsteen base-pairing in solution. Moreover, a 12-base-pair segment of alternating A-T DNA, which is 6 base pairs away from the nearest strong echinomycin-binding site, is also hyperreactive to diethyl pyrocarbonate in the presence of echinomycin. This hyperreactive segment may be an altered form of right-handed DNA that is entirely Hoogsteen base-paired

  12. London home for Crick archive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Nigel

    2002-01-08

    Unprecedented access to the archives of Francis Crick, just before the 50th anniversary next year of his famous paper co-authored with James Watson on the proposed double helix structure of DNA, looks set to go ahead. Nigel Williams reports.

  13. Studies of Single Biomolecules, DNA Conformational Dynamics, and Protein Binding

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-07-11

    Nucleotide Base pairs Hydrogen bonds FIG. 1: Ladder structure of DNA showing the Watson - Crick bonding of the bases A, T, G, and C which are suspended by a...protected against unwanted action of chemicals and proteins. The three-dimensional structure of DNA is the famed Watson - Crick double-helix, the equilibrium...quantitative analysis [88]. [1] A. Kornberg and T. A. Baker, DNA Replication (W. H. Freeman, New York, 1992). [2] J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick

  14. Unstable Hoogsteen base pairs adjacent to echinomycin binding sites within a DNA duplex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilbert, D.E.; van der Marel, G.A.; van Boom, J.H.; Feigon, J.

    1989-01-01

    The bisintercalation complex present between the DNA octamer [d(ACGTACGT)] 2 and the cyclic octadepsipeptide antibiotic echinomycin has been studied by one- and two-dimensional proton NMR, and the results obtained have been compared with the crystal structures of related DNA-echinomycin complexes. Two echinomycins are found to bind cooperatively to each DNA duplex at the CpG steps, with the two quinoxaline rings of each echinomycin bisintercalating between the C·G and A·T base pairs. At low temperatures, the A·T base pairs on either side of the intercalation site adopt the Hoogsteen conformation, as observed in the crystal structures. However, as the temperature is raised, the Hoogsteen base pairs in the interior of the duplex are destabilized and are observed to be exchanging between the Hoogsteen base pair and either an open or a Watson-Crick base-paired state. The terminal A·T base pairs, which are not as constrained by the helix as the internal base pairs, remain stably Hoogsteen base-paired up to at least 45 degree C. The implications of these results for the biological role of Hoogsteen base pairs in echinomycin-DNA complexes in vivo are discussed

  15. Physico-chemical profiles of the wobble ↔ Watson-Crick G*·2AP(w) ↔ G·2AP(WC) and A·2AP(w) ↔ A*·2AP(WC) tautomerisations: a QM/QTAIM comprehensive survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Voiteshenko, Ivan S; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2017-12-20

    This study is intended to clarify in detail the tautomeric transformations of the wobble (w) G*·2AP(w) and A·2AP(w) nucleobase mispairs involving 2-aminopurine (2AP) into the Watson-Crick (WC) G·2AP(WC) and A*·2AP(WC) base mispairs (asterisks denote mutagenic tautomers of the DNA bases), respectively, by quantum-mechanical methods and Bader's Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules. Our previously reported methodology has been used, which allows the evolution of the physico-chemical parameters to be tracked along the entire internal reaction coordinate (IRC), not exclusively in the stationary states of these reactions. These biologically important G*·2AP(w) ↔ G·2AP(WC) and A·2AP(w) ↔ A*·2AP(WC) w ↔ WC tautomerisations, which are involved in mutagenic tautomerically-conformational pathways, determine the origin of the transitions and transversions induced by 2AP. In addition, it is established that they proceed through planar, highly stable, zwitterionic transition states and they exhibit similar physico-chemical profiles and stages of sequential intrapair proton transfer, followed by spatial rearrangement of the nucleobases relative to each other within the base pairs. These w ↔ WC tautomerisations occur non-dissociatively and are accompanied by a significant alteration in geometry (from wobble to Watson-Crick and vice versa) and redistribution of the specific intermolecular interactions, which can be divided into 10 patterns including AHB H-bonds and loosened A-H-B covalent bridges along the IRC of tautomerisation. Based on the redistribution of the geometrical and electron-topological parameters of the intrapair hydrogen bonds, exactly 9 key points have been allocated to characterize the evolution of these reactions.

  16. Ultrafast deactivation processes in the 2-aminopyridine dimer and the adenine-thymine base pair: Similarities and differences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ai Yuejie; Zhang Feng; Cui Ganglong; Fang Weihai; Luo Yi

    2010-01-01

    2-aminopyridine dimer has frequently been used as a model system for studying photochemistry of DNA base pairs. We examine here the relevance of 2-aminopyridine dimer for a Watson-Crick adenine-thymine base pair by studying UV-light induced photodynamics along two main hydrogen bridges after the excitation to the localized 1 ππ* excited-state. The respective two-dimensional potential-energy surfaces have been determined by time-dependent density functional theory with Coulomb-attenuated hybrid exchange-correlation functional (CAM-B3LYP). Different mechanistic aspects of the deactivation pathway have been analyzed and compared in detail for both systems, while the related reaction rates have also be obtained from Monte Carlo kinetic simulations. The limitations of the 2-aminopyridine dimer as a model system for the adenine-thymine base pair are discussed.

  17. Highly Accurate Classification of Watson-Crick Basepairs on Termini of Single DNA Molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winters-Hilt, Stephen; Vercoutere, Wenonah; DeGuzman, Veronica S.; Deamer, David; Akeson, Mark; Haussler, David

    2003-01-01

    We introduce a computational method for classification of individual DNA molecules measured by an α-hemolysin channel detector. We show classification with better than 99% accuracy for DNA hairpin molecules that differ only in their terminal Watson-Crick basepairs. Signal classification was done in silico to establish performance metrics (i.e., where train and test data were of known type, via single-species data files). It was then performed in solution to assay real mixtures of DNA hairpins. Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) were used with Expectation/Maximization for denoising and for associating a feature vector with the ionic current blockade of the DNA molecule. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) were used as discriminators, and were the focus of off-line training. A multiclass SVM architecture was designed to place less discriminatory load on weaker discriminators, and novel SVM kernels were used to boost discrimination strength. The tuning on HMMs and SVMs enabled biophysical analysis of the captured molecule states and state transitions; structure revealed in the biophysical analysis was used for better feature selection. PMID:12547778

  18. Hydrogen bond disruption in DNA base pairs from (14)C transmutation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sassi, Michel; Carter, Damien J; Uberuaga, Blas P; Stanek, Christopher R; Mancera, Ricardo L; Marks, Nigel A

    2014-09-04

    Recent ab initio molecular dynamics simulations have shown that radioactive carbon does not normally fragment DNA bases when it decays. Motivated by this finding, density functional theory and Bader analysis have been used to quantify the effect of C → N transmutation on hydrogen bonding in DNA base pairs. We find that (14)C decay has the potential to significantly alter hydrogen bonds in a variety of ways including direct proton shuttling (thymine and cytosine), thermally activated proton shuttling (guanine), and hydrogen bond breaking (cytosine). Transmutation substantially modifies both the absolute and relative strengths of the hydrogen bonding pattern, and in two instances (adenine and cytosine), the density at the critical point indicates development of mild covalent character. Since hydrogen bonding is an important component of Watson-Crick pairing, these (14)C-induced modifications, while infrequent, may trigger errors in DNA transcription and replication.

  19. Free energy landscape and transition pathways from Watson–Crick to Hoogsteen base pairing in free duplex DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Changwon; Kim, Eunae; Pak, Youngshang

    2015-01-01

    Houghton (HG) base pairing plays a central role in the DNA binding of proteins and small ligands. Probing detailed transition mechanism from Watson–Crick (WC) to HG base pair (bp) formation in duplex DNAs is of fundamental importance in terms of revealing intrinsic functions of double helical DNAs beyond their sequence determined functions. We investigated a free energy landscape of a free B-DNA with an adenosine–thymine (A–T) rich sequence to probe its conformational transition pathways from WC to HG base pairing. The free energy landscape was computed with a state-of-art two-dimensional umbrella molecular dynamics simulation at the all-atom level. The present simulation showed that in an isolated duplex DNA, the spontaneous transition from WC to HG bp takes place via multiple pathways. Notably, base flipping into the major and minor grooves was found to play an important role in forming these multiple transition pathways. This finding suggests that naked B-DNA under normal conditions has an inherent ability to form HG bps via spontaneous base opening events. PMID:26250116

  20. Crystal structure of metallo DNA duplex containing consecutive Watson-Crick-like T-Hg(II)-T base pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, Jiro; Yamada, Tom; Hirose, Chika; Okamoto, Itaru; Tanaka, Yoshiyuki; Ono, Akira

    2014-02-24

    The metallo DNA duplex containing mercury-mediated T-T base pairs is an attractive biomacromolecular nanomaterial which can be applied to nanodevices such as ion sensors. Reported herein is the first crystal structure of a B-form DNA duplex containing two consecutive T-Hg(II)-T base pairs. The Hg(II) ion occupies the center between two T residues. The N3-Hg(II) bond distance is 2.0 Å. The relatively short Hg(II)-Hg(II) distance (3.3 Å) observed in consecutive T-Hg(II)-T base pairs suggests that the metallophilic attraction could exist between them and may stabilize the B-form double helix. To support this, the DNA duplex is largely distorted and adopts an unusual nonhelical conformation in the absence of Hg(II). The structure of the metallo DNA duplex itself and the Hg(II)-induced structural switching from the nonhelical form to the B-form provide the basis for structure-based design of metal-conjugated nucleic acid nanomaterials. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Surprising conformers of the biologically important A·T DNA base pairs: QM/QTAIM proofs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O.; Tsiupa, Kostiantyn S.; Hovorun, Dmytro M.

    2018-02-01

    For the first time novel high-energy conformers – A·T(wWC) (5.36), A·T(wrWC) (5.97), A·T(wH) (5.78) and A·T(wrH) (ΔG=5.82 kcal•mol-1) were revealed for each of the four biologically important A·T(WC) DNA base pairsWatson-Crick A·T(WC), reverse Watson-Crick A·T(rWC), Hoogsteen A·T(H) and reverse Hoogsteen A·T(rH) at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of quantum-mechanical theory in the continuum with ɛ=4 under normal conditions. Each of these conformers possesses substantially non-planar wobble (w) structure and is stabilized by the participation of the two anti-parallel N6H/N6H'…O4/O2 and N3H…N6 H-bonds, involving the pyramidalized amino group of the A DNA base as an acceptor and a donor of the H-bonding. The transition states – TSA·T(WC)↔A·T(wWC), TSA·T(rWC)↔A·T(wrWC), TSA·T(H)↔A·T(wH) and TSA·T(rH)↔A·T(wrH), controlling the dipole-active transformations of the conformers from the main plane-symmetric state into the high-energy, significantly non-planar state and vice versa, were localized. They also possess wobble structures similarly to the high-energy conformers and are stabilized by the participation of the N6H/N6H'…O4/O2 and N3H…N6 H-bonds. Discovered conformers of the A·T DNA base pairs are dynamically stable short-lived structures (lifetime τ = (1.4-3.9) ps). Their possible biological significance and future perspectives have been briefly discussed.

  2. Surprising Conformers of the Biologically Important A·T DNA Base Pairs: QM/QTAIM Proofs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ol'ha O. Brovarets'

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available For the first time novel high-energy conformers–A·T(wWC (5.36, A·T(wrWC (5.97, A·T(wH (5.78, and A·T(wrH (ΔG = 5.82 kcal·mol−1 (See Graphical Abstract were revealed for each of the four biologically important A·T DNA base pairsWatson-Crick A·T(WC, reverse Watson-Crick A·T(rWC, Hoogsteen A·T(H and reverse Hoogsteen A·T(rH at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p level of quantum-mechanical theory in the continuum with ε = 4 under normal conditions. Each of these conformers possesses substantially non-planar wobble (w structure and is stabilized by the participation of the two anti-parallel N6H/N6H′…O4/O2 and N3H…N6 H-bonds, involving the pyramidalized amino group of the A DNA base as an acceptor and a donor of the H-bonding. The transition states – TSA·T(WC↔A·T(wWC, TSA·T(rWC↔A·T(wrWC, TSA·T(H↔A·T(wH, and TSA·T(rH↔A·T(wrH, controlling the dipole-active transformations of the conformers from the main plane-symmetric state into the high-energy, significantly non-planar state and vice versa, were localized. They also possess wobble structures similarly to the high-energy conformers and are stabilized by the participation of the N6H/N6H′…O4/O2 and N3H…N6 H-bonds. Discovered conformers of the A·T DNA base pairs are dynamically stable short-lived structures [lifetime τ = (1.4–3.9 ps]. Their possible biological significance and future perspectives have been briefly discussed.

  3. Insights into Watson-Crick/Hoogsteen breathing dynamics and damage repair from the solution structure and dynamic ensemble of DNA duplexes containing m1A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sathyamoorthy, Bharathwaj; Shi, Honglue; Zhou, Huiqing; Xue, Yi; Rangadurai, Atul; Merriman, Dawn K; Al-Hashimi, Hashim M

    2017-05-19

    In the canonical DNA double helix, Watson-Crick (WC) base pairs (bps) exist in dynamic equilibrium with sparsely populated (∼0.02-0.4%) and short-lived (lifetimes ∼0.2-2.5 ms) Hoogsteen (HG) bps. To gain insights into transient HG bps, we used solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, including measurements of residual dipolar couplings and molecular dynamics simulations, to examine how a single HG bp trapped using the N1-methylated adenine (m1A) lesion affects the structural and dynamic properties of two duplexes. The solution structure and dynamic ensembles of the duplexes reveals that in both cases, m1A forms a m1A•T HG bp, which is accompanied by local and global structural and dynamic perturbations in the double helix. These include a bias toward the BI backbone conformation; sugar repuckering, major-groove directed kinking (∼9°); and local melting of neighboring WC bps. These results provide atomic insights into WC/HG breathing dynamics in unmodified DNA duplexes as well as identify structural and dynamic signatures that could play roles in m1A recognition and repair. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  4. Imidazopyridine/Pyrrole and hydroxybenzimidazole/pyrrole pairs for DNA minor groove recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renneberg, Dorte; Dervan, Peter B

    2003-05-14

    The DNA binding properties of fused heterocycles imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (Ip) and hydroxybenzimidazole (Hz) paired with pyrrole (Py) in eight-ring hairpin polyamides are reported. The recognition profile of Ip/Py and Hz/Py pairs were compared to the five-membered ring pairs Im/Py and Hp/Py on a DNA restriction fragment at four 6-base pair recognition sites which vary at a single position 5'-TGTNTA-3', where N = G, C, T, A. The Ip/Py pair distinguishes G.C from C.G, T.A, and A.T, and the Hz/Py pair distinguishes T.A from A.T, G.C, and C.G, affording a new set of heterocycle pairs to target the four Watson-Crick base pairs in the minor groove of DNA.

  5. Higher order structural effects stabilizing the reverse watson-crick guanine-cytosine base pair in functional RNAs

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit; Abdel-Azeim, Safwat; Oliva, Romina; Cavallo, Luigi

    2013-01-01

    of the Guanine can increase its stability. Herein, we extend our survey and report on other H-bonding interactions that can increase the stability of this base pair. To this aim, we performed a bioinformatics search of the PDB to locate all the occurencies of G

  6. Glutamate Receptor Aptamers and ALS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    considered difficult because such a process uses the one-to-one correspondence of Watson - Crick pairing. In contrast, the transfer of function is...same nucleotides in M1 exhibited no NMIA reactivity. In general, non-reactive nucleotides were thought to be Watson - Crick based- paired. A number of...about 14 rounds of selections, the SELEX was terminated. The DNA pool from the 11th, 12th and 14th rounds were cloned and sequenced. Consensus

  7. Differential Stabilities and Sequence-Dependent Base Pair Opening Dynamics of Watson–Crick Base Pairs with 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine, 5-Formylcytosine, or 5-Carboxylcytosine

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC) form during active demethylation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and are implicated in epigenetic regulation of the genome. They are differentially processed by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG), an enzyme involved in active demethylation of 5mC. Three modified Dickerson–Drew dodecamer (DDD) sequences, amenable to crystallographic and spectroscopic analyses and containing the 5′-CG-3′ sequence associated with genomic cytosine methylation, containing 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC placed site-specifically into the 5′-T8X9G10-3′ sequence of the DDD, were compared. The presence of 5caC at the X9 base increased the stability of the DDD, whereas 5hmC or 5fC did not. Both 5hmC and 5fC increased imino proton exchange rates and calculated rate constants for base pair opening at the neighboring base pair A5:T8, whereas 5caC did not. At the oxidized base pair G4:X9, 5fC exhibited an increase in the imino proton exchange rate and the calculated kop. In all cases, minimal effects to imino proton exchange rates occurred at the neighboring base pair C3:G10. No evidence was observed for imino tautomerization, accompanied by wobble base pairing, for 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC when positioned at base pair G4:X9; each favored Watson–Crick base pairing. However, both 5fC and 5caC exhibited intranucleobase hydrogen bonding between their formyl or carboxyl oxygens, respectively, and the adjacent cytosine N4 exocyclic amines. The lesion-specific differences observed in the DDD may be implicated in recognition of 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC in DNA by TDG. However, they do not correlate with differential excision of 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC by TDG, which may be mediated by differences in transition states of the enzyme-bound complexes. PMID:25632825

  8. Predicting and Modeling RNA Architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westhof, Eric; Masquida, Benoît; Jossinet, Fabrice

    2011-01-01

    SUMMARY A general approach for modeling the architecture of large and structured RNA molecules is described. The method exploits the modularity and the hierarchical folding of RNA architecture that is viewed as the assembly of preformed double-stranded helices defined by Watson-Crick base pairs and RNA modules maintained by non-Watson-Crick base pairs. Despite the extensive molecular neutrality observed in RNA structures, specificity in RNA folding is achieved through global constraints like lengths of helices, coaxiality of helical stacks, and structures adopted at the junctions of helices. The Assemble integrated suite of computer tools allows for sequence and structure analysis as well as interactive modeling by homology or ab initio assembly with possibilities for fitting within electronic density maps. The local key role of non-Watson-Crick pairs guides RNA architecture formation and offers metrics for assessing the accuracy of three-dimensional models in a more useful way than usual root mean square deviation (RMSD) values. PMID:20504963

  9. Interactions between Al₁₂X (X = Al, C, N and P) nanoparticles and DNA nucleobases/base pairs: implications for nanotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Peng; Chen, Yongsheng; Zhang, Shengbai B; Chen, Zhongfang

    2012-02-01

    The interactions between neutral Al(12)X(I ( h )) (X = Al, C, N and P) nanoparticles and DNA nucleobases, namely adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C), as well as the Watson-Crick base pairs (BPs) AT and GC, were investigated by means of density functional theory computations. The Al(12)X clusters can tightly bind to DNA bases and BPs to form stable complexes with negative binding Gibbs free energies at room temperature, and considerable charge transfers occur between the bases/BPs and the Al(12)X clusters. These strong interactions, which are also expected for larger Al nanoparticles, may have potentially adverse impacts on the structure and stability of DNA and thus cause its dysfunction.

  10. Toll-Like Receptor-9-Mediated Invasion in Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-01

    AMBER starting from the in-vacuum minimized Watson - Crick based paired 9-mer hairpin structures. These models were then used with NMR derived distance...the cell. The oligonucleotides studied adopt many different secondary structures such as Watson - Crick duplex, hairpin, quadruplex, and single...deoxyoligonucleotide. Although the mechanism(s) for this induction is unknown, our studies reveal key insights into the structural and sequence requirements for DNA

  11. NMR scalar couplings across Watson–Crick base pair hydrogen bonds in DNA observed by transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pervushin, Konstantin; Ono, Akira; Fernández, César; Szyperski, Thomas; Kainosho, Masatsune; Wüthrich, Kurt

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes the NMR observation of 15N—15N and 1H—15N scalar couplings across the hydrogen bonds in Watson–Crick base pairs in a DNA duplex, hJNN and hJHN. These couplings represent new parameters of interest for both structural studies of DNA and theoretical investigations into the nature of the hydrogen bonds. Two dimensional [15N,1H]-transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy (TROSY) with a 15N-labeled 14-mer DNA duplex was used to measure hJNN, which is in the range 6–7 Hz, and the two-dimensional hJNN-correlation-[15N,1H]-TROSY experiment was used to correlate the chemical shifts of pairs of hydrogen bond-related 15N spins and to observe, for the first time, hJHN scalar couplings, with values in the range 2–3.6 Hz. TROSY-based studies of scalar couplings across hydrogen bonds should be applicable for large molecular sizes, including protein-bound nucleic acids. PMID:9826668

  12. Deuterium isotope effects and fractionation factors of hydrogen-bonded A:T base pairs of DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vakonakis, Ioannis; Salazar, Miguel; Kang, Mijeong; Dunbar, Kim R.; Li Wang, Andy C.

    2003-01-01

    Deuterium isotope effects and fractionation factors of N1...H3-N3 hydrogen bonded Watson-Crick A:T base pairs of two DNA dodecamers are presented here. Specifically, two-bond deuterium isotope effects on the chemical shifts of 13 C2 and 13 C4, 2 Δ 13 C2 and 2 Δ 13 C4, and equilibrium deuterium/protium fractionation factors of H3, Φ, were measured and seen to correlate with the chemical shift of the corresponding imino proton, δ H3 . Downfield-shifted imino protons associated with larger values of 2 Δ 13 C2 and 2 Δ 13 C4 and smaller Φ values, which together suggested that the effective H3-N3 vibrational potentials were more anharmonic in the stronger hydrogen bonds of these DNA molecules. We anticipate that 2 Δ 13 C2, 2 Δ 13 C4 and Φ values can be useful gauges of hydrogen bond strength of A:T base pairs

  13. 1,8-Naphthyridine-2,7-diamine: a potential universal reader of Watson-Crick base pairs for DNA sequencing by electron tunneling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Feng; Lindsay, Stuart; Zhang, Peiming

    2012-11-21

    With the aid of Density Functional Theory (DFT), we designed 1,8-naphthyridine-2,7-diamine as a recognition molecule to read DNA base pairs for genomic sequencing by electron tunneling. NMR studies show that it can form stable triplets with both A : T and G : C base pairs through hydrogen bonding. Our results suggest that the naphthyridine molecule should be able to function as a universal base pair reader in a tunneling gap, generating distinguishable signatures under electrical bias for each of DNA base pairs.

  14. Insights into the Structures of DNA Damaged by Hydroxyl Radical: Crystal Structures of DNA Duplexes Containing 5-Formyluracil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masaru Tsunoda

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Hydroxyl radicals are potent mutagens that attack DNA to form various base and ribose derivatives. One of the major damaged thymine derivatives is 5-formyluracil (fU, which induces pyrimidine transition during replication. In order to establish the structural basis for such mutagenesis, the crystal structures of two kinds of DNA d(CGCGRATfUCGCG with R = A/G have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The fU residues form a Watson-Crick-type pair with A and two types of pairs (wobble and reversed wobble with G, the latter being a new type of base pair between ionized thymine base and guanine base. In silico structural modeling suggests that the DNA polymerase can accept the reversed wobble pair with G, as well as the Watson-Crick pair with A.

  15. On the centenary of the birth of Francis H. C. Crick - from physics to genetics and neuroscience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teive, Hélio A G

    2016-04-01

    The year 2016 marks the centenary of the birth of Francis Crick (1916-2004), who made outstanding contributions to genetics and neuroscience. In 1953, in a collaborative study, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the DNA double helix, and in 1962 they and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Crick subsequently became very interested in neuroscience, particularly consciousness and its relationship to the claustrum, a small gray matter structure between the insula and putamen.

  16. AT base pair anions versus (9-methyl-A)(1-methyl-T) base pair anions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radisic, Dunja; Bowen, Kit H; Dabkowska, Iwona; Storoniak, Piotr; Rak, Janusz; Gutowski, Maciej

    2005-05-04

    The anionic base pairs of adenine and thymine, (AT)(-), and 9-methyladenine and 1-methylthymine, (MAMT)(-), have been investigated both theoretically and experimentally in a complementary, synergistic study. Calculations on (AT)(-) found that it had undergone a barrier-free proton transfer (BFPT) similar to that seen in other dimer anion systems and that its structural configuration was neither Watson-Crick (WC) nor Hoogsteen (HS). The vertical detachment energy (VDE) of (AT)(-) was determined by anion photoelectron spectroscopy and found to be in agreement with the VDE value predicted by theory for the BFPT mechanism. An AT pair in DNA is structurally immobilized into the WC configuration, in part, by being bonded to the sugars of the double helix. This circumstance was mimicked by methylating the sites on both A and T where these sugars would have been tied, viz., 9-methyladenine and 1-methylthymine. Calculations found no BFPT in (MAMT)(-) and a resulting (MAMT)(-) configuration that was either HS or WC, with the configurations differing in stability by ca. 2 kcal/mol. The photoelectron spectrum of (MAMT)(-) occurred at a completely different electron binding energy than had (AT)(-). Moreover, the VDE value of (MAMT)(-) was in agreement with that predicted by theory. The configuration of (MAMT)(-) and its lack of electron-induced proton transfer are inter-related. While there may be other pathways for electron-induced DNA alterations, BFPT in the WC/HS configurations of (AT)(-) is not feasible.

  17. AT Base Pair Anions vs. (9-methyl-A)(1-methyl-T) Base Pair Anions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radisic, Dunja; Bowen, Kit H.; Dabkowska, Iwona; Storoniak, Piotr; Rak, Janusz; Gutowski, Maciej S.

    2005-01-01

    The anionic base pairs of adenine and thymine, (AT)-, and 9-methyladenine and 1-methylthymine, (MAMT)-, have been investigated both theoretically and experimentally in a complementary, synergistic study. Calculations on (AT)- found that it had undergone a barrier-free proton transfer (BFPT) similar to that seen in other dimer anion systems and that its structural configuration that was neither Watson-Crick (WC) nor Hoogsteen (HS). The vertical detachment energy (VDE) of (AT)- was determined by anion photoelectron spectroscopy and found to be in agreement with the VDE value predicted by theory for the BFPT mechanism. An AT pair in DNA is structurally immobilized into the WC configuration, in part, by being bonded to the sugars of the double helix. This circumstance was mimicked by methylating the sites on both A and T where these sugars would have been tied, viz., 9-methyladenine and 1-methylthymine. Calculations found no BFPT in (MAMT)- and a resulting (MAMT)- configuration that wa s either HS or WC, with the configurations differing in stability by ca. 2 kcal/mol. The photoelectron spectrum of (MAMT)- occurred at a completely different electron binding energy than had (AT)-. Moreover, the VDE value of (MAMT)- was in agreement with that predicted by theory. The configuration of (MAMT)- and its lack of electron-induced proton transfer are inter-related. While there may be other pathways for electron-induced damage, BFPT in the WC/HS configurations of (AT)- is not feasible

  18. Molecular dynamics analysis of stabilities of the telomeric Watson-Crick duplex and the associated i-motif as a function of pH and temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panczyk, Tomasz; Wolski, Pawel

    2018-06-01

    This work deals with a molecular dynamics analysis of the protonated and deprotonated states of the natural sequence d[(CCCTAA) 3 CCCT] of the telomeric DNA forming the intercalated i-motif or paired with the sequence d[(CCCTAA) 3 CCCT] and forming the Watson-Crick (WC) duplex. By utilizing the amber force field for nucleic acids we built the i-motif and the WC duplex either with native cytosines or using their protonated forms. We studied, by applying molecular dynamics simulations, the role of hydrogen bonds between cytosines or in cytosine-guanine pairs in the stabilization of both structures in the physiological fluid. We found that hydrogen bonds exist in the case of protonated i-motif and in the standard form of the WC duplex. They, however, vanish in the case of the deprotonated i-motif and protonated form of the WC duplex. By determining potentials of mean force in the enforced unwrapping of these structures we found that the protonated i-motif is thermodynamically the most stable. Its deprotonation leads to spontaneous and observed directly in the unbiased calculations unfolding of the i-motif to the hairpin structure at normal temperature. The WC duplex is stable in its standard form and its slight destabilization is observed at the acidic pH. However, the protonated WC duplex unwraps very slowly at 310 K and its decomposition was not observed in the unbiased calculations. At higher temperatures (ca. 400 K or more) the WC duplex unwraps spontaneously. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Base-pairing preferences, physicochemical properties and mutational behaviour of the DNA lesion 8-nitroguanine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhamra, Inder; Compagnone-Post, Patricia; O'Neil, Ian A; Iwanejko, Lesley A; Bates, Andrew D; Cosstick, Richard

    2012-11-01

    8-Nitro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-nitrodG) is a relatively unstable, mutagenic lesion of DNA that is increasingly believed to be associated with tissue inflammation. Due to the lability of the glycosidic bond, 8-nitrodG cannot be incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) by chemical DNA synthesis and thus very little is known about its physicochemical properties and base-pairing preferences. Here we describe the synthesis of 8-nitro-2'-O-methylguanosine, a ribonucleoside analogue of this lesion, which is sufficiently stable to be incorporated into ODNs. Physicochemical studies demonstrated that 8-nitro-2'-O-methylguanosine adopts a syn conformation about the glycosidic bond; thermal melting studies and molecular modelling suggest a relatively stable syn-8-nitroG·anti-G base pair. Interestingly, when this lesion analogue was placed in a primer-template system, extension of the primer by either avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase (AMV-RT) or human DNA polymerase β (pol β), was significantly impaired, but where incorporation opposite 8-nitroguanine did occur, pol β showed a 2:1 preference to insert dA over dC, while AMV-RT incorporated predominantly dC. The fact that no 8-nitroG·G base pairing is seen in the primer extension products suggests that the polymerases may discriminate against this pairing system on the basis of its poor geometric match to a Watson-Crick pair.

  20. On the centenary of the birth of Francis H. C. Crick – from physics to genetics and neuroscience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hélio A. G. Teive

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The year 2016 marks the centenary of the birth of Francis Crick (1916–2004, who made outstanding contributions to genetics and neuroscience. In 1953, in a collaborative study, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the DNA double helix, and in 1962 they and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Crick subsequently became very interested in neuroscience, particularly consciousness and its relationship to the claustrum, a small gray matter structure between the insula and putamen.

  1. Theoretical Characterization of Sulfur-to-Selenium Substitution in an Emissive RNA Alphabet: Impact on H-bonding Potential and Photophysical Properties

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit; Poater, Albert; Besalu-Sala, Pau; Kalra, Kanav; Oliva, Romina; Cavallo, Luigi

    2018-01-01

    of the classical Watson-Crick base pairs, thus potentially mimicking the natural bases in a RNA duplex in terms of H-bonding. In contrast, our calculations indicate that H-bonded base pairs involving the Hoogsteen edge of purines are destabilized as compared

  2. O6-ethylguanine carcinogenic lesions in DNA: An NMR study of O6etG·C pairing in dodecanucleotide duplexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalnik, M.W.; Li, B.F.L.; Swann, P.F.; Patel, D.J.

    1989-01-01

    The pairing of O 6 etG with C located four base pairs in from either end of the self-complementary d(C1-G2-C3-O 6 etG4-A5-G6-C7-T8-C9-G10-C11-G12) duplex (designated O 6 etG·C 12-mer) has been investigated from an analysis of proton and phosphorus two-dimensional NMR experiments. The structural consequences of increasing the alkyl group size were elucidated from a comparative study of the pairing of O 6 meG4 with C9 in a related sequence (designated O 6 meG·C 12-mer). The NMR parameters for both O 6 alkG-containing dodecanucleotides are also compared with those of the control sequence containing G4·C9 base pairs (designated G·C 12-mer). The NOE cross-peaks detected in the two-dimensional NOESY spectra of the O 6 alkG·C 12-mer duplexes in H 2 O solution establish that the O 6 etG4/O 6 meG4 and C9 bases at the lesion site stack into the helix between the flanking C3·G10 and A5·T8 Watson-Crick base pairs. The observed NOEs between the amino protons of C9 and the CH 3 protons of O 6 alkG4 establish a syn orientation of the O 6 -alkyl group with respect to the N 1 of alkylated guanine. A wobble alignment of the O 6 alkG4·C9 base pair stabilized by two hydrogen bonds, one between the amino group of C9 and N 1 of O 6 alkG and the other between the amino group of O 6 alkG and N 3 of C9, is tentatively proposed on the basis of the NOEs between the amino protons of C9 at the lesion site and the imino protons of flanking Watson-Crick base pairs

  3. Anti-parallel triplexes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kosbar, Tamer R.; Sofan, Mamdouh A.; Waly, Mohamed A.

    2015-01-01

    about 6.1 °C when the TFO strand was modified with Z and the Watson-Crick strand with adenine-LNA (AL). The molecular modeling results showed that, in case of nucleobases Y and Z a hydrogen bond (1.69 and 1.72 Å, respectively) was formed between the protonated 3-aminopropyn-1-yl chain and one...... of the phosphate groups in Watson-Crick strand. Also, it was shown that the nucleobase Y made a good stacking and binding with the other nucleobases in the TFO and Watson-Crick duplex, respectively. In contrast, the nucleobase Z with LNA moiety was forced to twist out of plane of Watson-Crick base pair which......The phosphoramidites of DNA monomers of 7-(3-aminopropyn-1-yl)-8-aza-7-deazaadenine (Y) and 7-(3-aminopropyn-1-yl)-8-aza-7-deazaadenine LNA (Z) are synthesized, and the thermal stability at pH 7.2 and 8.2 of anti-parallel triplexes modified with these two monomers is determined. When, the anti...

  4. Requirement for a conserved, tertiary interaction in the core of 23S ribosomal RNA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aagaard, C; Douthwaite, S

    1994-01-01

    RNA. Every substitution that disrupts the potential for Watson-Crick base pairing between these positions reduces or abolishes the participation of 23S rRNA in protein synthesis. All mutant 23S rRNAs are assembled into 50S subunits, but the mutant subunits are less able to stably interact with 30S subunits...... is nonfunctional. In contrast to the considerable effect the mutations have on function, they impart only slight structural changes on the naked rRNA, and these are limited to the immediate vicinity of the mutations. The data show that positions 1262 and 2017 pair in a Watson-Crick manner, but the data also...

  5. High-fidelity in vivo replication of DNA base shape mimics without Watson–Crick hydrogen bonds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delaney, James C.; Henderson, Paul T.; Helquist, Sandra A.; Morales, Juan C.; Essigmann, John M.; Kool, Eric T.

    2003-01-01

    We report studies testing the importance of Watson–Crick hydrogen bonding, base-pair geometry, and steric effects during DNA replication in living bacterial cells. Nonpolar DNA base shape mimics of thymine and adenine (abbreviated F and Q, respectively) were introduced into Escherichia coli by insertion into a phage genome followed by transfection of the vector into bacteria. Genetic assays showed that these two base mimics were bypassed with moderate to high efficiency in the cells and with very high efficiency under damage-response (SOS induction) conditions. Under both sets of conditions, the T-shape mimic (F) encoded genetic information in the bacteria as if it were thymine, directing incorporation of adenine opposite it with high fidelity. Similarly, the A mimic (Q) directed incorporation of thymine opposite itself with high fidelity. The data establish that Watson–Crick hydrogen bonding is not necessary for high-fidelity replication of a base pair in vivo. The results suggest that recognition of DNA base shape alone serves as the most powerful determinant of fidelity during transfer of genetic information in a living organism. PMID:12676985

  6. Interaction of Cu+ with cytosine and formation of i-motif-like C-M+-C complexes: alkali versus coinage metals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gao, J.; Berden, G.; Rodgers, M.T.; Oomens, J.

    2016-01-01

    The Watson-Crick structure of DNA is among the most well-known molecular structures of our time. However, alternative base-pairing motifs are also known to occur, often depending on base sequence, pH, or the presence of cations. Pairing of cytosine (C) bases induced by the sharing of a single proton

  7. The conformation of 23S rRNA nucleotide A2058 determines its recognition by the ErmE methyltransferase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vester, B; Hansen, L H; Douthwaite, S

    1995-01-01

    the effects of mutations around position A2058 on methylation. Mutagenizing A2058 (to G or U) completely abolishes methylation of 23S rRNA by ErmE. No methylation occurred at other sites in the rRNA, demonstrating the fidelity of ErmE for A2058. Breaking the neighboring G2057-C2611 Watson-Crick base pair...... by introducing either an A2057 or a U2611 mutation, greatly reduces the rate of methylation at A2058. Methylation remains impaired after these mutations have been combined to create a new A2057-U2611 Watson-Crick base interaction. The conformation of this region in 23S rRNA was probed with chemical reagents...

  8. Thermal stability of G-rich anti-parallel DNA triplexes upon insertion of LNA and α-l-LNA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kosbar, Tamer R.; Sofan, Mamdouh A.; Abou-Zeid, Laila

    2015-01-01

    G-rich anti-parallel DNA triplexes were modified with LNA or α-l-LNA in their Watson-Crick and TFO strands. The triplexes were formed by targeting a pyrimidine strand to a putative hairpin formed by Hoogsteen base pairing in order to use the UV melting method to evaluate the stability...... of the triplexes. Their thermal stability was reduced when the TFO strand was modified with LNA or α-l-LNA. The same trend was observed when the TFO strand and the purine Watson-Crick strand both were modified with LNA. When all triad components were modified with α-l-LNA and LNA in the middle of the triplex...

  9. Condensing the information in DNA with double-headed nucleotides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hornum, Mick; Sharma, Pawan K; Reslow-Jacobsen, Charlotte

    2017-01-01

    A normal duplex holds as many Watson-Crick base pairs as the number of nucleotides in its constituent strands. Here we establish that single nucleotides can be designed to functionally imitate dinucleotides without compromising binding affinity. This effectively allows sequence information...

  10. Triple helical DNA in a duplex context and base pair opening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esguerra, Mauricio; Nilsson, Lennart; Villa, Alessandra

    2014-01-01

    It is fundamental to explore in atomic detail the behavior of DNA triple helices as a means to understand the role they might play in vivo and to better engineer their use in genetic technologies, such as antigene therapy. To this aim we have performed atomistic simulations of a purine-rich antiparallel triple helix stretch of 10 base triplets flanked by canonical Watson–Crick double helices. At the same time we have explored the thermodynamic behavior of a flipping Watson–Crick base pair in the context of the triple and double helix. The third strand can be accommodated in a B-like duplex conformation. Upon binding, the double helix changes shape, and becomes more rigid. The triple-helical region increases its major groove width mainly by oversliding in the negative direction. The resulting conformations are somewhere between the A and B conformations with base pairs remaining almost perpendicular to the helical axis. The neighboring duplex regions maintain a B DNA conformation. Base pair opening in the duplex regions is more probable than in the triplex and binding of the Hoogsteen strand does not influence base pair breathing in the neighboring duplex region. PMID:25228466

  11. Manipulative interplay of two adozelesin molecules with d(ATTAAT)₂achieving ligand-stacked Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base-paired duplex adducts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopton, Suzanne R; Thompson, Andrew S

    2011-05-17

    Previous structural studies of the cyclopropapyrroloindole (CPI) antitumor antibiotics have shown that these ligands bind covalently edge-on into the minor groove of double-stranded DNA. Reversible covalent modification of the DNA via N3 of adenine occurs in a sequence-specific fashion. Early nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular modeling studies with both mono- and bis-alkylating ligands indicated that the ligands fit tightly within the minor groove, causing little distortion of the helix. In this study, we propose a new binding model for several of the CPI-based analogues, in which the aromatic secondary rings form π-stacked complexes within the minor groove. One of the adducts, formed with adozelesin and the d(ATTAAT)(2) sequence, also demonstrates the ability of these ligands to manipulate the DNA of the binding site, resulting in a Hoogsteen base-paired adduct. Although this type of base pairing has been previously observed with the bisfunctional CPI analogue bizelesin, this is the first time that such an observation has been made with a monoalkylating nondimeric analogue. Together, these results provide a new model for the design of CPI-based antitumor antibiotics, which also has a significant bearing on other structurally related and structurally unrelated minor groove-binding ligands. They indicate the dynamic nature of ligand-DNA interactions, demonstrating both DNA conformational flexibility and the ability of two DNA-bound ligands to interact to form stable covalent modified complexes.

  12. Unusual hydrogen bonding patterns in AF [aminofluorene] and AAF [acetylaminofluorene] modified DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broyde, S.; Hingerty, B.E.; Shapiro, R.; Norman, D.; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN; New York Univ., NY; Columbia Univ., New York, NY

    1989-01-01

    New structures are presented for AF and AAF modified DNAs that place the carcinogen in the minor groove of a B-DNA helix. These structures employ non-Watson-Crick base pairing schemes with syn guanine at the modification site. 32 refs., 9 figs

  13. B-DNA model systems in non-terran bio-solvents : Implications for structure, stability and replication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hamlin, Trevor A.; Poater, Jordi; Fonseca Guerra, Célia; Bickelhaupt, F. Matthias

    2017-01-01

    We have computationally analyzed a comprehensive series of Watson-Crick and mismatched B-DNA base pairs, in the gas phase and in several solvents, including toluene, chloroform, ammonia, methanol and water, using dispersion-corrected density functional theory and implicit solvation. Our analyses

  14. Hydrogen bond indices and tertiary structure of yeast tRNA sup(Phe)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giambiagi, M.S. de; Giambiagi, M.; Esquivel, D.M.S.

    1982-01-01

    The rigidity and stability of the tertiary structure of yeast tRNA sup(Phe) is related to a bond index employed in an IEHT calculation. The index permits a quantitative estimate of the electronic cloud along the hydrogen bond, having thus an appealing physical meaning. The results indicate that Hoogsteen-type bonds have, as expected, greater electronic population than Watson-Crick type ones. Other non-Watson-Crick pairings, the wobble pair and G 15 -C 48 , exhibit high values of the index for the NH...O bond. In the triples, the electronic density of the hydrogen bridges does not weaken, comparing it with the one of the pairs involved. Contour density maps are shown and dipolar moments of pairs and triples are qualitatively discussed. (Author) [pt

  15. Impact of Heterogeneity and Lattice Bond Strength on DNA Triangle Crystal Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, Evi; Praetorius, Florian; de Oliveira Mann, Carina C; Hopfner, Karl-Peter; Dietz, Hendrik

    2016-09-07

    One key goal of DNA nanotechnology is the bottom-up construction of macroscopic crystalline materials. Beyond applications in fields such as photonics or plasmonics, DNA-based crystal matrices could possibly facilitate the diffraction-based structural analysis of guest molecules. Seeman and co-workers reported in 2009 the first designed crystal matrices based on a 38 kDa DNA triangle that was composed of seven chains. The crystal lattice was stabilized, unprecedentedly, by Watson-Crick base pairing. However, 3D crystallization of larger designed DNA objects that include more chains such as DNA origami remains an unsolved problem. Larger objects would offer more degrees of freedom and design options with respect to tailoring lattice geometry and for positioning other objects within a crystal lattice. The greater rigidity of multilayer DNA origami could also positively influence the diffractive properties of crystals composed of such particles. Here, we rationally explore the role of heterogeneity and Watson-Crick interaction strengths in crystal growth using 40 variants of the original DNA triangle as model multichain objects. Crystal growth of the triangle was remarkably robust despite massive chemical, geometrical, and thermodynamical sample heterogeneity that we introduced, but the crystal growth sensitively depended on the sequences of base pairs next to the Watson-Crick sticky ends of the triangle. Our results point to weak lattice interactions and high concentrations as decisive factors for achieving productive crystallization, while sample heterogeneity and impurities played a minor role.

  16. Solvent effect on the intermolecular proton transfer of the Watson and Crick guanine-cytosine and adenine-thymine base pairs: a polarizable continuum model study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero, Eduardo E; Hernandez, Florencio E

    2018-01-03

    Herein we present our results on the study of the double proton transfer (DPT) mechanism in the adenine-thymine (AT) and guanine-cytosine (GC) base pairs, both in gas phase and in solution. The latter was modeled using the polarizable continuum method (PCM) in different solvents. According to our DFT calculations, the DPT may occur for both complexes in a stepwise mechanism in condensate phase. In gas phase only the GC base pair exhibits a concerted DPT mechanism. Using the Wigner's tunneling corrections to the transition state theory we demonstrate that such corrections are important for the prediction of the rate constants of both systems in gas and in condensate phase. We also show that (i) as the polarity of the medium decreases the equilibrium constant of the DPT reaction increases in both complexes, and (ii) that the equilibrium constant in the GC complex is four orders of magnitude larger than in AT. This observation suggests that the spontaneous mutations in DNA base pairs are more probable in GC than in AT.

  17. Structure of the DNA duplex d(ATTAAT2 with Hoogsteen hydrogen bonds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco J Acosta-Reyes

    Full Text Available The traditional Watson-Crick base pairs in DNA may occasionally adopt a Hoogsteen conformation, with a different organization of hydrogen bonds. Previous crystal structures have shown that the Hoogsteen conformation is favored in alternating AT sequences of DNA. Here we present new data for a different sequence, d(ATTAAT2, which is also found in the Hoogsteen conformation. Thus we demonstrate that other all-AT sequences of DNA with a different sequence may be found in the Hoogsteen conformation. We conclude that any all-AT sequence might acquire this conformation under appropriate conditions. We also compare the detailed features of DNA in either the Hoogsteen or Watson-Crick conformations.

  18. Substituent Effects on Hydrogen Bonds in DNA : A Kohn-Sham DFT Approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guerra, Célia Fonseca; Bickelhaupt, F. Matthias

    2006-01-01

    In this Chapter, we discuss how the hydrogen bonds in Watson-Crick base pairs can be tuned both structurally and in terms of bond strength by exposing the DNA bases to different kinds of substitutions: (1) substitution in the X-H Y hydrogen bonding moiety, (2) remote substitution, i.e., introducing

  19. LNA-antisense rivals siRNA for gene silencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jepsen, Jan Stenvang; Wengel, Jesper; Stenvang, Jan

    2004-01-01

    Locked nucleic acid (LNA) is a class of nucleic acid analogs possessing unprecedented binding affinity toward complementary DNA and RNA while obeying the Watson-Crick base-pairing rules. For efficient gene silencing in vitro and in vivo, fully modified or chimeric LNA oligonucleotides have been a...

  20. Structure and Dynamics of RNA Repeat Expansions That Cause Huntington's Disease and Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jonathan L; VanEtten, Damian M; Fountain, Matthew A; Yildirim, Ilyas; Disney, Matthew D

    2017-07-11

    RNA repeat expansions cause a host of incurable, genetically defined diseases. The most common class of RNA repeats consists of trinucleotide repeats. These long, repeating transcripts fold into hairpins containing 1 × 1 internal loops that can mediate disease via a variety of mechanism(s) in which RNA is the central player. Two of these disorders are Huntington's disease and myotonic dystrophy type 1, which are caused by r(CAG) and r(CUG) repeats, respectively. We report the structures of two RNA constructs containing three copies of a r(CAG) [r(3×CAG)] or r(CUG) [r(3×CUG)] motif that were modeled with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and simulated annealing with restrained molecular dynamics. The 1 × 1 internal loops of r(3×CAG) are stabilized by one-hydrogen bond (cis Watson-Crick/Watson-Crick) AA pairs, while those of r(3×CUG) prefer one- or two-hydrogen bond (cis Watson-Crick/Watson-Crick) UU pairs. Assigned chemical shifts for the residues depended on the identity of neighbors or next nearest neighbors. Additional insights into the dynamics of these RNA constructs were gained by molecular dynamics simulations and a discrete path sampling method. Results indicate that the global structures of the RNA are A-form and that the loop regions are dynamic. The results will be useful for understanding the dynamic trajectory of these RNA repeats but also may aid in the development of therapeutics.

  1. DNA with Parallel Strand Orientation: A Nanometer Distance Study with Spin Labels in the Watson-Crick and the Reverse Watson-Crick Double Helix.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wunnicke, Dorith; Ding, Ping; Yang, Haozhe; Seela, Frank; Steinhoff, Heinz-Jürgen

    2015-10-29

    Parallel-stranded (ps) DNA characterized by its sugar-phosphate backbones pointing in the same direction represents an alternative pairing system to antiparallel-stranded (aps) DNA with the potential to inhibit transcription and translation. 25-mer oligonucleotides were selected containing only dA·dT base pairs to compare spin-labeled nucleobase distances over a range of 10 or 15 base pairs in ps DNA with those in aps DNA. By means of the copper(I)-catalyzed Huisgen-Meldal-Sharpless alkyne-azide cycloaddition, the spin label 4-azido-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl was clicked to 7-ethynyl-7-deaza-2'-deoxyadenosine or 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine to yield 25-mer oligonucleotides incorporating two spin labels. The interspin distances between spin labeled residues were determined by pulse EPR spectroscopy. The results reveal that in ps DNA these distances are between 5 and 10% longer than in aps DNA when the labeled DNA segment is located near the center of the double helix. The interspin distance in ps DNA becomes shorter compared with aps DNA when one of the spin labels occupies a position near the end of the double helix.

  2. How does the long G·G* Watson-Crick DNA base mispair comprising keto and enol tautomers of the guanine tautomerise? The results of a QM/QTAIM investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2014-08-14

    The double proton transfer (DPT) in the long G·G* Watson-Crick base mispair (|C6N1(G*)N1C6(G)| = 36.4°; C1 symmetry), involving keto and enol tautomers of the guanine (G) nucleobase, along two intermolecular neighboring O6H···O6 (8.39) and N1···HN1 (6.14 kcal mol(-1)) H-bonds that were established to be slightly anti-cooperative, leads to its transformation into the G*·G base mispair through a single transition state (|C6N1N1C6| = 37.1°; C1), namely to the interconversion into itself. It was shown that the G·G* ↔ G*·G tautomerisation via the DPT is assisted by the third specific contact, that sequentially switches along the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) in an original way: (G)N2H···N2(G*) H-bond (-25.13 to -10.37) → N2···N2 van der Waals contact (-10.37 to -9.23) → (G)N2···HN2(G*) H-bond (-9.23 to 0.79) → (G*)N2···HN2(G) H-bond (0.79 to 7.35 Bohr). The DPT tautomerisation was found to proceed through the asynchronous concerted mechanism by employing the QM/QTAIM approach and the methodology of the scans of the geometric, electron-topological, energetic, polar and NBO properties along the IRC. Nine key points, that can be considered as part of the tautomerisation repertoire, have been established and analyzed in detail. Furthermore, it was shown that the G·G* or G*·G base mispair is a thermodynamically and dynamically stable structure with a lifetime of 8.22 × 10(-10) s and all 6 low-frequency intermolecular vibrations are able to develop during this time span. Lastly, our results highlight the importance of the G·G* ↔ G*·G DPT tautomerisation, which can have implications for biological and chemical sensing applications.

  3. Classification of pseudo pairs between nucleotide bases and amino acids by analysis of nucleotide–protein complexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, Jiro; Westhof, Eric

    2011-01-01

    Nucleotide bases are recognized by amino acid residues in a variety of DNA/RNA binding and nucleotide binding proteins. In this study, a total of 446 crystal structures of nucleotide–protein complexes are analyzed manually and pseudo pairs together with single and bifurcated hydrogen bonds observed between bases and amino acids are classified and annotated. Only 5 of the 20 usual amino acid residues, Asn, Gln, Asp, Glu and Arg, are able to orient in a coplanar fashion in order to form pseudo pairs with nucleotide bases through two hydrogen bonds. The peptide backbone can also form pseudo pairs with nucleotide bases and presents a strong bias for binding to the adenine base. The Watson–Crick side of the nucleotide bases is the major interaction edge participating in such pseudo pairs. Pseudo pairs between the Watson–Crick edge of guanine and Asp are frequently observed. The Hoogsteen edge of the purine bases is a good discriminatory element in recognition of nucleotide bases by protein side chains through the pseudo pairing: the Hoogsteen edge of adenine is recognized by various amino acids while the Hoogsteen edge of guanine is only recognized by Arg. The sugar edge is rarely recognized by either the side-chain or peptide backbone of amino acid residues. PMID:21737431

  4. Engaging with Molecular Form to Understand Function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barber, Nicola C.; Stark, Louisa A.

    2014-01-01

    Cells are bustling factories with diverse and prolific arrays of molecular machinery. Remarkably, this machinery self-organizes to carry out the complex biochemical activities characteristic of life. When Watson and Crick published the structure of DNA, they noted that DNA base pairing creates a double-stranded form that provides a means of…

  5. On Fair Lotteries

    OpenAIRE

    STONE, PETER

    2008-01-01

    PUBLISHED When James Watson and Francis Crick submitted to Nature their groundbreaking paper relating DNA structure to protein synthesis, they faced a choice. In what order were their names to be listed? Would it be ?Watson and Crick,? or ?Crick and Watson?? They resolved the matter by tossing a coin (Crick, 1988, p. 66)

  6. Synthesis and Structural Characterization of 2'-Fluoro-α-L-RNA-Modified Oligonucleotides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bundgaard Jensen, Troels; Pasternak, Anna; Stahl Madsen, Andreas

    2011-01-01

    with the smallest destabilization towards RNA. Thermodynamic data show that the duplex formation with 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA nucleotides is enthalpically disfavored but entropically favored. 2'-Fluoro-α-L-RNA nucleotides exhibit very good base pairing specificity following Watson-Crick rules. The 2'-fluoro......-α-L-RNA monomer was designed as a monocyclic mimic of the bicyclic α-L-LNA, and molecular modeling showed that this indeed is the case as the 2'-fluoro monomer adopts a C3'-endo/C2'-exo sugar pucker. Molecular modeling of modified duplexes show that the 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA nucleotides partake in Watson-Crick base......We describe the synthesis and binding properties of oligonucleotides that contain one or more 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA thymine monomer(s). Incorporation of 2'-fluoro-α-L-RNA thymine into oligodeoxynucleotides decreased thermal binding stability slightly upon hybridization with complementary DNA and RNA...

  7. Nucleic acid nanomaterials: Silver-wired DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auffinger, Pascal; Ennifar, Eric

    2017-10-01

    DNA double helical structures are supramolecular assemblies that are typically held together by classical Watson-Crick pairing. Now, nucleotide chelation of silver ions supports an extended silver-DNA hybrid duplex featuring an uninterrupted silver array.

  8. Recognition by nonaromatic and stereochemical subunit-containing polyamides of the four Watson-Crick base pairs in the DNA minor groove.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hong-Fei; Wu, Yan-Ling; Jiang, Shi-Kun; Wang, Pu; Sugiyama, Hiroshi; Chen, Xing-Lai; Zhang, Wen; Ji, Yan-Juan; Guo, Chuan-Xin

    2012-06-18

    In order to develop an optimal subunit as a T-recognition element in hairpin polyamides, 15 novel chirality-modified polyamides containing (R)-α,β-diaminopropionic acid ((R) β α-NH 2), (S)-α,β-diaminopropionic acid ((S) β α-NH 2), (1R,3S)-3-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid ((RS) Cp), (1S,3R)-3-amino-cyclopentanecarboxylic acid ((RS) Cp), (1R,3R)-3-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid ((RR) Cp) and (1S,3S)-3-amino-cyclopentanecarboxylic acid ((SS) Cp) residues were synthesized. Their binding characteristics to DNA sequences 5'-TGCNCAT-3'/3'-ACGN'GTA-5' (N⋅N'=A⋅T, T⋅A, G⋅C and C⋅G) were systemically studied by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and molecular simulation (MSim) techniques. SPR showed that polyamide 4, AcIm-(S) β α-NH 2-ImPy-γ-ImPy-β-Py-βDp (β/(S) β α-NH 2 pair), bound to a DNA sequence containing a core binding site of 5'-TGCACAT-3' with a dissociation equilibrium constant (K(D) ) of 4.5×10(-8)  m. This was a tenfold improvement in specificity over 5'-TGCTCAT-3' (K(D) =4.5×10(-7)  M). MSim studies supported the SPR results. More importantly, for the first time, we found that chiral 3-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acids in polyamides can be employed as base readers with only a small decrease in binding affinity to DNA. In particular, SPR showed that polyamide 9 ((RR) Cp/β pair) had a 15-fold binding preference for 5'-TGCTCAT-3' over 5'-TGCACAT-3'. A large difference in standard free energy change for A⋅T over T⋅A was determined (ΔΔG(o) =5.9 kJ mol(-1) ), as was a twofold decrease in interaction energy by MSim. Moreover, a 1:1 stoichiometry (9 to 5'-TGCTCAT-3'/3'-ACGAGTA-5') was shown by MSim to be optimal for the chiral five-membered cycle to fit the minor groove. Collectively, the study suggests that the (S)-α-amino-β-aminopropionic acid and (1R,3R)-3-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid can serve as a T-recognition element, and the stereochemistry and the nature of these subunits significantly influence

  9. Analysis of stacking overlap in nucleic acid structures: algorithm and application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pingali, Pavan Kumar; Halder, Sukanya; Mukherjee, Debasish; Basu, Sankar; Banerjee, Rahul; Choudhury, Devapriya; Bhattacharyya, Dhananjay

    2014-08-01

    RNA contains different secondary structural motifs like pseudo-helices, hairpin loops, internal loops, etc. in addition to anti-parallel double helices and random coils. The secondary structures are mainly stabilized by base-pairing and stacking interactions between the planar aromatic bases. The hydrogen bonding strength and geometries of base pairs are characterized by six intra-base pair parameters. Similarly, stacking can be represented by six local doublet parameters. These dinucleotide step parameters can describe the quality of stacking between Watson-Crick base pairs very effectively. However, it is quite difficult to understand the stacking pattern for dinucleotides consisting of non canonical base pairs from these parameters. Stacking interaction is a manifestation of the interaction between two aromatic bases or base pairs and thus can be estimated best by the overlap area between the planar aromatic moieties. We have calculated base pair overlap between two consecutive base pairs as the buried van der Waals surface between them. In general, overlap values show normal distribution for the Watson-Crick base pairs in most double helices within a range from 45 to 50 Å(2) irrespective of base sequence. The dinucleotide steps with non-canonical base pairs also are seen to have high overlap value, although their twist and few other parameters are rather unusual. We have analyzed hairpin loops of different length, bulges within double helical structures and pseudo-continuous helices using our algorithm. The overlap area analyses indicate good stacking between few looped out bases especially in GNRA tetraloop, which was difficult to quantitatively characterise from analysis of the base pair or dinucleotide step parameters. This parameter is also seen to be capable to distinguish pseudo-continuous helices from kinked helix junctions.

  10. Multi-Threaded DNA Tag/Anti-Tag Library Generator for Multi-Core Platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-05-01

    base pairWatsonCrick  strand pairs that bind perfectly within pairs, but poorly across pairs. A variety  of  DNA  strand hybridization metrics...AFRL-RI-RS-TR-2009-131 Final Technical Report May 2009 MULTI-THREADED DNA TAG/ANTI-TAG LIBRARY GENERATOR FOR MULTI-CORE PLATFORMS...TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) Jun 08 – Feb 09 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE MULTI-THREADED DNA TAG/ANTI-TAG LIBRARY GENERATOR FOR MULTI-CORE

  11. Design of two and three input molecular logic gates using non-Watson-Crick base pairing-based molecular beacons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jia-Hui; Tseng, Wei-Lung

    2014-03-21

    This study presents a single, resettable, and sensitive molecular beacon (MB) used to operate molecular-scale logic gates. The MB consists of a random DNA sequence, a fluorophore at the 5'-end, and a quencher at the 3'-end. The presence of Hg(2+), Ag(+), and coralyne promoted the formation of stable T-Hg(2+)-T, C-Ag(+)-C, and A2-coralyne-A2 coordination in the MB probe, respectively, thereby driving its conformational change. The metal ion or small molecule-mediated coordination of mismatched DNA brought the fluorophore and the quencher into close proximity, resulting in collisional quenching of fluorescence between the two organic dyes. Because thiol can bind Hg(2+) and remove it from the T-Hg(2+)-T-based MB, adding thiol to a solution of the T-Hg(2+)-T-based MB allowed the fluorophore and the quencher to be widely separated. A similar phenomenon was observed when replacing Hg(2+) with Ag(+). Because Ag(+) strongly binds to iodide, cyanide, and cysteine, they were capable of removing Ag(+) from the C-Ag(+)-C-based MB, restoring the fluorescence of the MB. Moreover, the fluorescence of the A2-coralyne-A2-based MB could be switched on by adding polyadenosine. Using these analytes as inputs and the MB as a signal transducer, we successfully developed a series of two-input, three-input, and set-reset logic gates at the molecular level.

  12. Massively Parallel Nanostructure Assembly Strategies for Sensing and Information Technology. Phase 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-25

    Mirkin In order to remove the nanoparticle thin-film superlattices from the saline environment necessary to preserve Watson - Crick base-pairing and...polypyrroles and motor proteins. Functionalizing carbon nanotube bridged wires with biological receptors allowed fabrication of biosensors that could detect DNA ...the application of electrical stimuli. From an assembly perspective, we report on two major advances: (1) the utilization of DNA -mediated assembly to

  13. Biologically important conformational features of DNA as interpreted by quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics computations of its simple fragments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poltev, V; Anisimov, V M; Dominguez, V; Gonzalez, E; Deriabina, A; Garcia, D; Rivas, F; Polteva, N A

    2018-02-01

    Deciphering the mechanism of functioning of DNA as the carrier of genetic information requires identifying inherent factors determining its structure and function. Following this path, our previous DFT studies attributed the origin of unique conformational characteristics of right-handed Watson-Crick duplexes (WCDs) to the conformational profile of deoxydinucleoside monophosphates (dDMPs) serving as the minimal repeating units of DNA strand. According to those findings, the directionality of the sugar-phosphate chain and the characteristic ranges of dihedral angles of energy minima combined with the geometric differences between purines and pyrimidines determine the dependence on base sequence of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of WCDs. This work extends our computational study to complementary deoxydinucleotide-monophosphates (cdDMPs) of non-standard conformation, including those of Z-family, Hoogsteen duplexes, parallel-stranded structures, and duplexes with mispaired bases. For most of these systems, except Z-conformation, computations closely reproduce experimental data within the tolerance of characteristic limits of dihedral parameters for each conformation family. Computation of cdDMPs with Z-conformation reveals that their experimental structures do not correspond to the internal energy minimum. This finding establishes the leading role of external factors in formation of the Z-conformation. Energy minima of cdDMPs of non-Watson-Crick duplexes demonstrate different sequence-dependence features than those known for WCDs. The obtained results provide evidence that the biologically important regularities of 3D structure distinguish WCDs from duplexes having non-Watson-Crick nucleotide pairing.

  14. Superimposed Code Theorectic Analysis of DNA Codes and DNA Computing

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-01

    that the hybridization that occurs between a DNA strand and its Watson - Crick complement can be used to perform mathematical computation. This research...ssDNA single stranded DNA WC WatsonCrick A Adenine C Cytosine G Guanine T Thymine ... Watson - Crick (WC) duplex, e.g., TCGCA TCGCA . Note that non-WC duplexes can form and such a formation is called a cross-hybridization. Cross

  15. Modeling Thermal Inactivation of Bacillus Spores

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-03-01

    information is preserved and replicated by the Watson - Crick base pairing in which 4-3 complementary bases recognize each other. One incorrect amino acid can...hydrolysis reactions to take place with the spore’s DNA and other proteins. These chemical reactions degrade the DNA and proteins to such an extent that the... DNA cannot be repaired or replicated, thus causing spore death. We further assert that damage to a spore is based on a certain initial DNA information

  16. Hetero-oligonucleotide Nanoscale Tiles Capable of Two-Dimensional Lattice Formation as Testbeds for a Rapid, Affordable Purification Methodology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    devices; however, DNA is not the only polymer that can take advantage of the specicity of the WatsonCrick base-pair to achieve these goals. Central to...14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: New nanoscale hetero-oligonucleotide tiles are assembled from DNA , RNA and morpholino oligos and...purified using size exclusion filtration. Homo-oligonucleotide tiles assembled from RP-cartridge processed DNA oligos are purified by nondenaturing gel

  17. A survey of advancements in nucleic acid-based logic gates and computing for applications in biotechnology and biomedicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Cuichen; Wan, Shuo; Hou, Weijia; Zhang, Liqin; Xu, Jiehua; Cui, Cheng; Wang, Yanyue; Hu, Jun; Tan, Weihong

    2015-03-04

    Nucleic acid-based logic devices were first introduced in 1994. Since then, science has seen the emergence of new logic systems for mimicking mathematical functions, diagnosing disease and even imitating biological systems. The unique features of nucleic acids, such as facile and high-throughput synthesis, Watson-Crick complementary base pairing, and predictable structures, together with the aid of programming design, have led to the widespread applications of nucleic acids (NA) for logic gate and computing in biotechnology and biomedicine. In this feature article, the development of in vitro NA logic systems will be discussed, as well as the expansion of such systems using various input molecules for potential cellular, or even in vivo, applications.

  18. Stereospecificity of oligonucleotide interactions revisited: no evidence for heterochiral hybridization and ribozyme/DNAzyme activity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kai Hoehlig

    Full Text Available A major challenge for the application of RNA- or DNA-oligonucleotides in biotechnology and molecular medicine is their susceptibility to abundant nucleases. One intriguing possibility to tackle this problem is the use of mirror-image (l-oligonucleotides. For aptamers, this concept has successfully been applied to even develop therapeutic agents, so-called Spiegelmers. However, for technologies depending on RNA/RNA or RNA/DNA hybridization, like antisense or RNA interference, it has not been possible to use mirror-image oligonucleotides because Watson-Crick base pairing of complementary strands is (thought to be stereospecific. Many scientists consider this a general principle if not a dogma. A recent publication proposing heterochiral Watson-Crick base pairing and sequence-specific hydrolysis of natural RNA by mirror-image ribozymes or DNAzymes (and vice versa prompted us to systematically revisit the stereospecificity of oligonucleotides hybridization and catalytic activity. Using hyperchromicity measurements we demonstrate that hybridization only occurs among homochiral anti-parallel complementary oligonucleotide strands. As expected, achiral PNA hybridizes to RNA and DNA irrespective of their chirality. In functional assays we could not confirm an alleged heterochiral hydrolytic activity of ribozymes or DNAzymes. Our results confirm a strict stereospecificity of oligonucleotide hybridization and clearly argue against the possibility to use mirror-image oligonucleotides for gene silencing or antisense applications.

  19. Aviram–Ratner rectifying mechanism for DNA base-pair sequencing through graphene nanogaps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agapito, Luis A; Gayles, Jacob; Wolowiec, Christian; Kioussis, Nicholas

    2012-01-01

    We demonstrate that biological molecules such as Watson–Crick DNA base pairs can behave as biological Aviram–Ratner electrical rectifiers because of the spatial separation and weak hydrogen bonding between the nucleobases. We have performed a parallel computational implementation of the ab initio non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) theory to determine the electrical response of graphene—base-pair—graphene junctions. The results show an asymmetric (rectifying) current–voltage response for the cytosine–guanine base pair adsorbed on a graphene nanogap. In sharp contrast we find a symmetric response for the thymine–adenine case. We propose applying the asymmetry of the current–voltage response as a sensing criterion to the technological challenge of rapid DNA sequencing via graphene nanogaps. (paper)

  20. The physicochemical essence of the purine·pyrimidine transition mismatches with Watson-Crick geometry in DNA: A·C* versa A*·C. A QM and QTAIM atomistic understanding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovarets', Ol'ha O; Hovorun, Dmytro M

    2015-01-01

    It was established for the first time by DFT and MP2 quantum-mechanical (QM) methods either in vacuum, so in the continuum with a low dielectric constant (ε = 4), typical for hydrophobic interfaces of specific protein-nucleic acid interactions, that the repertoire for the tautomerisation of the biologically important adenine · cytosine* (A · C*) mismatched DNA base pair, formed by the amino tautomer of the A and the imino mutagenic tautomer of the C, into the A*·C base mispair (∆G = 2.72 kcal mol(-1) obtained at the MP2 level of QM theory in the continuum with ε = 4), formed by the imino mutagenic tautomer of the A and the amino tautomer of the C, proceeds via the asynchronous concerted double proton transfer along two antiparallel H-bonds through the transition state (TSA · C* ↔ A* · C). The limiting stage of the A · C* → A* · C tautomerisation is the final proton transfer along the intermolecular N6H · · · N4 H-bond. It was found that the A · C*/A* · C DNA base mispairs with Watson-Crick geometry are associated by the N6H · · · N4/N4H · · · N6, N3H · · · N1/N1H · · · N3 and C2H · · · O2 H-bonds, respectively, while the TSA · C*↔ A* · C is joined by the N6-H-N4 covalent bridge and the N1H · · · N3 and C2H · · · O2 H-bonds. It was revealed that the A · C* ↔ A* · C tautomerisation is assisted by the true C2H · · · O2 H-bond, that in contrast to the two others conventional H-bonds exists along the entire intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) range herewith becoming stronger at the transition from vacuum to the continuum with ε = 4. To better understand the behavior of the intermolecular H-bonds and base mispairs along the IRC of the A · C* ↔ A* · C tautomerisation, the profiles of their electron-topological, energetical, geometrical, polar and charge characteristics are reported in this study. It was established based on the profiles of the H-bond energies that all three H-bonds are cooperative, mutually

  1. An atlas of RNA base pairs involving modified nucleobases with optimal geometries and accurate energies

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit

    2015-06-27

    Posttranscriptional modifications greatly enhance the chemical information of RNA molecules, contributing to explain the diversity of their structures and functions. A significant fraction of RNA experimental structures available to date present modified nucleobases, with half of them being involved in H-bonding interactions with other bases, i.e. ‘modified base pairs’. Herein we present a systematic investigation of modified base pairs, in the context of experimental RNA structures. To this end, we first compiled an atlas of experimentally observed modified base pairs, for which we recorded occurrences and structural context. Then, for each base pair, we selected a representative for subsequent quantum mechanics calculations, to find out its optimal geometry and interaction energy. Our structural analyses show that most of the modified base pairs are non Watson–Crick like and are involved in RNA tertiary structure motifs. In addition, quantum mechanics calculations quantify and provide a rationale for the impact of the different modifications on the geometry and stability of the base pairs they participate in.

  2. An atlas of RNA base pairs involving modified nucleobases with optimal geometries and accurate energies

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit; Oliva, R.; Bujnicki, J. M.; Cavallo, Luigi

    2015-01-01

    Posttranscriptional modifications greatly enhance the chemical information of RNA molecules, contributing to explain the diversity of their structures and functions. A significant fraction of RNA experimental structures available to date present modified nucleobases, with half of them being involved in H-bonding interactions with other bases, i.e. ‘modified base pairs’. Herein we present a systematic investigation of modified base pairs, in the context of experimental RNA structures. To this end, we first compiled an atlas of experimentally observed modified base pairs, for which we recorded occurrences and structural context. Then, for each base pair, we selected a representative for subsequent quantum mechanics calculations, to find out its optimal geometry and interaction energy. Our structural analyses show that most of the modified base pairs are non Watson–Crick like and are involved in RNA tertiary structure motifs. In addition, quantum mechanics calculations quantify and provide a rationale for the impact of the different modifications on the geometry and stability of the base pairs they participate in.

  3. Engineering Improvements in a Bacterial Therapeutic Delivery System for Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-01

    combining the number of Watson - Crick base pairs (+1) with mismatches (-1). Hairpin secondary structures were screened by using the probe sequence to...Annual Report 5 Aim 2. Task 1. To identify DNA sequences that act as promoters in tumors but not in normal tissue (year 1). This step of the...promoters using Nimblegen arrays. Plasmid DNA was extracted from the original promoter library (Library-0), from a sub-library of clones activated in

  4. Interaction entre la proteine ribosomique L20 et l'ARN 23S : sondage direct par piege optique

    OpenAIRE

    Mangeol , Pierre

    2009-01-01

    This thesis is focused on force measurements applied to single RNA alone or associated with a protein. One of the biggest challenges arising when studying RNA comes from its structure, essentially because the interactions taking place are not reduced to the Watson-Crick base pairs and tertiary interactions are frequent. Force measurements give complementary information compared to classical bulk measurements, because they enable to probe directly the complex interactions in RNA and give an ac...

  5. Fidelity Mechanisms of DNA Polymerase Alpha

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-07-23

    between right and wrong dNTPs. With purine dNTPs, the enzyme uses a combination of positive and negative selectivity. The Watson - Crick hydrogen...dNTP as a dCTP analogue despite the lack of a Watson - Crick hydrogen bond. We specifically examined the role of O2 of a pyrimidine by synthesizing 4...cases the compounds could form 2 Watson - Crick hydrogen bonds. The lack of polymerization resulted from very weak binding of the dNTPs to pol α

  6. How stable are the mutagenic tautomers of DNA bases?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brovarets’ O. O.

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To determine the lifetime of the mutagenic tautomers of DNA base pairs through the investigation of the physicochemical mechanisms of their intramolecular proton transfer. Methods. Non-empirical quantum chemistry, the analysis of the electron density by means of Bader’s atom in molecules (AIM theory and physicochemical kinetics were used. Results. Physicochemical character of the transition state of the intramolecular tautomerisation of DNA bases was investigated, the lifetime of mutagenic tautomers was calculated. Conclusions. The lifetime of the DNA bases mutagenic tautomers by 3–10 orders exceeds typical time of DNA replication in the cell (~103 s. This fact confirms that the postulate, on which the Watson-Crick tautomeric hypothesis of spontaneous transitions grounds, is adequate. The absence of intramolecular H-bonds in the canonical and mutagenic tautomeric forms determine their high stability

  7. Hydration sites of unpaired RNA bases: a statistical analysis of the PDB structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carugo Oliviero

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hydration is crucial for RNA structure and function. X-ray crystallography is the most commonly used method to determine RNA structures and hydration and, therefore, statistical surveys are based on crystallographic results, the number of which is quickly increasing. Results A statistical analysis of the water molecule distribution in high-resolution X-ray structures of unpaired RNA nucleotides showed that: different bases have the same penchant to be surrounded by water molecules; clusters of water molecules indicate possible hydration sites, which, in some cases, match those of the major and minor grooves of RNA and DNA double helices; complex hydrogen bond networks characterize the solvation of the nucleotides, resulting in a significant rigidity of the base and its surrounding water molecules. Interestingly, the hydration sites around unpaired RNA bases do not match, in general, the positions that are occupied by the second nucleotide when the base-pair is formed. Conclusions The hydration sites around unpaired RNA bases were found. They do not replicate the atom positions of complementary bases in the Watson-Crick pairs.

  8. Selective DNA-Mediated Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles on Electroded Substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-06-01

    might use the Watson - Crick base-pairing of DNA as a means for ultrahigh-precision engineering is well- known.5,6 The idea is to use the highly specific...Selective DNA -Mediated Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles on Electroded Substrates K. E. Sapsford,†,‡,∇ D. Park,§ E. R. Goldman,‡ E. E. Foos,| S. A...electrodes via DNA hybridization. Protocols are demonstrated for maximizing selectivity and coverage using 15mers as the active binding agents. Detailed

  9. Noncanonical self-assembly of multifunctional DNA nanoflowers for biomedical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Guizhi; Hu, Rong; Zhao, Zilong; Chen, Zhuo; Zhang, Xiaobing; Tan, Weihong

    2013-11-06

    DNA nanotechnology has been extensively explored to assemble various functional nanostructures for versatile applications. Mediated by Watson-Crick base-pairing, these DNA nanostructures have been conventionally assembled through hybridization of many short DNA building blocks. Here we report the noncanonical self-assembly of multifunctional DNA nanostructures, termed as nanoflowers (NFs), and the versatile biomedical applications. These NFs were assembled from long DNA building blocks generated via rolling circle replication (RCR) of a designer template. NF assembly was driven by liquid crystallization and dense packaging of building blocks, without relying on Watson-Crick base-pairing between DNA strands, thereby avoiding the otherwise conventional complicated DNA sequence design. NF sizes were readily tunable in a wide range, by simply adjusting such parameters as assembly time and template sequences. NFs were exceptionally resistant to nuclease degradation, denaturation, or dissociation at extremely low concentration, presumably resulting from the dense DNA packaging in NFs. The exceptional biostability is critical for biomedical applications. By rational design, NFs can be readily incorporated with myriad functional moieties. All these properties make NFs promising for versatile applications. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, in this study, NFs were integrated with aptamers, bioimaging agents, and drug loading sites, and the resultant multifunctional NFs were demonstrated for selective cancer cell recognition, bioimaging, and targeted anticancer drug delivery.

  10. Assembling RNA Nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Shou-Jun

    2017-01-01

    RNA nanoparticles are designed and self-assembled according to noncanonical interactions of naturally conserved RNA motifs and/or canonical Watson-Crick base-pairing interactions, which have potential applications in gene therapy and nanomedicine. These artificially engineered nanoparticles are mainly synthesized from in vitro transcribed RNAs, purified by denaturing and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and characterized with native PAGE, AFM, and TEM technologies. The protocols of in vitro transcription, denaturing and native PAGE, and RNA nanoparticle self-assembly are described in detail.

  11. Development of mercury (II) ion biosensors based on mercury-specific oligonucleotide probes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lanying; Wen, Yanli; Xu, Li; Xu, Qin; Song, Shiping; Zuo, Xiaolei; Yan, Juan; Zhang, Weijia; Liu, Gang

    2016-01-15

    Mercury (II) ion (Hg(2+)) contamination can be accumulated along the food chain and cause serious threat to the public health. Plenty of research effort thus has been devoted to the development of fast, sensitive and selective biosensors for monitoring Hg(2+). Thymine was demonstrated to specifically combine with Hg(2+) and form a thymine-Hg(2+)-thymine (T-Hg(2+)-T) structure, with binding constant even higher than T-A Watson-Crick pair in DNA duplex. Recently, various novel Hg(2+) biosensors have been developed based on T-rich Mercury-Specific Oligonucleotide (MSO) probes, and exhibited advanced selectivity and excellent sensitivity for Hg(2+) detection. In this review, we explained recent development of MSO-based Hg(2+) biosensors mainly in 3 groups: fluorescent biosensors, colorimetric biosensors and electrochemical biosensors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Effect of the sulphur atom on geometry and spectra of the biomolecule 2-thiouracil and in the WC base pair 2-thiouridine-adenosine. Influence of water in the first hydration shell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcolea Palafox, M; Rastogi, V K; Singh, S P

    2018-04-01

    The effect of the sulphur atom on 2-thiouracil (2TU) and 2-thiouridine molecules, as compared with uracil and uridine molecules, respectively, was carried out in several environments. The predicted IR spectrum of 2TU in the isolated state was compared with that obtained for uracil molecule and with those reported experimentally in matrix isolation. Its crystal unit cell in the solid state was simulated through a tetramer form using DFT methods for the first time. The calculated Raman spectrum was compared to the experimental ones in the solid state. A linear scaling procedure was used for this task. The first hydration shell was simulated by explicit number of water molecules surrounding 2TU up to 30 and was compared with that obtained in uracil molecule. Water molecules 'distributed' around 2TU was preferred over that 'clustering', because it can better reproduce the hydration and their effects on different parameters of the molecular structure of 2TU and uracil. The total atomic charges and several calculated thermodynamic parameters were discussed. The effect of the sulphur atom on the Watson-Crick (WC) and reverse WC base pair uridine-adenosine was estimated, and the CP corrected interaction energies were calculated. 2-thiouridine has a weaker WC pair than that with uridine, although its slight higher dipole moment (μ) facilitates the interaction with the water molecules. Several helical parameters were determined.

  13. Theoretical Characterization of Sulfur-to-Selenium Substitution in an Emissive RNA Alphabet: Impact on H-bonding Potential and Photophysical Properties

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit

    2018-02-23

    We employ density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations to investigate the structural, energetic and optical properties of a new computationally designed RNA alphabet, where the nucleobases,tsA, tsG, tsC, and tsU (ts-bases), have been derived by replacing sulfur with selenium in the previously reported tz-bases, based on the isothiazolo[4.3-d]pyrimidine heterocycle core. We find out that the modeled non-natural bases have minimal impact on the geometry and energetics of the classical Watson-Crick base pairs, thus potentially mimicking the natural bases in a RNA duplex in terms of H-bonding. In contrast, our calculations indicate that H-bonded base pairs involving the Hoogsteen edge of purines are destabilized as compared to their natural counterparts. We also focus on the photophysical properties of the non-natural bases and correlate their absorption/emission peaks to the strong impact of the modification on the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. It is indeed stabilized by roughly 1.1-1.6 eV as compared to the natural analogues, resulting in a reduction of the gap between the highest occupied and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital from 5.3-5.5 eV in the natural bases to 3.9-4.2 eV in the modified ones, with a consequent bathochromic shift in the absorption and emission spectra. Overall, our analysis clearly indicates that the newly modelled ts-bases are expected to exhibit better fluorescent properties as compared to the previously reported tz-bases, while retaining similar H-bonding properties. In addition, we show that a new RNA alphabet based on size-extended benzo-homologated ts-bases can also form stable Watson-Crick base pairs with the natural complementary nucleobases.

  14. Genetics by the Numbers

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... t understand how. All that changed when James Watson and Francis Crick showed that DNA is shaped like a spiral staircase that can ... split, copied and passed on to future generations. Watson and Crick received a Nobel Prize in 1962 for ... National DNA Day This Inside Life Science article also appears ...

  15. Detection of DNA damage based on metal-mediated molecular beacon and DNA strands displacement reaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Yanxiang; Wei, Min; Wei, Wei; Yin, Lihong; Pu, Yuepu; Liu, Songqin

    2014-01-01

    DNA hairpin structure probes are usually designed by forming intra-molecular duplex based on Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds. In this paper, a molecular beacon based on silver ions-mediated cytosine-Ag+-cytosine base pairs was used to detect DNA. The inherent characteristic of the metal ligation facilitated the design of functional probe and the adjustment of its binding strength compared to traditional DNA hairpin structure probes, which make it be used to detect DNA in a simple, rapid and easy way with the help of DNA strands displacement reaction. The method was sensitive and also possesses the good specificity to differentiate the single base mismatched DNA from the complementary DNA. It was also successfully applied to study the damage effect of classic genotoxicity chemicals such as styrene oxide and sodium arsenite on DNA, which was significant in food science, environmental science and pharmaceutical science.

  16. Detection of mutations in genes by specific LNA primers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2001-01-01

    acid (LNA). LNA oligomers obey the Watson-Crick base-pairing rules and form duplexes that are significantly more stable than similar duplexes formed by DNA. The "allele-specific" LNA-containing oligonucleotides wherein the LNA nucleotide(s) are found at the 3' position can be extended by means......The present invention relates to a method of detecting variant nucleic acid whose nucleotide sequence differs from one another at a single (or more) position(s). The method uses a set of chimeric oligonucleotides containing DNA monomers and monomers of a novel class of DNA analogues, locked nucleic...

  17. G-Quadruplexes in DNA Replication: A Problem or a Necessity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valton, Anne-Laure; Prioleau, Marie-Noëlle

    2016-11-01

    DNA replication is a highly regulated process that ensures the correct duplication of the genome at each cell cycle. A precise cell type-specific temporal program controls the duplication of complex vertebrate genomes in an orderly manner. This program is based on the regulation of both replication origin firing and replication fork progression. G-quadruplexes (G4s), DNA secondary structures displaying noncanonical Watson-Crick base pairing, have recently emerged as key controllers of genome duplication. Here we discuss the various means by which G4s affect this fundamental cellular process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Silver ions-mediated conformational switch: facile design of structure-controllable nucleic acid probes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yongxiang; Li, Jishan; Wang, Hao; Jin, Jianyu; Liu, Jinhua; Wang, Kemin; Tan, Weihong; Yang, Ronghua

    2010-08-01

    Conformationally constraint nucleic acid probes were usually designed by forming an intramolecular duplex based on Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds. The disadvantages of these approaches are the inflexibility and instability in complex environment of the Watson-Crick-based duplex. We report that this hydrogen bonding pattern can be replaced by metal-ligation between specific metal ions and the natural bases. To demonstrate the feasibility of this principle, two linear oligonucleotides and silver ions were examined as models for DNA hybridization assay and adenosine triphosphate detection. The both nucleic acids contain target binding sequences in the middle and cytosine (C)-rich sequences at the lateral portions. The strong interaction between Ag(+) ions and cytosines forms stable C-Ag(+)-C structures, which promises the oligonucleotides to form conformationally constraint formations. In the presence of its target, interaction between the loop sequences and the target unfolds the C-Ag(+)-C structures, and the corresponding probes unfolding can be detected by a change in their fluorescence emission. We discuss the thermodynamic and kinetic opportunities that are provided by using Ag(+) ion complexes instead of traditional Watson-Crick-based duplex. In particular, the intrinsic feature of the metal-ligation motif facilitates the design of functional nucleic acids probes by independently varying the concentration of Ag(+) ions in the medium.

  19. DNA Based Electrochromic and Photovoltaic Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    using deoxyribonucleic acid complex as an electron blocking layer App. Phys. Lett. 88 (2006) 171109. 23. F.H.C. Crick , J.D. Watson . The complementary...9550-09-1-0647 final 01-09-2009 ; 30-11-2011 DNA Based Electrochromic and Photovoltaic Cells FA 9550-09-1-0647 Pawlicka, Agnieszka, J. Instituto de...Available. DNA is an abundant natural product with very good biodegradation properties and can be used to obtain gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) with high

  20. Use of Nucleic Acid Analogs for the Study of Nucleic Acid Interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shu-ichi Nakano

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Unnatural nucleosides have been explored to expand the properties and the applications of oligonucleotides. This paper briefly summarizes nucleic acid analogs in which the base is modified or replaced by an unnatural stacking group for the study of nucleic acid interactions. We also describe the nucleoside analogs of a base pair-mimic structure that we have examined. Although the base pair-mimic nucleosides possess a simplified stacking moiety of a phenyl or naphthyl group, they can be used as a structural analog of Watson-Crick base pairs. Remarkably, they can adopt two different conformations responding to their interaction energies, and one of them is the stacking conformation of the nonpolar aromatic group causing the site-selective flipping of the opposite base in a DNA double helix. The base pair-mimic nucleosides can be used to study the mechanism responsible for the base stacking and the flipping of bases out of a nucleic acid duplex.

  1. Design of Tail-Clamp Peptide Nucleic Acid Tethered with Azobenzene Linker for Sequence-Specific Detection of Homopurine DNA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shinjiro Sawada

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available DNA carries genetic information in its sequence of bases. Synthetic oligonucleotides that can sequence-specifically recognize a target gene sequence are a useful tool for regulating gene expression or detecting target genes. Among the many synthetic oligonucleotides, tail-clamp peptide nucleic acid (TC-PNA offers advantages since it has two homopyrimidine PNA strands connected via a flexible ethylene glycol-type linker that can recognize complementary homopurine sequences via Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pairings and form thermally-stable PNA/PNA/DNA triplex structures. Here, we synthesized a series of TC-PNAs that can possess different lengths of azobenzene-containing linkers and studied their binding behaviours to homopurine single-stranded DNA. Introduction of azobenzene at the N-terminus amine of PNA increased the thermal stability of PNA-DNA duplexes. Further extension of the homopyrimidine PNA strand at the N-terminus of PNA-AZO further increased the binding stability of the PNA/DNA/PNA triplex to the target homopurine sequence; however, it induced TC-PNA/DNA/TC-PNA complex formation. Among these TC-PNAs, 9W5H-C4-AZO consisting of nine Watson-Crick bases and five Hoogsteen bases tethered with a beta-alanine conjugated azobenzene linker gave a stable 1:1 TC-PNA/ssDNA complex and exhibited good mismatch recognition. Our design for TC-PNA-AZO can be utilized for detecting homopurine sequences in various genes.

  2. The 5S rRNA loop E: chemical probing and phylogenetic data versus crystal structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leontis, N B; Westhof, E

    1998-09-01

    A significant fraction of the bases in a folded, structured RNA molecule participate in noncanonical base pairing interactions, often in the context of internal loops or multi-helix junction loops. The appearance of each new high-resolution RNA structure provides welcome data to guide efforts to understand and predict RNA 3D structure, especially when the RNA in question is a functionally conserved molecule. The recent publication of the crystal structure of the "Loop E" region of bacterial 5S ribosomal RNA is such an event [Correll CC, Freeborn B, Moore PB, Steitz TA, 1997, Cell 91:705-712]. In addition to providing more examples of already established noncanonical base pairs, such as purine-purine sheared pairings, trans-Hoogsteen UA, and GU wobble pairs, the structure provides the first high-resolution views of two new purine-purine pairings and a new GU pairing. The goal of the present analysis is to expand the capabilities of both chemical probing and phylogenetic analysis to predict with greater accuracy the structures of RNA molecules. First, in light of existing chemical probing data, we investigate what lessons could be learned regarding the interpretation of this widely used method of RNA structure probing. Then we analyze the 3D structure with reference to molecular phylogeny data (assuming conservation of function) to discover what alternative base pairings are geometrically compatible with the structure. The comparisons between previous modeling efforts and crystal structures show that the intricate involvements of ions and water molecules in the maintenance of non-Watson-Crick pairs render the process of correctly identifying the interacting sites in such pairs treacherous, except in cases of trans-Hoogsteen A/U or sheared A/G pairs for the adenine N1 site. The phylogenetic analysis identifies A/A, A/C, A/U and C/A, C/C, and C/U pairings isosteric with sheared A/G, as well as A/A and A/C pairings isosteric with both G/U and G/G bifurcated pairings

  3. Test Review: Watson, G., & Glaser, E. M. (2010), "Watson-Glaser™ II Critical Thinking Appraisal." Washington State University, Pullman, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sternod, Latisha; French, Brian

    2016-01-01

    The Watson-Glaser™ II Critical Thinking Appraisal (Watson-Glaser II; Watson & Glaser, 2010) is a revised version of the "Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal®" (Watson & Glaser, 1994). The Watson-Glaser II introduces a simplified model of critical thinking, consisting of three subdimensions: recognize assumptions, evaluate…

  4. Triple-helix molecular switch-based aptasensors and DNA sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagheri, Elnaz; Abnous, Khalil; Alibolandi, Mona; Ramezani, Mohammad; Taghdisi, Seyed Mohammad

    2018-07-15

    Utilization of traditional analytical techniques is limited because they are generally time-consuming and require high consumption of reagents, complicated sample preparation and expensive equipment. Therefore, it is of great interest to achieve sensitive, rapid and simple detection methods. It is believed that nucleic acids assays, especially aptamers, are very important in modern life sciences for target detection and biological analysis. Aptamers and DNA-based sensors have been widely used for the design of various sensors owing to their unique features. In recent years, triple-helix molecular switch (THMS)-based aptasensors and DNA sensors have been broadly utilized for the detection and analysis of different targets. The THMS relies on the formation of DNA triplex via Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pairings under optimal conditions. This review focuses on recent progresses in the development and applications of electrochemical, colorimetric, fluorescence and SERS aptasensors and DNA sensors, which are based on THMS. Also, the advantages and drawbacks of these methods are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Data Discovery with IBM Watson

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fessler, J.

    2016-12-01

    BM Watson is a cognitive computing system that uses machine learning, statistical analysis, and natural language processing to find and understand the clues in questions posed to it. Watson was made famous when it bested two champions on TV's Jeopardy! show. Since then, Watson has evolved into a platform of cognitive services that can be trained on very granular fields up study. Watson is being used to support a number of subject domains, such as cancer research, public safety, engineering, and the intelligence community. IBM will be providing a presentation and demonstration on the Watson technology and will discuss its capabilities including Natural Language Processing, text analytics and enterprise search, as well as cognitive computing with deep Q&A. The team will also be giving examples of how IBM Watson technology is being used to support real-world problems across a number of public sector agencies

  6. Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions Associated with DNA Replication

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    polymerases) catalyzing the growth of a DNA primer strand (the nascent chain of nucleotides complementary to the template strand) based on the Watson ...the fraction (error rate) of monomers for which y, where y is the correct Watson - Crick complementary base of , can be obtained by ¼ X...Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions Associated with DNA Replication Hyung-June Woo* and Anders Wallqvist Biotechnology High Performance Computing

  7. Improving the Army’s Next Effort in Technology Forecasting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-01

    DC: Center for Technology and National Security Policy, National Defense University, August 2005). 6 James D. Watson and Francis Crick , “A...occurred within the life sciences disciplines. Most notably this occurred early on in 1953 via the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure by Watson and... Crick .6 A confluence of organic chemistry, physics, genomics, and information technology further provided the ability to amplify and replicate the

  8. Base-pairing preferences, physicochemical properties and mutational behaviour of the DNA lesion 8-nitroguanine†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhamra, Inder; Compagnone-Post, Patricia; O’Neil, Ian A.; Iwanejko, Lesley A.; Bates, Andrew D.; Cosstick, Richard

    2012-01-01

    8-Nitro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-nitrodG) is a relatively unstable, mutagenic lesion of DNA that is increasingly believed to be associated with tissue inflammation. Due to the lability of the glycosidic bond, 8-nitrodG cannot be incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) by chemical DNA synthesis and thus very little is known about its physicochemical properties and base-pairing preferences. Here we describe the synthesis of 8-nitro-2′-O-methylguanosine, a ribonucleoside analogue of this lesion, which is sufficiently stable to be incorporated into ODNs. Physicochemical studies demonstrated that 8-nitro-2′-O-methylguanosine adopts a syn conformation about the glycosidic bond; thermal melting studies and molecular modelling suggest a relatively stable syn-8-nitroG·anti-G base pair. Interestingly, when this lesion analogue was placed in a primer-template system, extension of the primer by either avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase (AMV-RT) or human DNA polymerase β (pol β), was significantly impaired, but where incorporation opposite 8-nitroguanine did occur, pol β showed a 2:1 preference to insert dA over dC, while AMV-RT incorporated predominantly dC. The fact that no 8-nitroG·G base pairing is seen in the primer extension products suggests that the polymerases may discriminate against this pairing system on the basis of its poor geometric match to a Watson–Crick pair. PMID:22965127

  9. Synthesis and binding properties of new selective ligands for the nucleobase opposite the AP site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Yukiko; Nakagawa, Osamu; Yamaguchi, Rie; Sasaki, Shigeki

    2012-06-01

    DNA is continuously damaged by endogenous and exogenous factors such as oxidative stress or DNA alkylating agents. These damaged nucleobases are removed by DNA N-glycosylase and form apurinic/apyrimidinic sites (AP sites) as intermediates in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. AP sites are also representative DNA damages formed by spontaneous hydrolysis. The AP sites block DNA polymerase and a mismatch nucleobase is inserted opposite the AP sites by polymerization to cause acute toxicities and mutations. Thus, AP site specific compounds have attracted much attention for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In this study, we have developed nucleobase-polyamine conjugates as the AP site binding ligand by expecting that the nucleobase part would play a role in the specific recognition of the nucleobase opposite the AP site by the Watson-Crick base pair formation and that the polyamine part should contribute to the access of the ligand to the AP site by a non-specific interaction to the DNA phosphate backbone. The nucleobase conjugated with 3,3'-diaminodipropylamine (A-ligand, G-ligand, C-ligand, T-ligand and U-ligand) showed a specific stabilization of the duplex containing the AP site depending on the complementary combination with the nucleobase opposite the AP site; that is A-ligand to T, G-ligand to C, C-ligand to G, T- and U-ligand to A. The thermodynamic binding parameters clearly indicated that the specific stabilization is due to specific binding of the ligands to the complementary AP site. These results have suggested that the complementary base pairs of the Watson-Crick type are formed at the AP site. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. 1H-1H correlations across N-H···N hydrogen bonds in nucleic acids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majumdar, Ananya; Gosser, Yuying; Patel, Dinshaw J.

    2001-01-01

    In 2H J NN -COSY experiments, which correlate protons with donor/acceptor nitrogens across N d ···HN a bonds, the receptor nitrogen needs to be assigned in order to unambiguously identify the hydrogen bond. For many situations this is a non-trivial task which is further complicated by poor dispersion of (N a ,N d ) resonances. To address these problems, we present pulse sequences to obtain direct, internucleotide correlations between protons in uniformly 13 C/ 15 N labeled nucleic acids containing N d ···HN a hydrogen bonds. Specifically, the pulse sequence H2(N1N3)H3 correlates H2(A,ω 1 ):H3(U,ω 2 ) protons across Watson-Crick A-U and mismatched G·A base pairs, the sequences H5(N3N1)H1/H6(N3N1)H1 correlate H5(C,ω 1 )/H6(C,ω 1 ):H1(G,ω 2 ) protons across Watson-Crick G-C base pairs, and the H 2 (N2N7)H8 sequence correlates NH 2 (G,A,C;ω 1 ):H8(G,A;ω 2 ) protons across G·G, A·A, sheared G·A and other mismatch pairs. These 1 H- 1 H connectivities circumvent the need for independent assignment of the donor/acceptor nitrogen and related degeneracy issues associated with poorly dispersed nitrogen resonances. The methodology is demonstrated on uniformly 13 C/ 15 N labeled samples of (a) an RNA regulatory element involving the HIV-1 TAR RNA fragment, (b) a multi-stranded DNA architecture involving a G·(C-A) triad-containing G-quadruplex and (c) a peptide-RNA complex involving an evolved peptide bound to the HIV-1 Rev response element (RRE) RNA fragment

  11. Distributional Watson transforms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijksma, A.; Snoo, H.S.V. de

    1974-01-01

    For all Watson transforms W in L2(R+) a triple of Hilbert space LG ⊂ L2(R+) ⊂ L'G is constructed such that W may be extended to L'G. These results allow the construction of a triple L ⊂ L2(R+) ⊂ L', where L is a Gelfand-Fréchet space. This leads to a theory of distributional Watson transforms.

  12. Structural and energetic characterization of the emissive RNA alphabet based on the isothiazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine heterocycle core

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit

    2016-06-01

    We present theoretical characterization of fluorescent non-natural nucleobases, tzA, tzG, tzC, and tzU, derived from the isothiazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine heterocycle. Consistent with the experimental evidence, our calculations show that the non-natural bases have minimal impact on the geometry and stability of the classical Watson-Crick base pairs, allowing them to accurately mimic natural bases in a RNA duplex, in terms of H-bonding. In contrast, our calculations indicate that H-bonded base pairs involving the Hoogsteen edge are destabilized relative to their natural counterparts. Analysis of the photophysical properties of the non-natural bases allowed us to correlate their absorption/emission peaks to the strong impact of the modification on the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, LUMO, which is stabilized by roughly 1.0-1.2 eV relative to the natural analogues, while the highest occupied molecular orbital, HOMO, is not substantially affected. As a result, the HOMO-LUMO gap is reduced from 5.3-5.5 eV in the natural bases to 4.0-4.4 eV in the modified ones, with a consequent bathochromic shift in the absorption and emission spectra. © 2016 the Owner Societies.

  13. Structural and energetic characterization of the emissive RNA alphabet based on the isothiazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine heterocycle core

    KAUST Repository

    Chawla, Mohit; Poater, Albert; Oliva, Romina; Cavallo, Luigi

    2016-01-01

    We present theoretical characterization of fluorescent non-natural nucleobases, tzA, tzG, tzC, and tzU, derived from the isothiazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine heterocycle. Consistent with the experimental evidence, our calculations show that the non-natural bases have minimal impact on the geometry and stability of the classical Watson-Crick base pairs, allowing them to accurately mimic natural bases in a RNA duplex, in terms of H-bonding. In contrast, our calculations indicate that H-bonded base pairs involving the Hoogsteen edge are destabilized relative to their natural counterparts. Analysis of the photophysical properties of the non-natural bases allowed us to correlate their absorption/emission peaks to the strong impact of the modification on the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, LUMO, which is stabilized by roughly 1.0-1.2 eV relative to the natural analogues, while the highest occupied molecular orbital, HOMO, is not substantially affected. As a result, the HOMO-LUMO gap is reduced from 5.3-5.5 eV in the natural bases to 4.0-4.4 eV in the modified ones, with a consequent bathochromic shift in the absorption and emission spectra. © 2016 the Owner Societies.

  14. The discovery of the structure of DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Squires, G. L.

    2003-04-01

    On 25 April 1953, Nature published a letter by Francis Crick and James Watson, at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, proposing a structure for DNA. This letter marked the beginning of a revolution in biology. Besides Crick and Watson, two other scientists, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, played key roles in the discovery. After sketching the early careers of the four scientists, the present article gives an account of the physics and chemistry involved in the discovery, and the events leading up to it.

  15. Energy loss function for biological material: poly(CSP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fung, A.Y.C.; Zaider, M.

    1994-01-01

    In this paper calculated cross sections are presented for the interaction of electrons with poly(CSP), a single-stranded chain that contains one cytosine sugar phosphate unit in the elementary cell. To model a single strand of helical DNA (e.g. the base stacking), the Watson-Crick model for the geometry of poly(CSP) has been used. The use, for computational simplicity, of a single, rather than a double stranded polynucleotide may be justified on the basis of previous calculations indicating that -to a good approximation - the electronic structure (other than excitation states) of complementary base pairs may be described as a superposition of the corresponding structures of the individual components. (Author)

  16. Human telomeric DNA: G-quadruplex, i-motif and Watson–Crick double helix

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phan, Anh Tuân; Mergny, Jean-Louis

    2002-01-01

    Human telomeric DNA composed of (TTAGGG/CCCTAA)n repeats may form a classical Watson–Crick double helix. Each individual strand is also prone to quadruplex formation: the G-rich strand may adopt a G-quadruplex conformation involving G-quartets whereas the C-rich strand may fold into an i-motif based on intercalated C·C+ base pairs. Using an equimolar mixture of the telomeric oligonucleotides d[AGGG(TTAGGG)3] and d[(CCCTAA)3CCCT], we defined which structures existed and which would be the predominant species under a variety of experimental conditions. Under near-physiological conditions of pH, temperature and salt concentration, telomeric DNA was predominantly in a double-helix form. However, at lower pH values or higher temperatures, the G-quadruplex and/or the i-motif efficiently competed with the duplex. We also present kinetic and thermodynamic data for duplex association and for G-quadruplex/i-motif unfolding. PMID:12409451

  17. Superimposed Code Theoretic Analysis of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Codes and DNA Computing

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    DNA strand and its Watson - Crick complement can be used to perform mathematical computation. This research addresses how the...Acid dsDNA double stranded DNA MOSAIC Mobile Stream Processing Cluster PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction RAM Random Access Memory ssDNA single stranded DNA WC WatsonCrick A Adenine C Cytosine G Guanine T Thymine ...are 5′→3′ and strands with strikethrough are 3′→5′. A dsDNA duplex formed between a strand and its reverse complement is called a

  18. Thermodynamic basis for engineering high-affinity, high-specificity binding-induced DNA clamp nanoswitches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Idili, Andrea; Plaxco, Kevin W; Vallée-Bélisle, Alexis; Ricci, Francesco

    2013-12-23

    Naturally occurring chemoreceptors almost invariably employ structure-switching mechanisms, an observation that has inspired the use of biomolecular switches in a wide range of artificial technologies in the areas of diagnostics, imaging, and synthetic biology. In one mechanism for generating such behavior, clamp-based switching, binding occurs via the clamplike embrace of two recognition elements onto a single target molecule. In addition to coupling recognition with a large conformational change, this mechanism offers a second advantage: it improves both affinity and specificity simultaneously. To explore the physics of such switches we have dissected here the thermodynamics of a clamp-switch that recognizes a target DNA sequence through both Watson-Crick base pairing and triplex-forming Hoogsteen interactions. When compared to the equivalent linear DNA probe (which relies solely on Watson-Crick interactions), the extra Hoogsteen interactions in the DNA clamp-switch increase the probe's affinity for its target by ∼0.29 ± 0.02 kcal/mol/base. The Hoogsteen interactions of the clamp-switch likewise provide an additional specificity check that increases the discrimination efficiency toward a single-base mismatch by 1.2 ± 0.2 kcal/mol. This, in turn, leads to a 10-fold improvement in the width of the "specificity window" of this probe relative to that of the equivalent linear probe. Given these attributes, clamp-switches should be of utility not only for sensing applications but also, in the specific field of DNA nanotechnology, for applications calling for a better control over the building of nanostructures and nanomachines.

  19. 1H and 31P resonance assignments and secondary structure of hairpin conformer of IA mismatched oligonucleotide d-GGTACIAGTACC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chary, K.V.R.; Rastogi, V.K.; Govil, Girjesh

    1994-01-01

    Almost complete 1 H and 31 P resonance assignments of two coexisting conformers, duplex and an hairpin, of d-GGTACIAGTACC at 1.25mM concentration and 305 K have been achieved. The results demonstrate that the hairpin conformer has a structure with two purines I6 and A7 forming a two-base loop on a B-DNA stem. Stacking is continued on the 5'-side of the loop, with the I6 stacked upon C5. The base A7, on the 3'-side of the loop stacks partially with I6. The glycosidic angle for G8 is in the anti domain and it maintains normal Watson-Crick base-pairing with the opposite C5. (author). 28 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs

  20. Silver-mediated base pairings: towards dynamic DNA nanostructures with enhanced chemical and thermal stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swasey, Steven M; Gwinn, Elisabeth G

    2016-01-01

    The thermal and chemical fragility of DNA nanomaterials assembled by Watson–Crick (WC) pairing constrain the settings in which these materials can be used and how they can be functionalized. Here we investigate use of the silver cation, Ag + , as an agent for more robust, metal-mediated self-assembly, focusing on the simplest duplex building blocks that would be required for more elaborate Ag + –DNA nanostructures. Our studies of Ag + -induced assembly of non-complementary DNA oligomers employ strands of 2–24 bases, with varied base compositions, and use electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to determine product compositions. High yields of duplex products containing narrowly distributed numbers of Ag + can be achieved by optimizing solution conditions. These Ag + -mediated duplexes are stable to at least 60 mM Mg 2+ , higher than is necessary for WC nanotechnology schemes such as tile assemblies and DNA origami, indicating that sequential stages of Ag + -mediated and WC-mediated assembly may be feasible. Circular dichroism spectroscopy suggests simple helical structures for Ag + -mediated duplexes with lengths to at least 20 base pairs, and further indicates that the structure of cytosine-rich duplexes is preserved at high urea concentrations. We therefore propose an approach towards dynamic DNA nanomaterials with enhanced thermal and chemical stability through designs that combine sturdy silver-mediated ‘frames’ with WC paired ‘pictures’. (paper)

  1. High-resolution NMR studies of chimeric DNA-RNA-DNA duplexes, heteronomous base pairing, and continuous base stacking at junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chou, Shanho; Flynn, P.; Wang, A.; Reid, B.

    1991-01-01

    Two symmetrical DNA-RNA-DNA duplex chimeras, d(CGCG)r(AAUU)d(CGCG) (designated rAAUU) and d(CGCG)r(UAUA)d(CGCG) (designated rUAUA), and a nonsymmetrical chimeric duplex, d(CGTT)r(AUAA)d(TGCG)/d(CGCA)r(UUAU)d(AACG) (designated rAUAA), as well as their pure DNA analogues, containing dU instead of T, have been synthesized by solid-phase phosphoramidite methods and studied by high-resolution NMR techniques. The 1D imino proton NOE spectra of these d-r-d chimeras indicate normal Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding and base stacking at the junction region. Preliminary qualitative NOESY, COSY, and chemical shift data suggest that the internal RNA segment contains C3'-endo (A-type) sugar conformations except for the first RNA residues (position 5 and 17) following the 3' end of the DNA block, which, unlike the other six ribonucleotides, exhibit detectable H1'-H2' J coupling. The nucleosides of the two flanking DNA segments appear to adopt a fairly normal C2'-endo B-DNA conformation except at the junction with the RNA blocks (residues 4 and 16), where the last DNA residue appears to adopt an intermediate sugar conformation. The data indicate that A-type and B-type conformations can coexist in a single short continuous nucleic acid duplex, but these results differ somewhat from previous theoretical model studies

  2. Synthesis and AFM visualization of DNA nanostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizuno, Rika; Haruta, Hirotaka; Morii, Takashi; Okada, Takao; Asakawa, Takeshi; Hayashi, Kenshi

    2004-01-01

    We propose a novel bottom-up approach for the fabrication of various desired nanostructures, based on self-assembly of oligonucleotides governed by Watson-Crick base pairing. Using this approach, we designed Y-shaped, closed Y-shaped, H-shaped, and hexagonal structures with oligonucleotides. These structures were autonomously fabricated simply by mixing equimolar solutions of oligonucleotides and performing hybridization. After synthesis of the nanostructures, we confirmed their validity by agarose gel electrophoresis and atomic force microscope (AFM) visualization. We detected bands of the desired molecular sizes in the gel electrophoresis and observed the desired structures by AFM analysis. We concluded that the synthesized structures were consistent with our intended design and that AFM visualization is a very useful tool for the observation of nanostructures

  3. (Mis)understanding Science: The Problem with Scientific Breakthroughs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, James P

    2016-09-01

    On Saturday morning, February 28, 1953, the mystery of heredity appeared secure. Humans hadn't the faintest idea of how genetic information was transmitted-how the uncanny resemblance between mother and daughter, grandfather and grandson was conveyed across generations. Yet, by that Saturday afternoon, two individuals, James Watson and Francis Crick, had glimpsed the solution to these mysteries. The story of Watson and Crick's great triumph has been told and retold and has rightly entered the pantheon of scientific legend. But Watson and Crick's breakthrough was just that: a rupture and dramatic discontinuity in human knowledge that solved a deep mystery, the likes of which occurs, perhaps, a couple of times each century. And that's the problem. The story is just so good and so irresistible that it has misled generations of scientists about what to expect regarding a life in science. And more damaging, the resulting breakthrough mentality misleads the public, the media, and society's decision-makers about how science really works, all to the detriment of scientific progress and our society's well-being. © 2016 The Hastings Center.

  4. After the double helix: Rosalind Franklin's research on Tobacco mosaic virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creager, Angela N H; Morgan, Gregory J

    2008-06-01

    Rosalind Franklin is best known for her informative X-ray diffraction patterns of DNA that provided vital clues for James Watson and Francis Crick's double-stranded helical model. Her scientific career did not end when she left the DNA work at King's College, however. In 1953 Franklin moved to J. D. Bernal's crystallography laboratory at Birkbeck College, where she shifted her focus to the three-dimensional structure of viruses, obtaining diffraction patterns of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) of unprecedented detail and clarity. During the next five years, while making significant headway on the structural determination of TMV, Franklin maintained an active correspondence with both Watson and Crick, who were also studying aspects of virus structure. Developments in TMV research during the 1950s illustrate the connections in the emerging field of molecular biology between structural studies of nucleic acids and of proteins and viruses. They also reveal how the protagonists of the "race for the double helix" continued to interact personally and professionally during the years when Watson and Crick's model for the double-helical structure of DNA was debated and confirmed.

  5. Making IBM's Computer, Watson, Human

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rachlin, Howard

    2012-01-01

    This essay uses the recent victory of an IBM computer (Watson) in the TV game, "Jeopardy," to speculate on the abilities Watson would need, in addition to those it has, to be human. The essay's basic premise is that to be human is to behave as humans behave and to function in society as humans function. Alternatives to this premise are considered…

  6. A device that operates within a self-assembled 3D DNA crystal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Yudong; Kristiansen, Martin; Sha, Ruojie; Birktoft, Jens J.; Hernandez, Carina; Mao, Chengde; Seeman, Nadrian C.

    2017-08-01

    Structural DNA nanotechnology finds applications in numerous areas, but the construction of objects, 2D and 3D crystalline lattices and devices is prominent among them. Each of these components has been developed individually, and most of them have been combined in pairs. However, to date there are no reports of independent devices contained within 3D crystals. Here we report a three-state 3D device whereby we change the colour of the crystals by diffusing strands that contain dyes in or out of the crystals through the mother-liquor component of the system. Each colouring strand is designed to pair with an extended triangle strand by Watson-Crick base pairing. The arm that contains the dyes is quite flexible, but it is possible to establish the presence of the duplex proximal to the triangle by X-ray crystallography. We modelled the transition between the red and blue states through a simple kinetic model.

  7. 78 FR 43198 - Watson Cogeneration Company; Notice of Filing

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. TX13-1-000] Watson... Commission's (Commission) Regulations, 18 CFR 36.1, Watson Cogeneration Company filed an application... physical interconnection to the Watson facility; (2) direct SCE and California Independent System Operator...

  8. Fulltext PDF

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    University, to suggest that a meaningful gesture, given that it was Franklin's data that the Watson and Crick ... However,. Maddox also adds that Franklin understood her capabilities and \\vas forthright about speaking ... did not allow him to see how much of her work had influenced the DNA model he and Crick had proposed.

  9. The Francis Crick Institute.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peters, Keith; Smith, Jim

    2017-04-01

    The Francis Crick Institute Laboratory, opened in 2016, is supported by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust, and University College London, King's College London and Imperial College London. The emphasis on research training and early independence of gifted scientists in a multidisciplinary environment provides unique opportunities for UK medical science, including clinical and translational research. © Royal College of Physicians 2017. All rights reserved.

  10. Francis Crick (1916–2004)

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    The death of Francis Crick deprives us of one of the great- est scientists of the 20th century, whose creativity and power of mind dominated molecular biology in its golden years. Many people have told the story of his achievements; here I would simply like to recollect some of the qualities of this remarkable man. The first ...

  11. Simplicity and complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crutchfield, James; Wiesner, Karoline

    2010-02-01

    Is anything ever simple? When confronted with a complicated system, scientists typically strive to identify underlying simplicity, which we articulate as natural laws and fundamental principles. This simplicity is what makes nature appear so organized. Atomic physics, for example, approached a solid theoretical foundation when Niels Bohr uncovered the organization of electronic energy levels, which only later were redescribed as quantum wavefunctions. Charles Darwin's revolutionary idea about the "origin" of species emerged by mapping how species are organized and discovering why they came to be that way. And James Watson and Francis Crick's interpretation of DNA diffraction spectra was a discovery of the structural organization of genetic information - it was neither about the molecule's disorder (thermodynamic entropy) nor about the statistical randomness of its base-pair sequences.

  12. Alternative Watson-Crick Synthetic Genetic Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benner, Steven A; Karalkar, Nilesh B; Hoshika, Shuichi; Laos, Roberto; Shaw, Ryan W; Matsuura, Mariko; Fajardo, Diego; Moussatche, Patricia

    2016-11-01

    In its "grand challenge" format in chemistry, "synthesis" as an activity sets out a goal that is substantially beyond current theoretical and technological capabilities. In pursuit of this goal, scientists are forced across uncharted territory, where they must answer unscripted questions and solve unscripted problems, creating new theories and new technologies in ways that would not be created by hypothesis-directed research. Thus, synthesis drives discovery and paradigm changes in ways that analysis cannot. Described here are the products that have arisen so far through the pursuit of one grand challenge in synthetic biology: Recreate the genetics, catalysis, evolution, and adaptation that we value in life, but using genetic and catalytic biopolymers different from those that have been delivered to us by natural history on Earth. The outcomes in technology include new diagnostic tools that have helped personalize the care of hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide. In science, the effort has generated a fundamentally different view of DNA, RNA, and how they work. Copyright © 2016 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

  13. Little Albert's alleged neurological impairment: Watson, Rayner, and historical revision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Digdon, Nancy; Powell, Russell A; Harris, Ben

    2014-11-01

    In 2012, Fridlund, Beck, Goldie, and Irons (2012) announced that "Little Albert"-the infant that Watson and Rayner used in their 1920 study of conditioned fear (Watson & Rayner, 1920)-was not the healthy child the researchers described him to be, but was neurologically impaired almost from birth. Fridlund et al. also alleged that Watson had committed serious ethical breaches in regard to this research. Our article reexamines the evidentiary bases for these claims and arrives at an alternative interpretation of Albert as a normal infant. In order to set the stage for our interpretation, we first briefly describe the historical context for the Albert study, as well as how the study has been construed and revised since 1920. We then discuss the evidentiary issues in some detail, focusing on Fridlund et al.'s analysis of the film footage of Albert, and on the context within which Watson and Rayner conducted their study. In closing, we return to historical matters to speculate about why historiographical disputes matter and what the story of neurologically impaired Albert might be telling us about the discipline of psychology today.

  14. Effect of proton transfer on the electronic coupling in DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rak, Janusz; Makowska, Joanna; Voityuk, Alexander A.

    2006-01-01

    The effects of single and double proton transfer within Watson-Crick base pairs on donor-acceptor electronic couplings, V da , in DNA are studied on the bases of quantum chemical calculations. Four dimers [AT,AT], [GC,GC], [GC,AT] and [GC,TA)] are considered. Three techniques - the generalized Mulliken-Hush scheme, the fragment charge method and the diabatic states method - are employed to estimate V da for hole transfer between base pairs. We show that both single- and double proton transfer (PT) reactions may substantially affect the electronic coupling in DNA. The electronic coupling in [AT,AT] is predicted to be most sensitive to PT. Single PT within the first base pair in the dimer leads to increase in the hole transfer efficiency by a factor of 4, while proton transfer within the second pair should substantially, by 2.7 times, decrease the rate of charge transfer. Thus, directional asymmetry of the PT effects on the electronic coupling is predicted. The changes in the V da matrix elements correlate with the topological properties of orbitals of donor and acceptor and can be qualitatively rationalized in terms of resonance structures of donor and acceptor. Atomic pair contributions to the V da matrix elements are also analyzed

  15. Francis Crick, DNA, and the Central Dogma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olby, Robert

    1970-01-01

    This essay describes how Francis Crick, ex-physicist, entered the field of biology and discovered the structure of DNA. Emphasis is upon the double helix, the sequence hypothesis, the central dogma, and the genetic code. (VW)

  16. Scientific and Technological Achievements, 1946-2011, of the AFRL Electromagnetics Technology Division (AFRL/RYH) and Its Progenitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-01

    like saying Cambridge University, not Watson and Crick , deciphered the double helix structure of DNA . Consequently, I have endeavored to attribute...were reflected off the ionosphere to the earth’s surface, then back to the ionosphere, and so on. During the late 1940s the Army Air Forces’ Watson ...NM, Proving Grounds (The Army Signal Corps transferred Watson Laboratories to the Army Air Forces in 1945). A critical observation that enabled OTH

  17. NMR structural studies of the ionizing radiation adduct 7-hydro-8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxo-7H-dG) opposite deoxyadenosine in a DNA duplex. 8-oxo-7H-dG(syn)·dA(anti) alignment at lesion site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kouchakdjian, M.; Patel, D.J.; Bodepudi, V.; Shibutani, S.; Eisenberg, M.; Johnson, F.; Grollman, A.P.

    1991-01-01

    Proton NMR studies are reported on the complementary d(C1-C2-A3-C4-T5-A6-oxo-G7-T8-C9-A10-C11-C12)·d(G13-G14-T15-G16-A17-A18-T19-A20-G21-T22-G23-G24) dodecanucleotide duplex (designated 8-oxo-7H-dG·dA 12-mer), which contains a centrally located 7-hydro-8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxo-7H-dG) residue, a group commonly found in DNA that has been exposed to ionizing radiation or oxidizing free radicals. From the NMR spectra it can be deduced that this moiety exists as two tautomers, or gives rise to two DNA conformations, that are in equilibrium and that exchange slowly. The present study focuses on the major component of the equilibrium that originates in the 6,8-dioxo tautomer of 8-oxo-7H-dG. The authors have assigned the exchangeable NH1, NH7, and NH 2 -2 base protons located on the Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen edges of 8-oxo-7H-dG7 in the 8-oxo-7H-dG·dA 12-mer duplex, using an analysis of one- and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) data in H 2 O solution. They were able to detect a set of intra- and interstrand NOEs between protons (exchangeable and nonexchangeable) on adjacent residues in the d(A6-oxo-G7-T8)·d(A17-A18-T19) trinucleotide segment centered about the lesion site that establishes stacking of the oxo-dG7(syn)·dA(anti) pair between stable Watson-Crick dA6·dT19 and dT8·A17 base pairs with minimal perturbation of the helix. The structural studies demonstrate that 8-oxo-7H-dG(syn)·dA(anti) forms a stable pair in the interior of the helix, providing a basis for the observed incorporation of dA opposite 8-oxo-7H-dG when readthrough occurs past this oxidized nucleoside base

  18. Evolving a polymerase for hydrophobic base analogues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loakes, David; Gallego, José; Pinheiro, Vitor B; Kool, Eric T; Holliger, Philipp

    2009-10-21

    Hydrophobic base analogues (HBAs) have shown great promise for the expansion of the chemical and coding potential of nucleic acids but are generally poor polymerase substrates. While extensive synthetic efforts have yielded examples of HBAs with favorable substrate properties, their discovery has remained challenging. Here we describe a complementary strategy for improving HBA substrate properties by directed evolution of a dedicated polymerase using compartmentalized self-replication (CSR) with the archetypal HBA 5-nitroindole (d5NI) and its derivative 5-nitroindole-3-carboxamide (d5NIC) as selection substrates. Starting from a repertoire of chimeric polymerases generated by molecular breeding of DNA polymerase genes from the genus Thermus, we isolated a polymerase (5D4) with a generically enhanced ability to utilize HBAs. The selected polymerase. 5D4 was able to form and extend d5NI and d5NIC (d5NI(C)) self-pairs as well as d5NI(C) heteropairs with all four bases with efficiencies approaching, or exceeding, those of the cognate Watson-Crick pairs, despite significant distortions caused by the intercalation of the d5NI(C) heterocycles into the opposing strand base stack, as shown by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Unlike Taq polymerase, 5D4 was also able to extend HBA pairs such as Pyrene: varphi (abasic site), d5NI: varphi, and isocarbostyril (ICS): 7-azaindole (7AI), allowed bypass of a chemically diverse spectrum of HBAs, and enabled PCR amplification with primers comprising multiple d5NI(C)-substitutions, while maintaining high levels of catalytic activity and fidelity. The selected polymerase 5D4 promises to expand the range of nucleobase analogues amenable to replication and should find numerous applications, including the synthesis and replication of nucleic acid polymers with expanded chemical and functional diversity.

  19. General enumeration of RNA secondary structures based on new ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Crick base pairs between AU and GC. Based on the new representation, this paper also computes the number of various types of constrained secondary structures taking the minimum stack length 1 and minimum size m for each bonding loop as ...

  20. Commentary

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    2004-11-29

    Nov 29, 2004 ... Crick's and Wilkins' reactions were not at all unusual at the time – in fact, book reviews of The Double ... As a youngish man in his mid-thirties at the time when Watson met him, Crick was ... moved into the field of biology instead. .... recent realization that the action is in the proteome rather than the genome ...

  1. Watson will see you now: a supercomputer to help clinicians make informed treatment decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doyle-Lindrud, Susan

    2015-02-01

    IBM has collaborated with several cancer care providers to develop and train the IBM supercomputer Watson to help clinicians make informed treatment decisions. When a patient is seen in clinic, the oncologist can input all of the clinical information into the computer system. Watson will then review all of the data and recommend treatment options based on the latest evidence and guidelines. Once the oncologist makes the treatment decision, this information can be sent directly to the insurance company for approval. Watson has the ability to standardize care and accelerate the approval process, a benefit to the healthcare provider and the patient.

  2. DNA nanotechnology from the test tube to the cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yuan-Jyue; Groves, Benjamin; Muscat, Richard A; Seelig, Georg

    2015-09-01

    The programmability of Watson-Crick base pairing, combined with a decrease in the cost of synthesis, has made DNA a widely used material for the assembly of molecular structures and dynamic molecular devices. Working in cell-free settings, researchers in DNA nanotechnology have been able to scale up system complexity and quantitatively characterize reaction mechanisms to an extent that is infeasible for engineered gene circuits or other cell-based technologies. However, the most intriguing applications of DNA nanotechnology - applications that best take advantage of the small size, biocompatibility and programmability of DNA-based systems - lie at the interface with biology. Here, we review recent progress in the transition of DNA nanotechnology from the test tube to the cell. We highlight key successes in the development of DNA-based imaging probes, prototypes of smart therapeutics and drug delivery systems, and explore the future challenges and opportunities for cellular DNA nanotechnology.

  3. DNA nanotechnology from the test tube to the cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yuan-Jyue; Groves, Benjamin; Muscat, Richard A.; Seelig, Georg

    2015-09-01

    The programmability of Watson-Crick base pairing, combined with a decrease in the cost of synthesis, has made DNA a widely used material for the assembly of molecular structures and dynamic molecular devices. Working in cell-free settings, researchers in DNA nanotechnology have been able to scale up system complexity and quantitatively characterize reaction mechanisms to an extent that is infeasible for engineered gene circuits or other cell-based technologies. However, the most intriguing applications of DNA nanotechnology -- applications that best take advantage of the small size, biocompatibility and programmability of DNA-based systems -- lie at the interface with biology. Here, we review recent progress in the transition of DNA nanotechnology from the test tube to the cell. We highlight key successes in the development of DNA-based imaging probes, prototypes of smart therapeutics and drug delivery systems, and explore the future challenges and opportunities for cellular DNA nanotechnology.

  4. Structure and conformational dynamics of the domain 5 RNA hairpin of a bacterial group II intron revealed by solution nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pechlaner, Maria; Sigel, Roland K O; van Gunsteren, Wilfred F; Dolenc, Jožica

    2013-10-08

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) data obtained for a 35-nucleotide RNA segment of a bacterial group II intron indicate a helical hairpin structure in which three parts, a terminal pentaloop, a bulge, and a G-A mismatch, display no Watson-Crick base pairing. The 668 NOE upper distance bounds for atom pairs are insufficient to uniquely determine the conformation of these segments. Therefore, molecular dynamics simulations including time-averaged distance restraints have been used to obtain a conformational ensemble compatible with the observed NMR data. The ensemble shows alternating hydrogen bonding patterns for the mentioned segments. In particular, in the pentaloop and in the bulge, the hydrogen bonding networks correspond to distinct conformational clusters that could not be captured by using conventional single-structure refinement techniques. This implies that, to obtain a realistic picture of the conformational ensemble of such flexible biomolecules, it is necessary to properly account for the conformational variability in the structure refinement of RNA fragments.

  5. Uporaba orodja poslovne inteligence IBM Watson za predvidevanje prodaje

    OpenAIRE

    Stojić, Igor

    2016-01-01

    Diplomska naloga obravnava uporabo orodja IBM Watson in njegovo poslovno vrednost, ki jo ima v okviru oblikovanja napovedi prihodnje prodaje produktov. V teoretičnem delu podrobneje opredeljuje napovedovanje in smoter le-tega. V okviru empiričnega dela pa je bila izvedena primerjava uporabe ERP sistemov SAP in IBM Watson, pri čemer je bil dosledno prikazan postopek oblikovanja napovedi, tako s SAP kot tudi z IBM Watson, s slednjim pa tudi identificiran parameter, ki vpliva na prodajo nekateri...

  6. Assembly and structural analysis of a covalently closed nano-scale DNA cage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Félicie Faucon; Knudsen, Bjarne; Oliveira, Cristiano Luis Pinto De

    2008-01-01

    for investigations of DNA-interacting enzymes. More recently, strategies for synthesis of more complex two-dimensional (2D) and 3D DNA structures have emerged. However, the building of such structures is still in progress and more experiences from different research groups and different fields of expertise...... be described as a nano-scale DNA cage, Hence, in theory it could hold proteins or other bio-molecules to enable their investigation in certain harmful environments or even allow their organization into higher order structures...... The inherent properties of DNA as a stable polymer with unique affinity for partner molecules determined by the specific Watson-Crick base pairing makes it an ideal component in self-assembling structures. This has been exploited for decades in the design of a variety of artificial substrates...

  7. [From humanism to nihilism: dialectics on Jean Watson's caring theory].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krol, Pawel J; Lavoie, Mireille

    2015-09-01

    nursing today is heir to values that have developed over many years. In addition to the values of human care, present-day nursing embraces values that shape our modern world. This dialectical study first traces the evolution of a number of the traditional values associated with human care that nursing has retained. It goes on to show how some of the values of human care have been cast aside in favour of modern--neoliberal, technocratic and bureaucratic--values which have in turn given rise to disturbing problems of instrumentalization. Watson's theory of caring proposes two ways to remedy such instrumentalization: espousing a transcendental, metaphysical mode of thought and adopting an altruistic humanism. However, many critics have questioned the theoretical consistency and very legitimacy of the theory as a means of dealing with instrumentalization. this study analyses Watson's proposals, using a Nietzschean dialectic approach to test them and to suggest possible solutions. Significant problems in terms of both consistency and relevance are brought to light, tending to refute Watson's notions. the study findings suggest that the application of Watson's theory may paradoxically perpetuate dualism and nihilism and, rather than curb their invasive impact, lead inevitably to a conversion to instrumental values. it's suggested an alternative, ethics-of-life approach based on the synthesis of our dialectics that would foster a return to, and respect for, humanity's essential nature.

  8. Control of box C/D snoRNP assembly by N6-methylation of adenine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lin; Ashraf, Saira; Wang, Jia; Lilley, David Mj

    2017-09-01

    N 6 -methyladenine is the most widespread mRNA modification. A subset of human box C/D snoRNA species have target GAC sequences that lead to formation of N 6 -methyladenine at a key trans Hoogsteen-sugar A·G base pair, of which half are methylated in vivo The GAC target is conserved only in those that are methylated. Methylation prevents binding of the 15.5-kDa protein and the induced folding of the RNA Thus, the assembly of the box C/D snoRNP could in principle be regulated by RNA methylation at its critical first stage. Crystallography reveals that N 6 -methylation of adenine prevents the formation of trans Hoogsteen-sugar A·G base pairs, explaining why the box C/D RNA cannot adopt its kinked conformation. More generally, our data indicate that sheared A·G base pairs (but not Watson-Crick base pairs) are more susceptible to disruption by N 6 mA methylation and are therefore possible regulatory sites. The human signal recognition particle RNA and many related Alu retrotransposon RNA species are also methylated at N6 of an adenine that forms a sheared base pair with guanine and mediates a key tertiary interaction. © 2017 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

  9. Database proton NMR chemical shifts for RNA signal assignment and validation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barton, Shawn; Heng Xiao [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (United States); Johnson, Bruce A., E-mail: bruce@onemoonscientific.com [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (United States); Summers, Michael F., E-mail: summers@hhmi.umbc.edu [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (United States)

    2013-01-15

    The Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank contains NMR chemical shift depositions for 132 RNAs and RNA-containing complexes. We have analyzed the {sup 1}H NMR chemical shifts reported for non-exchangeable protons of residues that reside within A-form helical regions of these RNAs. The analysis focused on the central base pair within a stretch of three adjacent base pairs (BP triplets), and included both Watson-Crick (WC; G:C, A:U) and G:U wobble pairs. Chemical shift values were included for all 4{sup 3} possible WC-BP triplets, as well as 137 additional triplets that contain one or more G:U wobbles. Sequence-dependent chemical shift correlations were identified, including correlations involving terminating base pairs within the triplets and canonical and non-canonical structures adjacent to the BP triplets (i.e. bulges, loops, WC and non-WC BPs), despite the fact that the NMR data were obtained under different conditions of pH, buffer, ionic strength, and temperature. A computer program (RNAShifts) was developed that enables convenient comparison of RNA {sup 1}H NMR assignments with database predictions, which should facilitate future signal assignment/validation efforts and enable rapid identification of non-canonical RNA structures and RNA-ligand/protein interaction sites.

  10. Francis Crick, cross-worlds influencer: A narrative model to historicize big bioscience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aicardi, Christine

    2016-02-01

    The essay is an empirical case study of famed British scientist Francis Crick. Viewing him as a 'cross-worlds influencer' who was moreover dedicated to a cause, I have tried to understand how these two characteristics influenced the trajectory of his long career and how they shaped his contributions to the diverse research fields in which he was active, and concluded that these characteristics reconfigure Crick's career into a coherent whole. First, I identify a major thread running through Crick's career: helping organise 'un-disciplined' new research fields, and show that his successive choices were not serendipitous but motivated by what he construed as a crusade against 'vitalism': anti-vitalism was a defining driver of his career. I then examine how Crick put his skills as a crossworlds influencer to the service of his cause, by helping organise his chosen fields of intervention. I argue that his activities as a cross-worlds influencer were an integral part of his way of 'doing science' and that his contributions to science, neuroscience in particular, should be re-evaluated in this light. This leads me to advance a possible strategy for historians to investigate big bioscience fields. Following Abir-Am, I propose to trace their genealogies back to the fluctuating semi-institutional gatherings and the institutional structures that sustained them. My research on Crick supports the view that such studies can bring insights into the question of why the contours of contemporary big bioscience endeavours have come to be shaped the way they are. Further, the essay provides a heuristic device for approaching these enquiries: 'follow the cross-worlds influencers' who worked to build and organise these semi-institutional gatherings and institutional structures. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  11. Francis Crick, cross-worlds influencer: A narrative model to historicize big bioscience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aicardi, Christine

    2016-01-01

    The essay is an empirical case study of famed British scientist Francis Crick. Viewing him as a ‘cross-worlds influencer’ who was moreover dedicated to a cause, I have tried to understand how these two characteristics influenced the trajectory of his long career and how they shaped his contributions to the diverse research fields in which he was active, and concluded that these characteristics reconfigure Crick's career into a coherent whole. First, I identify a major thread running through Crick's career: helping organise ‘un-disciplined’ new research fields, and show that his successive choices were not serendipitous but motivated by what he construed as a crusade against ‘vitalism’: anti-vitalism was a defining driver of his career. I then examine how Crick put his skills as a crossworlds influencer to the service of his cause, by helping organise his chosen fields of intervention. I argue that his activities as a cross-worlds influencer were an integral part of his way of ‘doing science’ and that his contributions to science, neuroscience in particular, should be re-evaluated in this light. This leads me to advance a possible strategy for historians to investigate big bioscience fields. Following Abir-Am, I propose to trace their genealogies back to the fluctuating semi-institutional gatherings and the institutional structures that sustained them. My research on Crick supports the view that such studies can bring insights into the question of why the contours of contemporary big bioscience endeavours have come to be shaped the way they are. Further, the essay provides a heuristic device for approaching these enquiries: ‘follow the cross-worlds influencers’ who worked to build and organise these semi-institutional gatherings and institutional structures. PMID:26383132

  12. Mechanism of error-free DNA synthesis across N1-methyl-deoxyadenosine by human DNA polymerase-ι

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jain, Rinku; Choudhury, Jayati Roy; Buku, Angeliki; Johnson, Robert E.; Prakash, Louise; Prakash, Satya; Aggarwal, Aneel K.

    2017-03-08

    N1-methyl-deoxyadenosine (1-MeA) is formed by methylation of deoxyadenosine at the N1 atom. 1-MeA presents a block to replicative DNA polymerases due to its inability to participate in Watson-Crick (W-C) base pairing. Here we determine how human DNA polymerase-ι (Polι) promotes error-free replication across 1-MeA. Steady state kinetic analyses indicate that Polι is ~100 fold more efficient in incorporating the correct nucleotide T versus the incorrect nucleotide C opposite 1-MeA. To understand the basis of this selectivity, we determined ternary structures of Polι bound to template 1-MeA and incoming dTTP or dCTP. In both structures, template 1-MeA rotates to the syn conformation but pairs differently with dTTP versus dCTP. Thus, whereas dTTP partakes in stable Hoogsteen base pairing with 1-MeA, dCTP fails to gain a “foothold” and is largely disordered. Together, our kinetic and structural studies show how Polι maintains discrimination between correct and incorrect incoming nucleotide opposite 1-MeA in preserving genome integrity.

  13. Prediction of the secondary structure of the mitochondrial tRNASer (UCN) of Lutzomyia hartmanni (Diptera: Psychodidae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez Doria, Alveiro; Bejarano, Eduar E

    2011-01-01

    Lutzomyia (Helcocyrtomyia) hartmanni is a sand fly that has been implicated in the transmission of Leishmania (Viannia) colombiensis, an etiologic agent of cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Colombia. The objective of this work was to explore the potential usefulness of the mitochondrial serine transfer RNA (UCN) (tRNASer) in the taxonomic determination of L. hartmanni. Mitochondrial DNA was extracted, amplified and sequenced from entomological material collected in Envigado, Antioquia, Colombia. The tRNASer gene length was 68 nucleotide pairs, with an average adenine-thymine content of 80.9%. The studied tRNASer differs from other sand fly tRNASer known to date, on the basis of its primary and secondary structure. The observed number of intrachain base pairing was 7 in the acceptor arm, 3 in the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm, 5 in the anticodon arm, and 5 in the ribothymidine-pseudouridine-cytosine (TC) arm. The size of the DHU, anticodon, variable and TC loops was estimated to be 5, 7, 4, and 8 nucleotides, respectively. The notorious absence of non-Watson-Crick base pairs in the four arms of the tRNASer distinguishes that of L. hartmanni from others Lutzomyia spp.

  14. DNA rendering of polyhedral meshes at the nanoscale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benson, Erik; Mohammed, Abdulmelik; Gardell, Johan; Masich, Sergej; Czeizler, Eugen; Orponen, Pekka; Högberg, Björn

    2015-07-01

    It was suggested more than thirty years ago that Watson-Crick base pairing might be used for the rational design of nanometre-scale structures from nucleic acids. Since then, and especially since the introduction of the origami technique, DNA nanotechnology has enabled increasingly more complex structures. But although general approaches for creating DNA origami polygonal meshes and design software are available, there are still important constraints arising from DNA geometry and sense/antisense pairing, necessitating some manual adjustment during the design process. Here we present a general method of folding arbitrary polygonal digital meshes in DNA that readily produces structures that would be very difficult to realize using previous approaches. The design process is highly automated, using a routeing algorithm based on graph theory and a relaxation simulation that traces scaffold strands through the target structures. Moreover, unlike conventional origami designs built from close-packed helices, our structures have a more open conformation with one helix per edge and are therefore stable under the ionic conditions usually used in biological assays.

  15. Emergent Computation Emphasizing Bioinformatics

    CERN Document Server

    Simon, Matthew

    2005-01-01

    Emergent Computation is concerned with recent applications of Mathematical Linguistics or Automata Theory. This subject has a primary focus upon "Bioinformatics" (the Genome and arising interest in the Proteome), but the closing chapter also examines applications in Biology, Medicine, Anthropology, etc. The book is composed of an organized examination of DNA, RNA, and the assembly of amino acids into proteins. Rather than examine these areas from a purely mathematical viewpoint (that excludes much of the biochemical reality), the author uses scientific papers written mostly by biochemists based upon their laboratory observations. Thus while DNA may exist in its double stranded form, triple stranded forms are not excluded. Similarly, while bases exist in Watson-Crick complements, mismatched bases and abasic pairs are not excluded, nor are Hoogsteen bonds. Just as there are four bases naturally found in DNA, the existence of additional bases is not ignored, nor amino acids in addition to the usual complement of...

  16. Consciousness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sejnowski, Terrence J

    2015-01-01

    No one did more to draw neuroscientists' attention to the problem of consciousness in the twentieth century than Francis Crick, who may be better known as the co-discoverer (with James Watson) of the structure of DNA. Crick focused his research on visual awareness and based his analysis on the progress made over the last fifty years in uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception. Because much of what happens in our brains occurs below the level of consciousness and many of our intuitions about unconscious processing are misleading, consciousness remains an elusive problem. In the end, when all of the brain mechanisms that underlie consciousness have been identified, will we still be asking: "What is consciousness?" Or will the question shift, just as the question "What is life?" is no longer the same as it was before Francis Crick?

  17. On Francis Crick, the genetic code, and a clever kid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Bob

    2018-04-02

    A few years ago, Francis Crick's son told me a story that I can't get out of my mind. I had contacted Michael Crick by email while digging through the background of the researchers who had cracked the genetic code in the 1960s. Francis had died in 2004, and I was contacting some of the people who knew him when he was struggling to decipher the code. Francis didn't appear to struggle often - he is known mostly for his successes - and, as it turns out, this one well-known struggle may have had a clue sitting just barely out of sight. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Human genes and genomes: science, health, society

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Rosenberg, Leon E; Rosenberg, Diane Drobnis

    2012-01-01

    "In the nearly 60 years since Watson and Crick proposed the double helical structure of DNA, the molecule of heredity, waves of discoveries have made genetics the most thrilling field in the sciences...

  19. Hydrogen-Bonding Capability of a Templating Difluorotoluene Nucleotide Residue in an RB69 DNA Polymerase Ternary Complex

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xia, Shuangluo; Konigsberg, William H.; Wang, Jimin (Yale)

    2011-08-29

    Results obtained using 2,4-difluorotoluene nucleobase (dF) as a nonpolar thymine isostere by Kool and colleagues challenged the Watson-Crick dogma that hydrogen bonds between complementary bases are an absolute requirement for accurate DNA replication. Here, we report crystal structure of an RB69 DNA polymerase L561A/S565G/Y567A triple mutant ternary complex with a templating dF opposite dTTP at 1.8 {angstrom}-resolution. In this structure, direct hydrogen bonds were observed between: (i) dF and the incoming dTTP, (ii) dF and residue G568 of the polymerase, and (iii) dF and ordered water molecules surrounding the nascent base pair. Therefore, this structure provides evidence that a templating dF can form novel hydrogen bonds with the incoming dTTP and with the enzyme that differ from those formed with a templating dT.

  20. A world in one dimension: Linus Pauling, Francis Crick and the central dogma of molecular biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strasser, Bruno J

    2006-01-01

    In 1957, Francis Crick outlined a startling vision of life in which the great diversity of forms and shapes of macromolecules was encoded in the one-dimensional sequence of nucleic acids. This paper situates Crick's new vision in the debates of the 1950s about protein synthesis and gene action. After exploring the reception of Crick's ideas, it shows how they differed radically from a different model of protein synthesis which enjoyed wide currency in that decade. In this alternative model, advocated by Linus Pauling and other luminaries, three-dimensional templates directed the folding of proteins. Even though it was always considered somewhat speculative, this theory was supported by a number of empirical results originating in different experimental systems. It was eventually replaced by a model in which the forms and shapes of macromolecules resulted solely from their amino acid sequence, dramatically simplifying the problem of protein synthesis which Crick was attempting to solve in 1957.

  1. Report on Pairing-based Cryptography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moody, Dustin; Peralta, Rene; Perlner, Ray; Regenscheid, Andrew; Roginsky, Allen; Chen, Lily

    2015-01-01

    This report summarizes study results on pairing-based cryptography. The main purpose of the study is to form NIST's position on standardizing and recommending pairing-based cryptography schemes currently published in research literature and standardized in other standard bodies. The report reviews the mathematical background of pairings. This includes topics such as pairing-friendly elliptic curves and how to compute various pairings. It includes a brief introduction to existing identity-based encryption (IBE) schemes and other cryptographic schemes using pairing technology. The report provides a complete study of the current status of standard activities on pairing-based cryptographic schemes. It explores different application scenarios for pairing-based cryptography schemes. As an important aspect of adopting pairing-based schemes, the report also considers the challenges inherent in validation testing of cryptographic algorithms and modules. Based on the study, the report suggests an approach for including pairing-based cryptography schemes in the NIST cryptographic toolkit. The report also outlines several questions that will require further study if this approach is followed.

  2. Annual Quality Assurance Conference Files by Nicola Watson and Rui Li

    Science.gov (United States)

    26th Annual Quality Assurance Conference. Abstract: An Innovative Water Management Device for Online and Canister-based Thermal Desorption of Trace-level VVOCs in High Humidity Ambient Air by Nicola Watson and Rui Li

  3. DNA nanostructure-directed assembly of metal nanoparticle superlattices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Julin, Sofia; Nummelin, Sami; Kostiainen, Mauri A.; Linko, Veikko

    2018-05-01

    Structural DNA nanotechnology provides unique, well-controlled, versatile, and highly addressable motifs and templates for assembling materials at the nanoscale. These methods to build from the bottom-up using DNA as a construction material are based on programmable and fully predictable Watson-Crick base pairing. Researchers have adopted these techniques to an increasing extent for creating numerous DNA nanostructures for a variety of uses ranging from nanoelectronics to drug-delivery applications. Recently, an increasing effort has been put into attaching nanoparticles (the size range of 1-20 nm) to the accurate DNA motifs and into creating metallic nanostructures (typically 20-100 nm) using designer DNA nanoshapes as molds or stencils. By combining nanoparticles with the superior addressability of DNA-based scaffolds, it is possible to form well-ordered materials with intriguing and completely new optical, plasmonic, electronic, and magnetic properties. This focused review discusses the DNA structure-directed nanoparticle assemblies covering the wide range of different one-, two-, and three-dimensional systems.

  4. A Challenge to Watson

    Science.gov (United States)

    Detterman, Douglas K.

    2011-01-01

    Watson's Jeopardy victory raises the question of the similarity of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. Those of us who study human intelligence issue a challenge to the artificial intelligence community. We will construct a unique battery of tests for any computer that would provide an actual IQ score for the computer. This is the same…

  5. Ed Watson - 1940-2006

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Ed Watson passed away suddenly on 1 August in Geneva, he was 66. He leaves his wife and two children. Ed Watson arrived at CERN in March 1973 to work on digital electronics and CAMAC systems under Bob Dobinson, after many years at Rolls Royce in Scotland. He joined the European Muon Collaboration in 1976, where he played a major role in the design, deployment and running of its data acquisition system (DAQ) with David Botterill, Bob Dobinson, and Vicky White. The CAMAC-ROMULUS system was by far the largest and most advanced of its time, and it became a defining standard for DAQ systems for years to come. Ed was deeply involved in the detailed planning of the control rooms and the experiment cabling, as well as sharing the responsibility for the CAMAC readout system. He had a real talent for trouble shooting and played a vital part in supporting the experiment throughout its lifetime. He offered great moral support to the younger members of the collaboration and helped them a great deal with their work. The...

  6. Base Sequence Context Effects on Nucleotide Excision Repair

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuqin Cai

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Nucleotide excision repair (NER plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the genome when damaged by bulky DNA lesions, since inefficient repair can cause mutations and human diseases notably cancer. The structural properties of DNA lesions that determine their relative susceptibilities to NER are therefore of great interest. As a model system, we have investigated the major mutagenic lesion derived from the environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P, 10S (+-trans-anti-B[a]P-2-dG in six different sequence contexts that differ in how the lesion is positioned in relation to nearby guanine amino groups. We have obtained molecular structural data by NMR and MD simulations, bending properties from gel electrophoresis studies, and NER data obtained from human HeLa cell extracts for our six investigated sequence contexts. This model system suggests that disturbed Watson-Crick base pairing is a better recognition signal than a flexible bend, and that these can act in concert to provide an enhanced signal. Steric hinderance between the minor groove-aligned lesion and nearby guanine amino groups determines the exact nature of the disturbances. Both nearest neighbor and more distant neighbor sequence contexts have an impact. Regardless of the exact distortions, we hypothesize that they provide a local thermodynamic destabilization signal for repair.

  7. Chuck Watson's ``differential psychoacoustics:'' Individual differences in auditory abilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidd, Gary R.

    2004-05-01

    Chuck Watson was among the first in the psychoacoustic community to seriously address the topic of individual differences. At a time when there was little concern with variation among ``normal listeners'' in psychoacoustic research, Watson began a research program to document the range of human auditory abilities. The primary goals were to determine the number of distinct abilities, to specify the nature of each ability, and to document the distribution of these abilities in the general population. Thanks to Watson's talent for organizing and directing large-scale projects and his workmanlike approach to science, a large and valuable body of data on human individual differences has been collected. The research program began about 20 years ago with the study of basic auditory abilities, and it has expanded to include other modalities and cognitive/intellectual abilities in adults and children. A somewhat biased view of the importance of this work will be presented by one of Watson's many colleagues in this endeavor. The talk will provide an overview of this ongoing research program as well as a brief review of some related research by other investigators. New findings from recent extensions of this work will also be discussed.

  8. 78 FR 17231 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration, Watson Pharma, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-20

    ... Registration, Watson Pharma, Inc. By Notice dated November 5, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2012, 77 FR 67675, Watson Pharma, Inc., 2455 Wardlow Road, Corona, California 92880-2882, made.... 823(a) and Sec. 952(a) and determined that the registration of Watson Pharma, Inc., to import the...

  9. Fulltext PDF

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    and Watson clearly showed how, in fact, a gene could work. ... fifties Crick suggested that RNA acts as an adaptor that enables amino acids to associate ... tions, segmentation and complementation in development and origin of life on earth.

  10. 78 FR 64016 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Watson Pharma, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-25

    ... Registration; Watson Pharma, Inc. By Notice dated May 24, 2013, and published in the Federal Register on June 4, 2013, 78 FR 33440, Watson Pharma, Inc., 2455 Wardlow Road, Corona, California 92880-2882, made... in 21 U.S.C. 823(a) and 952(a) and determined that the registration of Watson Pharma, Inc., to import...

  11. DNA hairpin structures in solution: 500-MHz two-dimensional 1H NMR studies on d(CGCCGCAGC) and d(CGCCGTAGC)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, G.; Sarma, M.H.; Sarma, R.H.

    1987-01-01

    A hairpin structure contains two conformationally distinct domains: a double-helical stem with Watson-Crick base pairs and a single-stranded loop that connects the two arms of the stem. By extensive 1D and 2D 500-MHz 1 H NMR studies in H 2 O and D 2 O, it has been demonstrated that the DNA oligomers d(CGCCGCAGC) and d(CGCCGTAGC) form hairpin structures under conditions of low concentration, 0.5 mM in DNA strand, and low salt (20 mM NaCl, pH 7). From examination of the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) between base protons H8/H6 and sugar protons H1' and H2'/H2'', it was concluded that in D(CGCCGCAGC) and d(CGCCCTAGC) all the nine nucleotides display average (C2'-endo,anti) geometry. The NMR data in conjunction with molecular model building and solvent accessibility studies were used to derive a working model for the hairpins

  12. Laser-assisted collisions: The Kroll-Watson formula and bremsstrahlung theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geltman, S.

    1996-01-01

    Recent measurements on CO 2 -laser-assisted electron-atom collisions have shown large inconsistencies with the Kroll-Watson formula for small-angle scattering. We have carried out a detailed study to compare the predictions of Kroll-Watson theory (for both single and multimode fields) with those of conventional perturbation theory for stimulated free-free transitions. It is found that for E 0 /2ω 2 <1, where perturbation theory is valid, there are large differences with the Kroll-Watson theory. Comparisons of experimental variations with respect to scattering angle and electron energy show much better agreement with perturbation theory than with Kroll-Watson theory. A study of the angular variations in perturbation theory shows that use of the open-quote open-quote outgoing close-quote close-quote wave final state gives much better agreement with experiment than does the open-quote open-quote ingoing close-quote close-quote wave final state, which is different from the choice made in early bremsstrahlung theory. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  13. On the scaling limits of Galton Watson processes in varying environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bansaye, V.; Simatos, F.

    2011-01-01

    Renormalized sequences of Galton Watson processes converge to Continuous State Branching Processes (CSBP), characterized by a L\\'evy triplet of two numbers and a measure. This paper investigates the case of Galton Watson processes in varying environment and provides an explicit sufficient condition

  14. Base pair probability estimates improve the prediction accuracy of RNA non-canonical base pairs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael F Sloma

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Prediction of RNA tertiary structure from sequence is an important problem, but generating accurate structure models for even short sequences remains difficult. Predictions of RNA tertiary structure tend to be least accurate in loop regions, where non-canonical pairs are important for determining the details of structure. Non-canonical pairs can be predicted using a knowledge-based model of structure that scores nucleotide cyclic motifs, or NCMs. In this work, a partition function algorithm is introduced that allows the estimation of base pairing probabilities for both canonical and non-canonical interactions. Pairs that are predicted to be probable are more likely to be found in the true structure than pairs of lower probability. Pair probability estimates can be further improved by predicting the structure conserved across multiple homologous sequences using the TurboFold algorithm. These pairing probabilities, used in concert with prior knowledge of the canonical secondary structure, allow accurate inference of non-canonical pairs, an important step towards accurate prediction of the full tertiary structure. Software to predict non-canonical base pairs and pairing probabilities is now provided as part of the RNAstructure software package.

  15. Base pair probability estimates improve the prediction accuracy of RNA non-canonical base pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sloma, Michael F; Mathews, David H

    2017-11-01

    Prediction of RNA tertiary structure from sequence is an important problem, but generating accurate structure models for even short sequences remains difficult. Predictions of RNA tertiary structure tend to be least accurate in loop regions, where non-canonical pairs are important for determining the details of structure. Non-canonical pairs can be predicted using a knowledge-based model of structure that scores nucleotide cyclic motifs, or NCMs. In this work, a partition function algorithm is introduced that allows the estimation of base pairing probabilities for both canonical and non-canonical interactions. Pairs that are predicted to be probable are more likely to be found in the true structure than pairs of lower probability. Pair probability estimates can be further improved by predicting the structure conserved across multiple homologous sequences using the TurboFold algorithm. These pairing probabilities, used in concert with prior knowledge of the canonical secondary structure, allow accurate inference of non-canonical pairs, an important step towards accurate prediction of the full tertiary structure. Software to predict non-canonical base pairs and pairing probabilities is now provided as part of the RNAstructure software package.

  16. Sommerfeld-Watson transformation for nuclear fission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexandru, G.

    1978-01-01

    It is proved that the fission matrix element can be written like a Sommerfeld-Watson relation. This leads to a dispersion relation for the fission process in which the substraction term is uniquely determined. (author)

  17. Ab initio study of the excited-state coupled electron-proton-transfer process in the 2-aminopyridine dimer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobolewski, Andrzej L.; Domcke, Wolfgang

    2003-01-01

    The low-lying 1 ππ* excited states of the 2-aminopyridine dimer have been investigated with multi-reference ab initio methods (CASSCF and MRMP2). The 2-aminopyridine dimer can be considered as a mimetic model of Watson-Crick DNA base pairs. The reaction path and the energy profile for single proton transfer in the lowest 1 ππ* inter-monomer charge-transfer state have been obtained. A weakly avoided crossing of the 1 ππ* surface with the electronic ground-state surface has been found near the single-proton-transfer minimum of the 1 ππ* surface. From the splitting of the adiabatic surfaces at the avoided crossing, an internal-conversion lifetime of the excited state of <100 ps has been estimated. The potential relevance of these results for the rationalization of radiation-induced mutations and the photostability of the genetic code is briefly discussed

  18. Comparative melting and healing of B-DNA and Z-DNA by an infrared laser pulse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Man, Viet Hoang; Pan, Feng; Sagui, Celeste; Roland, Christopher

    2016-01-01

    We explore the use of a fast laser melting simulation approach combined with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in order to determine the melting and healing responses of B-DNA and Z-DNA dodecamers with the same d(5′-CGCGCGCGCGCG-3′) 2 sequence. The frequency of the laser pulse is specifically tuned to disrupt Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds, thus inducing melting of the DNA duplexes. Subsequently, the structures relax and partially refold, depending on the field strength. In addition to the inherent interest of the nonequilibrium melting process, we propose that fast melting by an infrared laser pulse could be used as a technique for a fast comparison of relative stabilities of same-sequence oligonucleotides with different secondary structures with full atomistic detail of the structures and solvent. This could be particularly useful for nonstandard secondary structures involving non-canonical base pairs, mismatches, etc.

  19. Comparative melting and healing of B-DNA and Z-DNA by an infrared laser pulse

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Man, Viet Hoang; Pan, Feng; Sagui, Celeste, E-mail: sagui@ncsu.edu; Roland, Christopher, E-mail: cmroland@ncsu.edu [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8202 (United States)

    2016-04-14

    We explore the use of a fast laser melting simulation approach combined with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in order to determine the melting and healing responses of B-DNA and Z-DNA dodecamers with the same d(5′-CGCGCGCGCGCG-3′){sub 2} sequence. The frequency of the laser pulse is specifically tuned to disrupt Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds, thus inducing melting of the DNA duplexes. Subsequently, the structures relax and partially refold, depending on the field strength. In addition to the inherent interest of the nonequilibrium melting process, we propose that fast melting by an infrared laser pulse could be used as a technique for a fast comparison of relative stabilities of same-sequence oligonucleotides with different secondary structures with full atomistic detail of the structures and solvent. This could be particularly useful for nonstandard secondary structures involving non-canonical base pairs, mismatches, etc.

  20. Structural DNA Nanotechnology: Artificial Nanostructures for Biomedical Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Yonggang; Castro, Carlos; Choi, Jong Hyun

    2018-04-04

    Structural DNA nanotechnology utilizes synthetic or biologic DNA as designer molecules for the self-assembly of artificial nanostructures. The field is founded upon the specific interactions between DNA molecules, known as Watson-Crick base pairing. After decades of active pursuit, DNA has demonstrated unprecedented versatility in constructing artificial nanostructures with significant complexity and programmability. The nanostructures could be either static, with well-controlled physicochemical properties, or dynamic, with the ability to reconfigure upon external stimuli. Researchers have devoted considerable effort to exploring the usability of DNA nanostructures in biomedical research. We review the basic design methods for fabricating both static and dynamic DNA nanostructures, along with their biomedical applications in fields such as biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering Volume 20 is June 4, 2018. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

  1. Guanine is indispensable for immunoglobulin switch region RNA-DNA hybrid formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizuta, Ryushin; Mizuta, Midori; Kitamura, Daisuke

    2005-01-01

    It is suggested that the formation of the switch (S) region RNA-DNA hybrid and the subsequent generation of higher-order chromatin structures including R-loop initiate a class switch recombination of the immunoglobulin gene. The primary factor of this recombination is the S-region derived noncoding RNA. However, the biochemical character of this guanine-rich (G-rich) transcript is poorly understood. The present study was performed to analyze the structure of this G-rich RNA using atomic force microscope (AFM). The in vitro transcribed S-region RNA was spread on a mica plate, air-dried and observed by non-contact mode AFM in air. The G-rich transcripts tend to aggregate on the template DNA and to generate a higher-order RNA-DNA complex. However, the transcripts that incorporated guanine analogues as substitutes for guanine neither aggregated nor generated higher-order structures. Incorporation of guanine analogues in transcribes RNA partially disrupts hydrogen bonds related to guanine, such as Watson-Crick GC-base pair and Hoogsteen bond GG-base pair. Thus, aggregation of S-region RNA and generation of the higher-order RNA-DNA complex are attributed to hydrogen bonds of guanine. (author)

  2. Sensitivity of hydrogen bonds of DNA and RNA to hydration, as gauged by 1JNH measurements in ethanol-water mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manalo, Marlon N.; Kong Xiangming; LiWang, Andy

    2007-01-01

    Hydrogen-bond lengths of nucleic acids are (1) longer in DNA than in RNA, and (2) sequence dependent. The physicochemical basis for these variations in hydrogen-bond lengths is unknown, however. Here, the notion that hydration plays a significant role in nucleic acid hydrogen-bond lengths is tested. Watson-Crick N1...N3 hydrogen-bond lengths of several DNA and RNA duplexes are gauged using imino 1 J NH measurements, and ethanol is used as a cosolvent to lower water activity. We find that 1 J NH values of DNA and RNA become less negative with added ethanol, which suggests that mild dehydration reduces hydrogen-bond lengths even as the overall thermal stabilities of these duplexes decrease. The 1 J NH of DNA are increased in 8 mol% ethanol to those of RNA in water, which suggests that the greater hydration of DNA plays a significant role in its longer hydrogen bonds. The data also suggest that ethanol-induced dehydration is greater for the more hydrated G:C base pairs and thereby results in greater hydrogen-bond shortening than for the less hydrated A:T/U base pairs of DNA and RNA

  3. Next-generation bis-locked nucleic acids with stacking linker and 2'-glycylamino-LNA show enhanced DNA invasion into supercoiled duplexes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Geny, Sylvain; Moreno, Pedro M D; Krzywkowski, Tomasz

    2016-01-01

    Targeting and invading double-stranded DNA with synthetic oligonucleotides under physiological conditions remain a challenge. Bis-locked nucleic acids (bisLNAs) are clamp-forming oligonucleotides able to invade into supercoiled DNA via combined Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick binding. To improve the b...

  4. Circular dichroism as a means to follow DNA gymnastics: on the shoulders of giants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H.H. Klump

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This is the first report of DNA stem-loops self-assembled by ‘foot-loop’ interactions into either two-dimensional strings or three-dimensional spirals, distinguished by circular dichroism spectroscopy. All subunits are linked by cooperative Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds.

  5. Macromolecules Vis-a-Vis the Traditions of Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flory, Paul J.

    1973-01-01

    Summarizes the history of concepts concerning the molecular nature of polymers, involving the carbon chain theory, graphic formula, polycondensation, colloidal properties, polypeptide hypothesis, secondary aggregation, and Watson-Crick model. Indicates that macromolecular science should be accommodated within the discipline of molecular science…

  6. The History of Molecular Structure Determination Viewed through the Nobel Prizes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, William P.; Palenik, Gus J.; Suh, Il-Hwan

    2003-01-01

    Discusses the importance of complex molecular structures. Emphasizes their individual significance through examination of the Nobel Prizes of the 20th century. Highlights prizes awarded to Conrad Rontgen, Francis H.C. Crick, James D. Watson, Maurice H.F. Wilkins, and others. (SOE)

  7. How the challenge of explaining learning influenced the origins and development of John B. Watson's behaviorism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rilling, M

    2000-01-01

    Before he invented behaviorism, John B. Watson considered learning one of the most important topics in psychology. Watson conducted excellent empirical research on animal learning. He developed behaviorism in part to promote research and elevate the status of learning in psychology. Watson was much less successful in the adequacy and originality of the mechanisms he proposed to explain learning. By assimilating the method of classical conditioning and adopting Pavlov's theory of stimulus substitution, Watson linked behaviorism with a new method that could compete with both Titchener's method of introspection and Freud's methods of psychoanalysis. Watson's interest in explaining psychopathology led to the discovery of conditioned emotional responses and a behavioristic explanation for the learning of phobic behavior. Watson established learning as a central topic for basic research and application in American psychology.

  8. Graham Watson: Eesti vajab enam riigi sekkumist majandusse

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Watson, Graham

    2009-01-01

    18. aprillil pidasid keskerakondlased Tallinnas Euroopa Parlamendi valimiste konverentsi. Euroopa Parlamendi demokraatide ja liberaalide fraktsiooni juht Graham Watson saatis Keskerakonnale videotervituse

  9. The Discovery of the Double Helix

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2011-01-01

    Professor James D. Watson has kindly agreed to make a presentation on the 1953 finding of the Double Helix at the Cavendish Laboratory by Francis Crick and himself. Being one of the greatest scientific discoveries in human history, little else needs to be added.

  10. From theory to practice: caring science according to Watson and Brewer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Pamela N; Watson, Jean; Brewer, Barbara B

    2009-10-01

    Caring science is presented by Jean Watson and Barbara Brewer through an interview and dialogue format. Jean Watson presents caring science and its philosophy and evolution and the impact of her model on nursing and other disciplines. Barbara Brewer addresses the implementation of the model in a Magnet hospital setting and describes how her leadership facilitated implementation.

  11. Oncologists partner with Watson on genomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-01

    A new collaboration between IBM Watson Health and more than a dozen cancer centers uses the power of cognitive computing to dramatically reduce the time it takes to analyze data from patients' DNA and identify targeted treatment options. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  12. Did John B. Watson Really "Found" Behaviorism?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malone, John C

    2014-05-01

    Developments culminating in the nineteenth century, along with the predictable collapse of introspective psychology, meant that the rise of behavioral psychology was inevitable. In 1913, John B. Watson was an established scientist with impeccable credentials who acted as a strong and combative promoter of a natural science approach to psychology when just such an advocate was needed. He never claimed to have founded "behavior psychology" and, despite the acclaim and criticism attending his portrayal as the original behaviorist, he was more an exemplar of a movement than a founder. Many influential writers had already characterized psychology, including so-called mental activity, as behavior, offered many applications, and rejected metaphysical dualism. Among others, William Carpenter, Alexander Bain, and (early) Sigmund Freud held views compatible with twentieth-century behaviorism. Thus, though Watson was the first to argue specifically for psychology as a natural science, behaviorism in both theory and practice had clear roots long before 1913. If behaviorism really needs a "founder," Edward Thorndike might seem more deserving, because of his great influence and promotion of an objective psychology, but he was not a true behaviorist for several important reasons. Watson deserves the fame he has received, since he first made a strong case for a natural science (behaviorist) approach and, importantly, he made people pay attention to it.

  13. John B. Watson's Alleged Sex Research: An Appraisal of the Evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benjamin, Ludy T. Jr.; Whitaker, Jodi L.; Ramsey, Russell M.; Zeve, Daniel R.

    2007-01-01

    In 1974, a story was published about clandestine research done by John B. Watson that was judged to be so reprehensible that it was offered as the real reason he was fired from his faculty position at Johns Hopkins University in 1920, at perhaps the peak of his academic career. Watson's dismissal from Johns Hopkins may have been the most important…

  14. Interaction of Cu(+) with cytosine and formation of i-motif-like C-M(+)-C complexes: alkali versus coinage metals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Juehan; Berden, Giel; Rodgers, M T; Oomens, Jos

    2016-03-14

    The Watson-Crick structure of DNA is among the most well-known molecular structures of our time. However, alternative base-pairing motifs are also known to occur, often depending on base sequence, pH, or the presence of cations. Pairing of cytosine (C) bases induced by the sharing of a single proton (C-H(+)-C) may give rise to the so-called i-motif, which occurs primarily in expanded trinucleotide repeats and the telomeric region of DNA, particularly at low pH. At physiological pH, silver cations were recently found to stabilize C dimers in a C-Ag(+)-C structure analogous to the hemiprotonated C-dimer. Here we use infrared ion spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-311G+(2df,2p) level to show that copper in the 1+ oxidation state induces an analogous formation of C-Cu(+)-C structures. In contrast to protons and these transition metal ions, alkali metal ions induce a different dimer structure, where each ligand coordinates the alkali metal ion in a bidentate fashion in which the N3 and O2 atoms of both cytosine ligands coordinate to the metal ion, sacrificing hydrogen-bonding interactions between the ligands for improved chelation of the metal cation.

  15. The sequence d(CGGCGGCCGC) self-assembles into a two dimensional rhombic DNA lattice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venkadesh, S.; Mandal, P.K.; Gautham, N.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → This is the first crystal structure of a four-way junction with sticky ends. → Four junction structures bind to each other and form a rhombic cavity. → Each rhombus binds to others to form 'infinite' 2D tiles. → This is an example of bottom-up fabrication of a DNA nano-lattice. -- Abstract: We report here the crystal structure of the partially self-complementary decameric sequence d(CGGCGGCCGC), which self assembles to form a four-way junction with sticky ends. Each junction binds to four others through Watson-Crick base pairing at the sticky ends to form a rhombic structure. The rhombuses bind to each other and form two dimensional tiles. The tiles stack to form the crystal. The crystal diffracted in the space group P1 to a resolution of 2.5 A. The junction has the anti-parallel stacked-X conformation like other junction structures, though the formation of the rhombic net noticeably alters the details of the junction geometry.

  16. Hybridization Properties of RNA Containing 8-Methoxyguanosine and 8-Benzyloxyguanosine.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Sylwester Baranowski

    Full Text Available Modified nucleobase analogues can serve as powerful tools for changing physicochemical and biological properties of DNA or RNA. Guanosine derivatives containing bulky substituents at 8 position are known to adopt syn conformation of N-glycoside bond. On the contrary, in RNA the anti conformation is predominant in Watson-Crick base pairing. In this paper two 8-substituted guanosine derivatives, 8-methoxyguanosine and 8-benzyloxyguanosine, were synthesized and incorporated into oligoribonucleotides to investigate their influence on the thermodynamic stability of RNA duplexes. The methoxy and benzyloxy substituents are electron-donating groups, decreasing the rate of depurination in the monomers, as confirmed by N-glycoside bond stability assessments. Thermodynamic stability studies indicated that substitution of guanosine by 8-methoxy- or 8-benzyloxyguanosine significantly decreased the thermodynamic stability of RNA duplexes. Moreover, the presence of 8-substituted guanosine derivatives decreased mismatch discrimination. Circular dichroism spectra of modified RNA duplexes exhibited patterns typical for A-RNA geometry.

  17. Modulation of lipoprotein metabolism by antisense technology: preclinical drug discovery methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crooke, Rosanne M; Graham, Mark J

    2013-01-01

    Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are a new class of specific therapeutic agents that alter the intermediary metabolism of mRNA, resulting in the suppression of disease-associated gene products. ASOs exert their pharmacological effects after hybridizing, via Watson-Crick base pairing, to a specific target RNA. If appropriately designed, this event results in the recruitment of RNase H, the degradation of targeted mRNA or pre-mRNA, and subsequent inhibition of the synthesis of a specific protein. A key advantage of the technology is the ability to selectively inhibit targets that cannot be modulated by traditional therapeutics such as structural proteins, transcription factors, and, of topical interest, lipoproteins. In this chapter, we will first provide an overview of antisense technology, then more specifically describe the status of lipoprotein-related genes that have been studied using the antisense platform, and finally, outline the general methodology required to design and evaluate the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of those drugs.

  18. 60 years ago, Francis Crick changed the logic of biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobb, Matthew

    2017-09-01

    In September 1957, Francis Crick gave a lecture in which he outlined key ideas about gene function, in particular what he called the central dogma. These ideas still frame how we understand life. This essay explores the concepts he developed in this influential lecture, including his prediction that we would study evolution by comparing sequences.

  19. Confronting Science: The Dilemma of Genetic Testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zallen, Doris T.

    1997-01-01

    Considers the opportunities and ethical issues involved in genetic testing. Reviews the history of genetics from the first discoveries of Gregor Mendel, through the spurious pseudo-science of eugenics, and up to the discovery of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick. Explains how genetic tests are done. (MJP)

  20. Human Genome Research: Decoding DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    dropdown arrow Site Map A-Z Index Menu Synopsis Human Genome Research: Decoding DNA Resources with of the DNA double helix during April 2003. James D. Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were company Celera announced the completion of a "working draft" reference DNA sequence of the human

  1. 60 years ago, Francis Crick changed the logic of biology.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew Cobb

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In September 1957, Francis Crick gave a lecture in which he outlined key ideas about gene function, in particular what he called the central dogma. These ideas still frame how we understand life. This essay explores the concepts he developed in this influential lecture, including his prediction that we would study evolution by comparing sequences.

  2. 60 years ago, Francis Crick changed the logic of biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    In September 1957, Francis Crick gave a lecture in which he outlined key ideas about gene function, in particular what he called the central dogma. These ideas still frame how we understand life. This essay explores the concepts he developed in this influential lecture, including his prediction that we would study evolution by comparing sequences. PMID:28922352

  3. Supra-molecular hydrogen-bonding patterns in the N(9)-H protonated and N(7)-H tautomeric form of an N(6) -benzoyl-adenine salt: N (6)-benzoyl-adeninium nitrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karthikeyan, Ammasai; Jeeva Jasmine, Nithianantham; Thomas Muthiah, Packianathan; Perdih, Franc

    2016-02-01

    In the title molecular salt, C12H10N5O(+)·NO3 (-), the adenine unit has an N (9)-protonated N(7)-H tautomeric form with non-protonated N(1) and N(3) atoms. The dihedral angle between the adenine ring system and the phenyl ring is 51.10 (10)°. The typical intra-molecular N(7)-H⋯O hydrogen bond with an S(7) graph-set motif is also present. The benzoyl-adeninium cations also form base pairs through N-H⋯O and C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds involving the Watson-Crick face of the adenine ring and the C and O atoms of the benzoyl ring of an adjacent cation, forming a supra-molecular ribbon with R 2 (2)(9) rings. Benzoyl-adeninum cations are also bridged by one of the oxygen atoms of the nitrate anion, which acts as a double acceptor, forming a pair of N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds to generate a second ribbon motif. These ribbons together with π-π stacking inter-actions between the phenyl ring and the five- and six-membered adenine rings of adjacent mol-ecules generate a three-dimensional supra-molecular architecture.

  4. Evidence of pervasive biologically functional secondary structures within the genomes of eukaryotic single-stranded DNA viruses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhire, Brejnev Muhizi; Golden, Michael; Murrell, Ben; Lefeuvre, Pierre; Lett, Jean-Michel; Gray, Alistair; Poon, Art Y F; Ngandu, Nobubelo Kwanele; Semegni, Yves; Tanov, Emil Pavlov; Monjane, Adérito Luis; Harkins, Gordon William; Varsani, Arvind; Shepherd, Dionne Natalie; Martin, Darren Patrick

    2014-02-01

    Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses have genomes that are potentially capable of forming complex secondary structures through Watson-Crick base pairing between their constituent nucleotides. A few of the structural elements formed by such base pairings are, in fact, known to have important functions during the replication of many ssDNA viruses. Unknown, however, are (i) whether numerous additional ssDNA virus genomic structural elements predicted to exist by computational DNA folding methods actually exist and (ii) whether those structures that do exist have any biological relevance. We therefore computationally inferred lists of the most evolutionarily conserved structures within a diverse selection of animal- and plant-infecting ssDNA viruses drawn from the families Circoviridae, Anelloviridae, Parvoviridae, Nanoviridae, and Geminiviridae and analyzed these for evidence of natural selection favoring the maintenance of these structures. While we find evidence that is consistent with purifying selection being stronger at nucleotide sites that are predicted to be base paired than at sites predicted to be unpaired, we also find strong associations between sites that are predicted to pair with one another and site pairs that are apparently coevolving in a complementary fashion. Collectively, these results indicate that natural selection actively preserves much of the pervasive secondary structure that is evident within eukaryote-infecting ssDNA virus genomes and, therefore, that much of this structure is biologically functional. Lastly, we provide examples of various highly conserved but completely uncharacterized structural elements that likely have important functions within some of the ssDNA virus genomes analyzed here.

  5. 1-, 2-, and 4-Ethynylpyrenes in the Structure of Twisted Intercalating Nucleic Acids: Structure, Thermal Stability, and Fluorescence Relationship

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Filichev, Vyacheslav V; Astakhova, Irina V.; Malakhov, Andrei D.

    2008-01-01

    to ortho in homopyrimidine TINAs. Thus, for para-TINAs the bulge insertion of an intercalator led to high thermal stability of Hoogsteen-type parallel triplexes and duplexes, whereas Watson-Cricktype duplexes were destabilized. In the case of ortho-TINA, both Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick-type complexes were......A postsynthetic, on-column Sonogashira reaction was applied on DNA molecules modified by 2- or 4-iodophenylmethylglycerol in the middle of the sequence, to give the corresponding ortho- and para-twisted intercalating nucleic acids (TINA) with 1-, 2-, and 4-ethynylpyrene residues. The convenient...

  6. 77 FR 67675 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Watson Pharma, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Watson Pharma, Inc. Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34(a), this is notice that on August 28, 2012, Watson Pharma, Inc., 2455 Wardlow Road, Corona, California 92880-2882, made...

  7. 78 FR 33440 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Application; Watson Pharma, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Application; Watson Pharma, Inc. Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34 (a), this is notice that on May 3, 2013, Watson Pharma, Inc., 2455 Wardlow Road, Corona, California 92880-2882, made...

  8. A history of the term radical behaviorism: From Watson to Skinner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Susan M.; Morris, Edward K.

    1987-01-01

    This paper describes the origins and evolution of the term radical behaviorism. John B. Watson's coining of behaviorism in 1913 is presented first, followed by a discussion of the uses of “radical” within psychology during these early years. When the term radical behaviorism first emerged in the early 1920s, its referent was Watson's behaviorism, most specifically his stance on consciousness. In the 1930s, B. F. Skinner described his own position with the term radical behaviorism in an unpublished manuscript, and then in 1945 first referred in print to his views as such. Today, radical behaviorism is generally applied to Skinner's views alone. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of a similarity in Watson's and Skinner's positions on consciousness, which seems a possible historical and philosophical connection between their respective radical behaviorisms. PMID:22477958

  9. Developing nucleic acid-based electrical detection systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabig-Ciminska Magdalena

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Development of nucleic acid-based detection systems is the main focus of many research groups and high technology companies. The enormous work done in this field is particularly due to the broad versatility and variety of these sensing devices. From optical to electrical systems, from label-dependent to label-free approaches, from single to multi-analyte and array formats, this wide range of possibilities makes the research field very diversified and competitive. New challenges and requirements for an ideal detector suitable for nucleic acid analysis include high sensitivity and high specificity protocol that can be completed in a relatively short time offering at the same time low detection limit. Moreover, systems that can be miniaturized and automated present a significant advantage over conventional technology, especially if detection is needed in the field. Electrical system technology for nucleic acid-based detection is an enabling mode for making miniaturized to micro- and nanometer scale bio-monitoring devices via the fusion of modern micro- and nanofabrication technology and molecular biotechnology. The electrical biosensors that rely on the conversion of the Watson-Crick base-pair recognition event into a useful electrical signal are advancing rapidly, and recently are receiving much attention as a valuable tool for microbial pathogen detection. Pathogens may pose a serious threat to humans, animal and plants, thus their detection and analysis is a significant element of public health. Although different conventional methods for detection of pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins exist and are currently being applied, improvements of molecular-based detection methodologies have changed these traditional detection techniques and introduced a new era of rapid, miniaturized and automated electrical chip detection technologies into pathogen identification sector. In this review some developments and current directions in

  10. Watson's theorem and resonant pion photoproduction amplitude in the delta channel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wittman, R.; Davidson, R.; Mukhopadhyay, N.C.

    1984-01-01

    The CGLN and BL theories of the pion photoproduction on nucleons, used in nuclear calculations, are examined regarding their predictions of the resonant M 1 + and E 1 + multipoles. The nonunitary BL approach violates Watson's theorem, and predicts these multipoles porly. In the static limit, the CGLN multipoles satisfy Watson's theorem and are in fine agreement with data. The unitarized BL multipoles agree with those from the Olsson theory and data. (orig.)

  11. The association constant of 5',8-cyclo-2'-deoxyguanosine with cytidine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amedeo eCapobianco

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The association of 5',8-cyclo-2'-deoxyguanosine (cdG, a DNA tandem lesion, with its complementary base cytosine has been studied by voltammetry and NMR in chloroform, using properly silylated derivatives of the two nucleobases for increasing their solubilities. Both voltammetric data and NMR titrations indicated that the Watson-Crick complex of cytidine with cdG is weaker than that with guanosine, the difference being approximately of one order of magnitude between the two association constants.

  12. Replicative DNA polymerase mutations in cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heitzer, Ellen; Tomlinson, Ian

    2014-02-01

    Three DNA polymerases - Pol α, Pol δ and Pol ɛ - are essential for DNA replication. After initiation of DNA synthesis by Pol α, Pol δ or Pol ɛ take over on the lagging and leading strand respectively. Pol δ and Pol ɛ perform the bulk of replication with very high fidelity, which is ensured by Watson-Crick base pairing and 3'exonuclease (proofreading) activity. Yeast models have shown that mutations in the exonuclease domain of Pol δ and Pol ɛ homologues can cause a mutator phenotype. Recently, we identified germline exonuclease domain mutations (EDMs) in human POLD1 and POLE that predispose to 'polymerase proofreading associated polyposis' (PPAP), a disease characterised by multiple colorectal adenomas and carcinoma, with high penetrance and dominant inheritance. Moreover, somatic EDMs in POLE have also been found in sporadic colorectal and endometrial cancers. Tumors with EDMs are microsatellite stable and show an 'ultramutator' phenotype, with a dramatic increase in base substitutions. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  13. Allies and Competitors as Enscripted Audiences in Scientific Writing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Susan

    A set of much examined scientific papers which specifically portray a controversial topic and also manifest ally-peer and competitor-peer enscripted audiences are those written by James Watson and Francis Crick concerning their discovery of the structure of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA). The theoretical perspective of an ally-peer and…

  14. Monovalent cation induced structural transitions in telomeric DNAs: G-DNA folding intermediates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardin, C.C.; Watson, T.; Henderson, E.; Prosser, J.K.

    1991-01-01

    Telomeric DNA consists of G- and C-rich strands that are always polarized such that the G-rich strand extends past the 3' end of the duplex to form a 12-16-base overhang. These overhanging strands can self-associate in vitro to form intramolecular structures that have several unusual physical properties and at least one common feature, the presence of non-Watson-Crick G·G base pairs. The term G-DNA was coined for this class of structures. On the basis of gel electrophoresis, imino proton NMR, and circular dichroism (CD) results, the authors find that changing the counterions from sodium to potassium specifically induces conformational transitions in the G-rich telomeric DNA from Tetrahymena, d(T 2 G 4 ) 4 (TET4), which results in a change from the intramolecular species to an apparent multistranded structure, accompanied by an increase in the melting temperature of the base pairs of >25 degree, as monitored by loss of the imino proton NMR signals. They infer that the multistranded structure is a quadruplex. The results indicate that specific differences in ionic interactions can result in a switch in telomeric DNAs between intramolecular hairpin-like or quadruplex-containing species and intermolecular quadruplex structures, all of which involve G·G base pairing interaction. They propose a model in which duplex or hairpin forms of G-DNA are folding intermediates in the formation of either 1-, 2-, or 4-stranded quadruplex structures

  15. Multispectroscopic and Theoretical Exploration of the Comparative Binding Aspects of Bioflavonoid Fisetin with Triple- and Double-Helical Forms of RNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhuiya, Sutanwi; Haque, Lucy; Goswami, Rapti; Das, Suman

    2017-12-14

    The interactions of RNA triplex (U.A*U) and duplex (A.U) with naturally occurring flavonoid fisetin (FTN) have been examined at pH 7.0 using various spectroscopic, viscometric, and theoretical studies. Experimental observations showed that the ligand binds with both double- and triple-helical forms of RNA, although the binding affinity is greater for the triplex structure (5.94 × 10 6 M -1 ) compared to that for the duplex counterpart (1.0 × 10 5 M -1 ). Thermal melting experiments revealed that the Hoogsteen base-paired third strand of triplex was stabilized to a greater extent (∼14 °C) compared with the Watson-Crick base-paired second strand (∼4 °C) in the presence of FTN. From fluorimetric study, we observed that U.A*U and A.U primarily bind to the photoproduced tautomer of FTN in the excited state. Steady-state and time-resolved anisotropy measurements illustrate considerable modulations of the spectroscopic properties of the tautomeric FTN within the RNA environment. Viscometric, fluorescence quenching, and thermal melting studies all together support the mode of binding to be intercalation. Theoretical study explains the experimental absorption and emission (dual fluorescence) behavior of FTN along with the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer process.

  16. Radical-pair based avian magnetoreception

    Science.gov (United States)

    Procopio, Maria; Ritz, Thorsten

    2014-03-01

    Behavioural experiments suggest that migratory birds possess a magnetic compass sensor able to detect the direction of the geomagnetic. One hypothesis for the basis of this remarkable sensory ability is that the coherent quantum spin dynamics of photoinduced radical pair reactions transduces directional magnetic information from the geomagnetic field into changes of reaction yields, possibly involving the photoreceptor cryptochrome in the birds retina. The suggested radical-pair based avian magnetoreception has attracted attention in the field of quantum biology as an example of a biological sensor which might exploit quantum coherences for its biological function. Investigations on such a spin-based sensor have focussed on uncovering the design features for the design of a biomimetic magnetic field sensor. We study the effects of slow fluctuations in the nuclear spin environment on the directional signal. We quantitatively evaluate the robustness of signals under fluctuations on a timescale longer than the lifetime of a radical pair, utilizing two models of radical pairs. Our results suggest design principles for building a radical-pair based compass sensor that is both robust and highly directional sensitive.

  17. Watson's behaviorism: a comparison of the two editions (1925 and 1930).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpintero, Helio

    2004-05-01

    J.B. Watson's Behaviorism, a complete presentation of the mature psychological points of view of its author, had 2 editions, in 1925 and 1930, which presented significant differences in their texts. Although Watson maximized such variations, to the point of considering the 2nd edition as nearly a brand-new book, both suppressions and additions reveal his feelings when presenting his ideas to a general audience. Such variations are here presented through an in-depth analysis.

  18. Secondary structures of rRNAs from all three domains of life.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anton S Petrov

    Full Text Available Accurate secondary structures are important for understanding ribosomes, which are extremely large and highly complex. Using 3D structures of ribosomes as input, we have revised and corrected traditional secondary (2° structures of rRNAs. We identify helices by specific geometric and molecular interaction criteria, not by co-variation. The structural approach allows us to incorporate non-canonical base pairs on parity with Watson-Crick base pairs. The resulting rRNA 2° structures are up-to-date and consistent with three-dimensional structures, and are information-rich. These 2° structures are relatively simple to understand and are amenable to reproduction and modification by end-users. The 2° structures made available here broadly sample the phylogenetic tree and are mapped with a variety of data related to molecular interactions and geometry, phylogeny and evolution. We have generated 2° structures for both large subunit (LSU 23S/28S and small subunit (SSU 16S/18S rRNAs of Escherichia coli, Thermus thermophilus, Haloarcula marismortui (LSU rRNA only, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Drosophila melanogaster, and Homo sapiens. We provide high-resolution editable versions of the 2° structures in several file formats. For the SSU rRNA, the 2° structures use an intuitive representation of the central pseudoknot where base triples are presented as pairs of base pairs. Both LSU and SSU secondary maps are available (http://apollo.chemistry.gatech.edu/RibosomeGallery. Mapping of data onto 2° structures was performed on the RiboVision server (http://apollo.chemistry.gatech.edu/RiboVision.

  19. Aqua[bis(pyrimidin-2-yl-kappa N)amine](carbonato-kappa 2O,O')copper(II) dihydrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Albada, Gerard A; Mutikainen, Ilpo; Turpeinen, Urho; Reedijk, Jan

    2002-03-01

    The title mononuclear complex, [Cu(CO(3))(C(8)H(7)N(5))(H(2)O)] x 2H(2)O, was obtained by fixation of CO(2) by a mixture of copper(II) tetrafluoroborate and the ligand bis(pyrimidin-2-yl)amine in ethanol/water. The Cu(II) ion of the complex has a distorted square-pyramidal environment, with a basal plane formed by two N atoms of the ligand and two chelating O atoms of the carbonate group, while the apical position is occupied by the O atom of the coordinating water molecule. In the solid state, hydrogen-bonding interactions are dominant, the most unusual being the Watson-Crick-type coplanar ligand pairing through two N--H...N bonds. Lattice water molecules also participate in hydrogen bonding.

  20. Volume Estimates in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients by the Watson Equation and Bioimpedance Spectroscopy and the Impact on the Kt/Vurea calculation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noori, Nazanin; Wald, Ron; Sharma Parpia, Arti; Goldstein, Marc B

    2018-01-01

    Accurate assessment of total body water (TBW) is essential for the evaluation of dialysis adequacy (Kt/V urea ). The Watson formula, which is recommended for the calculation of TBW, was derived in healthy volunteers thereby leading to potentially inaccurate TBW estimates in maintenance hemodialysis recipients. Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) may be a robust alternative for the measurement of TBW in hemodialysis recipients. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Watson formula-derived TBW estimates as compared with TBW measured with BIS. Second, we aimed to identify the anthropometric characteristics that are most likely to generate inaccuracy when using the Watson formula to calculate TBW. Finally, we derived novel anthropometric equations for the more accurate estimation of TBW. This was a cross-sectional study of prevalent in-center HD patients at St Michael's Hospital. One hundred eighty-four hemodialysis patients (109 men and 75 women) were evaluated in this study. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, waist circumference, midarm circumference, and 4-site skinfold (biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac) thickness were measured; fat mass was measured using the formula by Durnin and Womersley. We measured TBW by BIS using the Body Composition Monitor (Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany). We used the Bland-Altman method to calculate the difference between the TBW derived from the Watson method and the BIS. To derive new equations for TBW estimation, Pearson's correlation coefficients between BIS-TBW (the reference test) and other variables were examined. We used the least squares regression analysis to develop parsimonious equations to predict TBW. TBW values based on the Watson method had a high correlation with BIS-TBW (correlation coefficients = 0.87 and P Watson formula overestimated TBW by 5.1 (4.5-5.8) liters and 3.8 (3.0-4.5) liters, in men and women, respectively. Higher fat mass and waist

  1. Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids. A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid. J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick. Medical Research Council Unit for the Study of the Molecular Structure of Biological. Systems, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge. April 2. We wish to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid ...

  2. Multiparent intercross populations in analysis of quantitative traits

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2012-04-17

    Apr 17, 2012 ... Discovery of DNA structure by Watson and Crick (1953), and subsequent ... tified 11 QTL for seed dormancy in Arabidopsis by simul- taneously analysing six ..... for seed dormancy in Arabidopsis is regulated by additive genetic and .... Sax K. 1923 Association of size differences with seed–coat pat- tern and ...

  3. A conversation with Geoff Watson

    OpenAIRE

    Beran, R. J.; Fisher, N. I.

    1998-01-01

    Geoffrey Stuart Watson, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, celebrated his 75th birthday on December 3, 1996. A native Australian, his early education included Bendigo High School and Scotch College in Melbourne. After graduating with a B.A. (Hons.) from Melbourne University in December 1942, he spent the next few years, during and after World War II, doing research and teaching on applied mathematical topics. His wandering as a scholar began in 1947, when he became ...

  4. de Jean Watson

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thaís Schossler

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Este estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer la percepción del cuidador domiciliario del anciano acerca del cuidado de sí mismo, teniendo como base teórica a Jean Watson en su Teoría del Cuidado Humano. La investigación se caracterizó por un abordaje cualitativo, de tipo exploratorio-descriptivo, el cual fue desarrollado en la Unidad de la Vila Floresta con nueve cuidadores domiciliarios de ancianos, integrantes del Programa de Atención a Domicilio. La recolección de informaciones se realizó en el período de agosto a octubre de 2006, por medio de una entrevista parcialmente estructurada. Se utilizó el análisis de contenido de Bardin y emergieron las categorías: compartir el cuidado al anciano - una posibilidad para cuidar de sí mismo; descansar, pasear, dormir, uno no tiene más ese derecho; presencia de la familia: una necesidad sentida por el cuidador domiciliar; (desequilibrio del cuerpo físico y mental, una resultante percibida en el (descuidado de sí mismo. Se concluye que el cuidador domiciliario es el principal responsable por el cuidado del anciano y que el cuidado de sí mismo se hace presente en su realidad.

  5. A review on architecture of the gag-pol ribosomal frameshifting RNA in human immunodeficiency virus: a variability survey of virus genotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Qi; Yan, Yanhua; Guo, Jinmei; Du, Shuqiang; Zhang, Jiangtao; Jia, Ruyue; Ren, Haimin; Qiao, Yuanbiao; Li, Qingshan

    2017-06-01

    Programmed '-1' ribosomal frameshifting is necessary for expressing the pol gene overlapped from a gag of human immunodeficiency virus. A viral RNA structure that requires base pairing across the overlapping sequence region suggests a mechanism of regulating ribosome and helicase traffic during expression. To get precise roles of an element around the frameshift site, a review on architecture of the frameshifting RNA is performed in combination of reported information with augments of a representative set of 19 viral samples. In spite of a different length for the viral RNAs, a canonical comparison on the element sequence allocation is performed for viewing variability associations between virus genotypes. Additionally, recent and historical insights recognized in frameshifting regulation are looked back as for indel and single nucleotide polymorphism of RNA. As specially noted, structural changes at a frameshift site, the spacer sequence, and a three-helix junction element, as well as two Watson-Crick base pairs near a bulge and a C-G pair close a loop, are the most vital strategies for the virus frameshifting regulations. All of structural changes, which are dependent upon specific sequence variations, facilitate an elucidation about the RNA element conformation-dependent mechanism for frameshifting. These facts on disrupting base pair interactions also allow solving the problem of competition between ribosome and helicase on a same RNA template, common to single-stranded RNA viruses. In a broad perspective, each new insight of frameshifting regulation in the competition systems introduced by the RNA element construct changes will offer a compelling target for antiviral therapy.

  6. Visualization of drug-nucleic acid interactions at atomic resolution. II. Structure of an ethidium/dinucleoside monophosphate crystalline complex, ethidium:5-iodocytidylyl(3'5')guanosine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jain, S C; Tsair, C C; Sobell, H M

    1977-01-01

    Ethidium forms a second crystalline complex with the dinucleoside monophosphate 5-iodocytidyl(3'-5')guanosine (iodoCpG). These crystals are monoclinic, P2/sub 1/, with a = 14.06 A, b = 32.34 A, c = 16.53 A, ..beta.. = 117.8/sup 0/. The structure has been solved to atomic resolution using rigid-body Patterson vector search and Fourier methods, and refined by full matrix least-squares to a residual of 0.16 on 3180 observed reflections. Both iodoCpG molecules are hydrogen-bonded together by guanine.cytosine Watson--Crick base-pairing. Adjacent base-pairs within this paired iodoCpG structure and between neighboring iodoCpG molecules in adjoining unit cells are separated by 6.7 A. Approximate 2-fold symmetry is used in the interaction; this reflects the pseudo-2-fold symmetry axis of the phenanthridinium ring system in ethidium coinciding with the approximate 2-fold axis relating base-paired iodoCpG molecules. The phenyl and ethyl groups of the intercalated ethidium molecule lie in the narrow groove of the miniature iodoCpG double-helix. The stacked ethidium, however, lies in the opposite direction, its phenyl and ethyl groups neighboring iodine atoms on cytosine residues. Base-pairs within the paired nucleotide units are related by a twist of about 8/sup 0/. The magnitude of this angular twist reflects conformational changes in the sugar--phosphate chains accompanying intercalation. These primarily reflect the differences in ribose sugar ring puckering that are observed (i.e., both iodocytidine residues have C3' endo sugar conformations, while both guanosine residues have C2' endo sugar conformations), and alterations in the glycosidic torsional angles that describe the base-sugar orientation.

  7. 10 años de la secuenciación del genoma humano: Encuentro entre el imaginario y la realidad

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Teresa Reguero Reza

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Lejano parece en año de 1953 cuando se publica en Nature un artículo sobre la estructura helicoidal de ADN, propuesta por dos investigadores, el británico Francis Crick y el estadounidense James Watson, lo que constituyó la piedra angular de los procesos de secuenciación.

  8. IBM Watson Analytics: Automating Visualization, Descriptive, and Predictive Statistics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyt, Robert Eugene; Snider, Dallas; Thompson, Carla; Mantravadi, Sarita

    2016-10-11

    We live in an era of explosive data generation that will continue to grow and involve all industries. One of the results of this explosion is the need for newer and more efficient data analytics procedures. Traditionally, data analytics required a substantial background in statistics and computer science. In 2015, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) released the IBM Watson Analytics (IBMWA) software that delivered advanced statistical procedures based on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The latest entry of Watson Analytics into the field of analytical software products provides users with enhanced functions that are not available in many existing programs. For example, Watson Analytics automatically analyzes datasets, examines data quality, and determines the optimal statistical approach. Users can request exploratory, predictive, and visual analytics. Using natural language processing (NLP), users are able to submit additional questions for analyses in a quick response format. This analytical package is available free to academic institutions (faculty and students) that plan to use the tools for noncommercial purposes. To report the features of IBMWA and discuss how this software subjectively and objectively compares to other data mining programs. The salient features of the IBMWA program were examined and compared with other common analytical platforms, using validated health datasets. Using a validated dataset, IBMWA delivered similar predictions compared with several commercial and open source data mining software applications. The visual analytics generated by IBMWA were similar to results from programs such as Microsoft Excel and Tableau Software. In addition, assistance with data preprocessing and data exploration was an inherent component of the IBMWA application. Sensitivity and specificity were not included in the IBMWA predictive analytics results, nor were odds ratios, confidence intervals, or a confusion matrix

  9. Structural Properties of G,T-Parallel Duplexes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Aviñó

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The structure of G,T-parallel-stranded duplexes of DNA carrying similar amounts of adenine and guanine residues is studied by means of molecular dynamics (MD simulations and UV- and CD spectroscopies. In addition the impact of the substitution of adenine by 8-aminoadenine and guanine by 8-aminoguanine is analyzed. The presence of 8-aminoadenine and 8-aminoguanine stabilizes the parallel duplex structure. Binding of these oligonucleotides to their target polypyrimidine sequences to form the corresponding G,T-parallel triplex was not observed. Instead, when unmodified parallel-stranded duplexes were mixed with their polypyrimidine target, an interstrand Watson-Crick duplex was formed. As predicted by theoretical calculations parallel-stranded duplexes carrying 8-aminopurines did not bind to their target. The preference for the parallel-duplex over the Watson-Crick antiparallel duplex is attributed to the strong stabilization of the parallel duplex produced by the 8-aminopurines. Theoretical studies show that the isomorphism of the triads is crucial for the stability of the parallel triplex.

  10. Elementary? Question Answering, IBM's Watson, and the Jeopardy ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    IAS Admin

    One of the most readable accounts of early AI systems, including. NLP systems, may be .... tions of these questions to annotations of information segments in ..... Watson as a decision-aide rather than as a decision-maker will be a safe step ...

  11. Programmable molecular recognition based on the geometry of DNA nanostructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Sungwook; Rothemund, Paul W K

    2011-07-10

    From ligand-receptor binding to DNA hybridization, molecular recognition plays a central role in biology. Over the past several decades, chemists have successfully reproduced the exquisite specificity of biomolecular interactions. However, engineering multiple specific interactions in synthetic systems remains difficult. DNA retains its position as the best medium with which to create orthogonal, isoenergetic interactions, based on the complementarity of Watson-Crick binding. Here we show that DNA can be used to create diverse bonds using an entirely different principle: the geometric arrangement of blunt-end stacking interactions. We show that both binary codes and shape complementarity can serve as a basis for such stacking bonds, and explore their specificity, thermodynamics and binding rules. Orthogonal stacking bonds were used to connect five distinct DNA origami. This work, which demonstrates how a single attractive interaction can be developed to create diverse bonds, may guide strategies for molecular recognition in systems beyond DNA nanostructures.

  12. X-Ray Diffraction and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crouse, David T.

    2007-01-01

    A method is described for teaching the analysis of X-ray diffraction of DNA through a series of steps utilizing the original methods used by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. The X-ray diffraction pattern led to the conclusion of the basic helical structure of DNA and its dimensions while basic chemical principles…

  13. DNA Mapping Made Simple: An Intellectual Activity about the Genetic Modification of Organisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marques, Miguel; Arrabaca, Joao; Chagas, Isabel

    2004-01-01

    Since the discovery of the DNA double helix (in 1953 by Watson and Crick), technologies have been developed that allow scientists to manipulate the genome of bacteria to produce human hormones, as well as the genome of crop plants to achieve high yield and enhanced flavor. The universality of the genetic code has allowed DNA isolated from a…

  14. Visualization of drug-nucleic acid interactions at atomic resolution. I. Structure of an ethidium/dinucleoside monophosphate crystalline complex, ethidium:5-iodouridylyl(3'5')adenosine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsai, C C; Jain, S C; Sobell, H M

    1977-01-01

    Ethidium forms a crystalline complex with the dinucleoside monophosphate 5-iodouridyly(3'-5')adenosine (iodoUpA). These crystals are monoclinic, space group C2, with unit cell dimensions, a = 28.45 A, b = 13.54 A, c = 34.13 A, ..beta.. = 98.6/sup 0/. The structure has been solved to atomic resolution by Patterson and Fourier methods, and refined by full matrix least-squares to a residual of 0.20 on 2017 observed reflections. The asymmetric unit contains two ethidium molecules, two iodoUpA molecules and 27 water molecules, a total of 155 atoms excluding hydrogens. The two iodoUpA molecules are held together by adenine.uracil Watson--Crick-type base-pairing. Adjacent base-pairs within this paired iodoUpA structure and between neighboring iodoUpA molecules in adjoining unit cells are separated by about 6.7 A; this separation results from intercalative binding by one ethidium molecule and stacking by the other ethidium molecule above and below the base-pairs. Non-crystallographic 2-fold symmetry is utilized in this model drug--nucleic acid interaction, the intercalated ethidium molecule being oriented such that its phenyl and ethyl groups lie in the narrow groove of the miniature nucleic acid double-helix. Base-pairs within the paired nucleotide units are related by a twist of 8/sup 0/. The magnitude of this angular twist is related to conformational changes in the sugar--phosphate chains that accompany drug intercalation. These changes partly reflect the differences in ribose sugar ring puckering that are observed. Additional small but systematic changes occur in torsional angles that involve the phosphodiester linkages and the C4'--C5' bond. Solution studies have indicated a marked sequence-specific binding preference in ethidium--dinucleotide interactions, and a probable structural explanation for this is provided by this study.

  15. Relativistic generalisation of the Kroll-Watson formula

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaminski, J.Z.

    1985-01-01

    The relativistic analogue of the space-translation method is derived. Using this method the generalisation of the Kroll-Watson formula [1973, Phys. Rev. A. 8 804] is obtained for the scattering of an arbitrary charged particle (e.g. mesons, hyperons, quarks, etc). The separation of the background and resonant parts of the scattering amplitude is predicted. (author)

  16. Enzymatic primer-extension with glycerol-nucleoside triphosphates on DNA templates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesse J Chen

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Glycerol nucleic acid (GNA has an acyclic phosphoglycerol backbone repeat-unit, but forms stable duplexes based on Watson-Crick base-pairing. Because of its structural simplicity, GNA is of particular interest with respect to the possibility of evolving functional polymers by in vitro selection. Template-dependent GNA synthesis is essential to any GNA-based selection system. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we investigated the ability of various DNA polymerases to use glycerol-nucleoside triphosphates (gNTPs as substrates for GNA synthesis on DNA templates. Therminator DNA polymerase catalyzes quantitative primer-extension by the incorporation of two glyceronucleotides, with much less efficient extension up to five glyceronucleotides. Steady-state kinetic experiments suggested that GNA synthesis by Therminator was affected by both decreased catalytic rates and weakened substrate binding, especially for pyrimidines. In an attempt to improve pyrimidine incorporation by providing additional stacking interactions, we synthesized two new gNTP analogs with 5-propynyl substituted pyrimidine nucleobases. This led to more efficient incorporation of gC, but not gT. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that directed evolution of Therminator might lead to mutants with improved substrate binding and catalytic efficiency.

  17. DNA nanovehicles and the biological barriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Okholm, Anders Hauge; Kjems, Jørgen

    2016-01-01

    DNA is emerging as a smart material to construct nanovehicles for targeted drug delivery. The programmability of Watson-Crick base paring enables construction of defined and dynamic DNA nanostructures of almost arbitrary shape and DNA can readily be functionalized with a variety of molecular...... be overcome. Here, we highlight recent strategies for DNA nanostructures in drug delivery, DNA nanovehicles, to facilitate targeting and crossing of the biological barriers. In light of this, we discuss future solutions and challenges for DNA nanovehicles to unravel their great potential to facilitate...

  18. A comparative study of the second-order Born and Faddeev-Watson approximations for electron-atom collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fargher, H.E.; Roberts, M.J.

    1983-01-01

    Simplified versions of the second-order Born and Faddeev-Watson approximations are applied to the excitation of the n=2 levels of atomic hydrogen by the impact of 54.4 eV electrons. The theories are compared with the measurements of differential cross sections and angular correlation parameters. The results indicate that the Born approximation is better at low angles of scattering but that the Faddeev-Watson approximation is better at high angles. The importance of the phases of the two-body T matrices in the Faddeev-Watson approximation is illustrated. (author)

  19. Toward transferable interatomic van der Waals interactions without electrons: The role of multipole electrostatics and many-body dispersion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bereau, Tristan; Lilienfeld, O. Anatole von

    2014-01-01

    We estimate polarizabilities of atoms in molecules without electron density, using a Voronoi tesselation approach instead of conventional density partitioning schemes. The resulting atomic dispersion coefficients are calculated, as well as many-body dispersion effects on intermolecular potential energies. We also estimate contributions from multipole electrostatics and compare them to dispersion. We assess the performance of the resulting intermolecular interaction model from dispersion and electrostatics for more than 1300 neutral and charged, small organic molecular dimers. Applications to water clusters, the benzene crystal, the anti-cancer drug ellipticine—intercalated between two Watson-Crick DNA base pairs, as well as six macro-molecular host-guest complexes highlight the potential of this method and help to identify points of future improvement. The mean absolute error made by the combination of static electrostatics with many-body dispersion reduces at larger distances, while it plateaus for two-body dispersion, in conflict with the common assumption that the simple 1/R 6 correction will yield proper dissociative tails. Overall, the method achieves an accuracy well within conventional molecular force fields while exhibiting a simple parametrization protocol

  20. Thermal denaturation of A-DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valle-Orero, J; Wildes, A R; Theodorakopoulos, N; Cuesta-López, S; Peyrard, M; Garden, J-L; Danilkin, S

    2014-01-01

    The DNA molecule can take various conformational forms. Investigations focus mainly on the so-called ‘B-form’, schematically drawn in the famous paper by Watson and Crick [1]. This is the usual form of DNA in a biological environment and is the only form that is stable in an aqueous environment. Other forms, however, can teach us much about DNA. They have the same nucleotide base pairs for ‘building blocks’ as B-DNA, but with different relative positions, and studying these forms gives insight into the interactions between elements under conditions far from equilibrium in the B-form. Studying the thermal denaturation is particularly interesting because it provides a direct probe of those interactions which control the growth of the fluctuations when the ‘melting’ temperature is approached. Here we report such a study on the ‘A-form’ using calorimetry and neutron scattering. We show that it can be carried further than a similar study on B-DNA, requiring the improvement of thermodynamic models for DNA. (paper)

  1. Electron-Impact Ionization and Dissociative Ionization of Biomolecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huo, Winifred M.; Chaban, Galina M.; Dateo, Christopher E.

    2006-01-01

    It is well recognized that secondary electrons play an important role in radiation damage to humans. Particularly important is the damage of DNA by electrons, potentially leading to mutagenesis. Molecular-level study of electron interaction with DNA provides information on the damage pathways and dominant mechanisms. Our study of electron-impact ionization of DNA fragments uses the improved binary-encounter dipole model and covers DNA bases, sugar phosphate backbone, and nucleotides. An additivity principle is observed. For example, the sum of the ionization cross sections of the separate deoxyribose and phosphate fragments is in close agreement with the C3(sup prime)- and C5 (sup prime)-deoxyribose-phospate cross sections, differing by less than 5%. Investigation of tandem double lesion initiated by electron-impact dissociative ionization of guanine, followed by proton reaction with the cytosine in the Watson-Crick pair, is currently being studied to see if tandem double lesion can be initiated by electron impact. Up to now only OH-induced tandem double lesion has been studied.

  2. Toward transferable interatomic van der Waals interactions without electrons: The role of multipole electrostatics and many-body dispersion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bereau, Tristan, E-mail: bereau@mpip-mainz.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany and Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, 4056 Basel (Switzerland); Lilienfeld, O. Anatole von [Department of Chemistry, Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland and Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)

    2014-07-21

    We estimate polarizabilities of atoms in molecules without electron density, using a Voronoi tesselation approach instead of conventional density partitioning schemes. The resulting atomic dispersion coefficients are calculated, as well as many-body dispersion effects on intermolecular potential energies. We also estimate contributions from multipole electrostatics and compare them to dispersion. We assess the performance of the resulting intermolecular interaction model from dispersion and electrostatics for more than 1300 neutral and charged, small organic molecular dimers. Applications to water clusters, the benzene crystal, the anti-cancer drug ellipticine—intercalated between two Watson-Crick DNA base pairs, as well as six macro-molecular host-guest complexes highlight the potential of this method and help to identify points of future improvement. The mean absolute error made by the combination of static electrostatics with many-body dispersion reduces at larger distances, while it plateaus for two-body dispersion, in conflict with the common assumption that the simple 1/R{sup 6} correction will yield proper dissociative tails. Overall, the method achieves an accuracy well within conventional molecular force fields while exhibiting a simple parametrization protocol.

  3. Thioflavin T binds dimeric parallel-stranded GA-containing non-G-quadruplex DNAs: a general approach to lighting up double-stranded scaffolds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shuangna; Peng, Pai; Wang, Huihui; Shi, Lili; Li, Tao

    2017-12-01

    A molecular rotor thioflavin T (ThT) is usually used as a fluorescent ligand specific for G-quadruplexes. Here, we demonstrate that ThT can tightly bind non-G-quadruplex DNAs with several GA motifs and dimerize them in a parallel double-stranded mode, accompanied by over 100-fold enhancement in the fluorescence emission of ThT. The introduction of reverse Watson-Crick T-A base pairs into these dimeric parallel-stranded DNA systems remarkably favors the binding of ThT into the pocket between G•G and A•A base pairs, where ThT is encapsulated thereby restricting its two rotary aromatic rings in the excited state. A similar mechanism is also demonstrated in antiparallel DNA duplexes where several motifs of two consecutive G•G wobble base pairs are incorporated and serve as the active pockets for ThT binding. The insight into the interactions of ThT with non-G-quadruplex DNAs allows us to introduce a new concept for constructing DNA-based sensors and devices. As proof-of-concept experiments, we design a DNA triplex containing GA motifs in its Hoogsteen hydrogen-bonded two parallel strands as a pH-driven nanoswitch and two GA-containing parallel duplexes as novel metal sensing platforms where C-C and T-T mismatches are included. This work may find further applications in biological systems (e.g. disease gene detection) where parallel duplex or triplex stretches are involved. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  4. First a hero of science and now a martyr to science: the James Watson Affair - political correctness crushes free scientific communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlton, Bruce G

    2008-01-01

    In 2007 James D. Watson, perhaps the most famous living scientist, was forced to retire from his position and retreat from public life in the face of international mass media condemnation following remarks concerning genetically-caused racial differences in intelligence. Watson was punished for stating forthright views on topics that elite opinion has determined should be discussed only with elaborate caution, frequent disclaimers, and solemn deference to the currently-prevailing pieties. James Watson has always struck many people as brash; however this blunt, truth-telling quality was intrinsic to his role in one of the greatest scientific discoveries. Much more importantly than 'good manners', Watson has consistently exemplified the cardinal scientific virtue: he speaks what he understands to be the truth without regard for the opinion of others. The most chilling aspect of the Watson Affair was the way in which so many influential members of the scientific research community joined the media condemnation directed against Watson. Perhaps the most egregious betrayal of science was an article by editorialists of the premier UK scientific journal Nature. Instead of defending the freedom of discourse in pursuit of scientific truth, Nature instead blamed Watson for being 'crass' and lacking 'sensitivity' in discussing human genetic differences. But if asked to choose between the 'sensitive' editors of Nature or the 'crass' genius of James D. Watson, all serious scientists must take the side of Watson. Because when a premier researcher such as Watson is hounded from office by a vicious, arbitrary and untruthful mob; all lesser scientists are made vulnerable to analogous treatment at the whim of the media. A zealous and coercive brand of 'political correctness' is now making the biological truth of human genetic differences intolerably difficult to discover and discuss in US and UK. This needs to change. My hope is that truth will prevail over political correctness and

  5. The form of electron-atom excitation amplitudes at high momentum transfers in the Faddeev-Watson approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Catalan, G.; Roberts, M.J.

    1979-01-01

    A form of the off-shell Coulomb T matrix, which has a well defined on-shell limit, is used in the Faddeev-Watson multiple-scattering expansion for a direct three-body collision process. Using the excitation of atomic hydrogen by electron impact as an example, approximations to the second-order terms, which are valid for high momentum transfers of the incident electron, are derived. It is shown how the resulting asymptotic behaviour of the second-order Faddeev-Watson approximation is related to the high momentum transfer limit of the second Born approximation. The results are generalised to the excitation of more complex atoms. The asymptotic forms of the Faddeev-Watson and Born approximations are compared with other theories and with measurements of differential cross sections and angular correlation parameters for the excitation of H(2p) and He(2 1 P). The results indicate that the Faddeev-Watson approximation converges more rapidly at high momentum transfers than does the Born approximation. (author)

  6. Nanotechnology: Threats and Deterrent Opportunities by 2035

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-17

    22. 17 James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA ) in 1953. 18 Self-replication is when nanoscale machine...which then improves researchers’ understanding of critical, computationally intensive fields of study like DNA .17 These complementary scientific and...researchers’ clarity on critical medical issues like Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA ). 102 Omar Khayyam, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (NY: Random House, 1947

  7. Nuclear histochemistry: Its history in fifty volumes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.G. Manfredi Romanini

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The fiftieth anniversary of the double helix was marked two years ago. The elucidation of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick can rightfully be considered to be "the" milestone in modern biology because it has conditioned the explosive growth in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the structural and functional organization of single cells and multicellular organisms....

  8. A proposal for re-defining the way the aetiology of schizophrenia ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2010-02-03

    Feb 3, 2010 ... ``The two big problems – the nature of development and the nature of the mind – are being subdued. I don't know whether there will be beautiful, general theories to come out of this – something really nice like Watson and Crick's double helix – or whether there will be an accumulation of more and more ...

  9. A 3D-DNA Molecule Made of PlayMais

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caine, Massimo; Horié, Ninon; Zuchuat, Sandrine; Weber, Aurélia; Ducret, Verena; Linder, Patrick; Perron, Karl

    2015-01-01

    More than 60 years have passed since the work of Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Francis Crick led to the discovery of the 3D-DNA double-helix structure. Nowadays, due to the simple and elegant architecture of its double helix, the structure of DNA is widely known. The biological role of the DNA molecule (e.g., genetic information), however,…

  10. Computational and Empirical Trans-hydrogen Bond Deuterium Isotope Shifts Suggest that N1-N3 A:U Hydrogen Bonds of RNA are Shorter than those of A:T Hydrogen Bonds of DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong-Ick; Manalo, Marlon N.; Perez, Lisa M.; LiWang, Andy

    2006-01-01

    Density functional theory calculations of isolated Watson-Crick A:U and A:T base pairs predict that adenine 13 C2 trans-hydrogen bond deuterium isotope shifts due to isotopic substitution at the pyrimidine H3, 2h Δ 13 C2, are sensitive to the hydrogen-bond distance between the N1 of adenine and the N3 of uracil or thymine, which supports the notion that 2h Δ 13 C2 is sensitive to hydrogen-bond strength. Calculated 2h Δ 13 C2 values at a given N1-N3 distance are the same for isolated A:U and A:T base pairs. Replacing uridine residues in RNA with 5-methyl uridine and substituting deoxythymidines in DNA with deoxyuridines do not statistically shift empirical 2h Δ 13 C2 values. Thus, we show experimentally and computationally that the C7 methyl group of thymine has no measurable affect on 2h Δ 13 C2 values. Furthermore, 2h Δ 13 C2 values of modified and unmodified RNA are more negative than those of modified and unmodified DNA, which supports our hypothesis that RNA hydrogen bonds are stronger than those of DNA. It is also shown here that 2h Δ 13 C2 is context dependent and that this dependence is similar for RNA and DNA

  11. Electron attachment to the guanine-cytosine nucleic acid base pair and the effects of monohydration and proton transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Ashutosh; Jaeger, Heather M; Compaan, Katherine R; Schaefer, Henry F

    2012-05-17

    The guanine-cytosine (GC) radical anion and its interaction with a single water molecule is studied using ab initio and density functional methods. Z-averaged second-order perturbation theory (ZAPT2) was applied to GC radical anion for the first time. Predicted spin densities show that the radical character is localized on cytosine. The Watson-Crick monohydrated GC anion is compared to neutral GC·H2O, as well as to the proton-transferred analogue on the basis of structural and energetic properties. In all three systems, local minima are identified that correspond to water positioned in the major and minor grooves of macromolecular DNA. On the anionic surface, two novel structures have water positioned above or below the GC plane. On the neutral and anionic surfaces, the global minimum can be described as water interacting with the minor groove. These structures are predicted to have hydration energies of 9.7 and 11.8 kcal mol(-1), respectively. Upon interbase proton-transfer (PT), the anionic global minimum has water positioned in the major groove, and the hydration energy increases to 13.4 kcal mol(-1). PT GC·H2O(•-) has distonic character; the radical character resides on cytosine, while the negative charge is localized on guanine. The effects of proton transfer are further investigated through the computed adiabatic electron affinities (AEA) of GC and monohydrated GC, and the vertical detachment energies (VDE) of the corresponding anions. Monohydration increases the AEAs and VDEs by only 0.1 eV, while proton-transfer increases the VDEs substantially (0.8 eV). The molecular charge distribution of monohydrated guanine-cytosine radical anion depends heavily on interbase proton transfer.

  12. O pensamento em Watson: rompendo com o legado metafísico e buscando uma referência materializante

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cláudio Ivan de Oliveira

    Full Text Available O trabalho de Watson sobre o pensamento foi tratado inadequadamente por muitos intérpretes, gerando uma lacuna na interpretação histórica visto que Watson exerceu ampla influência sobre a Psicologia. Nosso objetivo é sanar parte deste problema esclarecendo as principais posições de Watson sobre pensamento. Nossa hipótese é que a teoria watsoniana sobre o pensamento como hábito é uma forma de referencialização materializante influenciada pela desmetafisicização do pensamento Ocidental proveniente do Iluminismo. Admitimos que a teoria de Watson reproduziu premissas do erro de categoria cartesiano. Assumimos também que a prioritária associação entre pensamento e linguagem watsoniana denuncia influências indiretas da tradição filosófica grega clássica.

  13. Derivation of the Crick-Wyman equation for allosteric proteins defining the difference between the number of binding sites and the Hill coefficient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poitevin, Frédéric; Edelstein, Stuart J

    2013-05-13

    In response to a 100-word footnote in the 1965 article by Monod, Wyman, and Changeux, a detailed manuscript signed by Francis Crick and Jeffries Wyman with 6000 words and 30 equations entitled "A Footnote on Allostery" circulated in 1965 among a limited group of scientists interested in allosteric interactions. This interesting and provocative document is published in this special issue for the first time. An intriguing equation in their text relates the difference between n (the number of ligand binding sites) and n' (the Hill coefficient) to the ratio of the saturation functions Y¯, for oligomers with n-1 and n binding sites. A compact derivation of this equation was not provided by Crick and Wyman, but one is presented here based on a definition of Y¯ involving the binding polynomial and its first derivative. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. A comparative study of the second-order Born and Faddeev-Watson approximations: Pt. 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roberts, M.J.

    1988-01-01

    Singularities which arise in the second-order Born and Faddeev-Watson approximations for ionisation processes are examined. A regularisation procedure for the latter is suggested. Comparison with He(e,2e)He + experimental data in symmetric coplanar energy-sharing kinematics shows that the second-order Faddeev-Watson approximation is inferior to the second Born results of Byron et al. (1985. J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Phys. 18, 3203). (author)

  15. Germline and somatic polymerase ε and δ mutations define a new class of hypermutated colorectal and endometrial cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briggs, Sarah; Tomlinson, Ian

    2013-06-01

    Polymerases ε and δ are the main enzymes that replicate eukaryotic DNA. Accurate replication occurs through Watson-Crick base pairing and also through the action of the polymerases' exonuclease (proofreading) domains. We have recently shown that germline exonuclease domain mutations (EDMs) of POLE and POLD1 confer a high risk of multiple colorectal adenomas and carcinoma (CRC). POLD1 mutations also predispose to endometrial cancer (EC). These mutations are associated with high penetrance and dominant inheritance, although the phenotype can be variable. We have named the condition polymerase proofreading-associated polyposis (PPAP). Somatic POLE EDMs have also been found in sporadic CRCs and ECs, although very few somatic POLD1 EDMs have been detected. Both the germline and the somatic DNA polymerase EDMs cause an 'ultramutated', apparently microsatellite-stable, type of cancer, sometimes leading to over a million base substitutions per tumour. Here, we present the evidence for POLE and POLD1 as important contributors to the pathogenesis of CRC and EC, and highlight some of the key questions in this emerging field. Copyright © 2013 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Structure of human DNA polymerase iota and the mechanism of DNA synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makarova, A V; Kulbachinskiy, A V

    2012-06-01

    Cellular DNA polymerases belong to several families and carry out different functions. Highly accurate replicative DNA polymerases play the major role in cell genome replication. A number of new specialized DNA polymerases were discovered at the turn of XX-XXI centuries and have been intensively studied during the last decade. Due to the special structure of the active site, these enzymes efficiently perform synthesis on damaged DNA but are characterized by low fidelity. Human DNA polymerase iota (Pol ι) belongs to the Y-family of specialized DNA polymerases and is one of the most error-prone enzymes involved in DNA synthesis. In contrast to other DNA polymerases, Pol ι is able to use noncanonical Hoogsteen interactions for nucleotide base pairing. This allows it to incorporate nucleotides opposite various lesions in the DNA template that impair Watson-Crick interactions. Based on the data of X-ray structural analysis of Pol ι in complexes with various DNA templates and dNTP substrates, we consider the structural peculiarities of the Pol ι active site and discuss possible mechanisms that ensure the unique behavior of the enzyme on damaged and undamaged DNA.

  17. Solution structure of a DNA mimicking motif of an RNA aptamer against transcription factor AML1 Runt domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomura, Yusuke; Tanaka, Yoichiro; Fukunaga, Jun-ichi; Fujiwara, Kazuya; Chiba, Manabu; Iibuchi, Hiroaki; Tanaka, Taku; Nakamura, Yoshikazu; Kawai, Gota; Kozu, Tomoko; Sakamoto, Taiichi

    2013-12-01

    AML1/RUNX1 is an essential transcription factor involved in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells. AML1 binds to the Runt-binding double-stranded DNA element (RDE) of target genes through its N-terminal Runt domain. In a previous study, we obtained RNA aptamers against the AML1 Runt domain by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment and revealed that RNA aptamers exhibit higher affinity for the Runt domain than that for RDE and possess the 5'-GCGMGNN-3' and 5'-N'N'CCAC-3' conserved motif (M: A or C; N and N' form Watson-Crick base pairs) that is important for Runt domain binding. In this study, to understand the structural basis of recognition of the Runt domain by the aptamer motif, the solution structure of a 22-mer RNA was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance. The motif contains the AH(+)-C mismatch and base triple and adopts an unusual backbone structure. Structural analysis of the aptamer motif indicated that the aptamer binds to the Runt domain by mimicking the RDE sequence and structure. Our data should enhance the understanding of the structural basis of DNA mimicry by RNA molecules.

  18. From structure prediction to genomic screens for novel non-coding RNAs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorodkin, Jan; Hofacker, Ivo L

    2011-08-01

    Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are receiving more and more attention not only as an abundant class of genes, but also as regulatory structural elements (some located in mRNAs). A key feature of RNA function is its structure. Computational methods were developed early for folding and prediction of RNA structure with the aim of assisting in functional analysis. With the discovery of more and more ncRNAs, it has become clear that a large fraction of these are highly structured. Interestingly, a large part of the structure is comprised of regular Watson-Crick and GU wobble base pairs. This and the increased amount of available genomes have made it possible to employ structure-based methods for genomic screens. The field has moved from folding prediction of single sequences to computational screens for ncRNAs in genomic sequence using the RNA structure as the main characteristic feature. Whereas early methods focused on energy-directed folding of single sequences, comparative analysis based on structure preserving changes of base pairs has been efficient in improving accuracy, and today this constitutes a key component in genomic screens. Here, we cover the basic principles of RNA folding and touch upon some of the concepts in current methods that have been applied in genomic screens for de novo RNA structures in searches for novel ncRNA genes and regulatory RNA structure on mRNAs. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different strategies and how they can complement each other.

  19. The Game is aFoot, Watson: DeepQA systems and the future of HCI

    OpenAIRE

    Keates, Simeon; Varker, Philip

    2012-01-01

    In February 2011, the IBM Watson DeepQA (deep question and answer) system took part in a special challenge, pitting its question and answer capability against former Jeopardy!TM grand champions in a televised match. Watson emerged victorious from the challenge, demonstrating that current question answering technology has advanced to the point where it can arguably be more dependable than human experts. This new system represents a significant breakthrough in humanity’s decades-long endeavour ...

  20. Artificial intelligence in neurodegenerative disease research: use of IBM Watson to identify additional RNA-binding proteins altered in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakkar, Nadine; Kovalik, Tina; Lorenzini, Ileana; Spangler, Scott; Lacoste, Alix; Sponaugle, Kyle; Ferrante, Philip; Argentinis, Elenee; Sattler, Rita; Bowser, Robert

    2018-02-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatments. Numerous RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have been shown to be altered in ALS, with mutations in 11 RBPs causing familial forms of the disease, and 6 more RBPs showing abnormal expression/distribution in ALS albeit without any known mutations. RBP dysregulation is widely accepted as a contributing factor in ALS pathobiology. There are at least 1542 RBPs in the human genome; therefore, other unidentified RBPs may also be linked to the pathogenesis of ALS. We used IBM Watson ® to sieve through all RBPs in the genome and identify new RBPs linked to ALS (ALS-RBPs). IBM Watson extracted features from published literature to create semantic similarities and identify new connections between entities of interest. IBM Watson analyzed all published abstracts of previously known ALS-RBPs, and applied that text-based knowledge to all RBPs in the genome, ranking them by semantic similarity to the known set. We then validated the Watson top-ten-ranked RBPs at the protein and RNA levels in tissues from ALS and non-neurological disease controls, as well as in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. 5 RBPs previously unlinked to ALS, hnRNPU, Syncrip, RBMS3, Caprin-1 and NUPL2, showed significant alterations in ALS compared to controls. Overall, we successfully used IBM Watson to help identify additional RBPs altered in ALS, highlighting the use of artificial intelligence tools to accelerate scientific discovery in ALS and possibly other complex neurological disorders.

  1. A comment on Watson, Deary, and Austin and Watson, Roberts, Gow, and Deary : How to investigate whether personality items form a hierarchical scale?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meijer, Rob R.

    I comment on two recent papers by Watson et al. (2007, 2008) who investigated whether personality items form a hierarchical scale. I discuss that the methods they used are inappropriate and discuss alternative methods presented in the literature. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved..

  2. Quasi-four-particle first-order Faddeev-Watson-Lovelace terms in proton-helium scattering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safarzade, Zohre; Akbarabadi, Farideh Shojaei; Fathi, Reza; Brunger, Michael J.; Bolorizadeh, Mohammad A.

    2017-06-01

    The Faddeev-Watson-Lovelace equations, which are typically used for solving three-particle scattering problems, are based on the assumption of target having one active electron while the other electrons remain passive during the collision process. So, in the case of protons scattering from helium or helium-like targets, in which there are two bound-state electrons, the passive electron has a static role in the collision channel to be studied. In this work, we intend to assign a dynamic role to all the target electrons, as they are physically active in the collision. By including an active role for the second electron in proton-helium-like collisions, a new form of the Faddeev-Watson-Lovelace integral equations is needed, in which there is no disconnected kernel. We consider the operators and the wave functions associated with the electrons to obey the Pauli exclusion principle, as the electrons are indistinguishable. In addition, a quasi-three-particle collision is assumed in the initial channel, where the electronic cloud is represented as a single identity in the collision.

  3. Dynamic basis for dG•dT misincorporation via tautomerization and ionization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimsey, Isaac J.; Szymanski, Eric S.; Zahurancik, Walter J.; Shakya, Anisha; Xue, Yi; Chu, Chia-Chieh; Sathyamoorthy, Bharathwaj; Suo, Zucai; Al-Hashimi, Hashim M.

    2018-02-01

    Tautomeric and anionic Watson-Crick-like mismatches have important roles in replication and translation errors through mechanisms that are not fully understood. Here, using NMR relaxation dispersion, we resolve a sequence-dependent kinetic network connecting G•T/U wobbles with three distinct Watson-Crick mismatches: two rapidly exchanging tautomeric species (Genol•T/UG•Tenol/Uenol population less than 0.4%) and one anionic species (G•T-/U- population around 0.001% at neutral pH). The sequence-dependent tautomerization or ionization step was inserted into a minimal kinetic mechanism for correct incorporation during replication after the initial binding of the nucleotide, leading to accurate predictions of the probability of dG•dT misincorporation across different polymerases and pH conditions and for a chemically modified nucleotide, and providing mechanisms for sequence-dependent misincorporation. Our results indicate that the energetic penalty for tautomerization and/or ionization accounts for an approximately 10-2 to 10-3-fold discrimination against misincorporation, which proceeds primarily via tautomeric dGenol•dT and dG•dTenol, with contributions from anionic dG•dT- dominant at pH 8.4 and above or for some mutagenic nucleotides.

  4. Fit for Practice: Analysis and Evaluation of Watson's Theory of Human Caring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pajnkihar, Majda; McKenna, Hugh P; Štiglic, Gregor; Vrbnjak, Dominika

    2017-07-01

    The aim of the authors of this paper is to analyze Watson's theory of human caring for its usefulness and worth in education, practice, and research. The reason for undertaking this analysis is to evaluate if Watson's theory would be useful for nursing in those countries where such theories were not an established part of the nursing curriculum. Furthermore, in some European countries, their political past or cultural influences led to an unquestioned adoption of the biomedical model. As their political culture changes, many social structures have had to be revisited, and for nursing, this has meant the introduction of theoretical reasoning, teaching, and practice.

  5. Determining the Location of DNA Modification and Mutation Caused by UVB Light in Skin Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-01

    reads were then processed to determine the dinucleotide composition on the 5’ end by separating the Watson and Crick strands, and the dinucleotide...AD_________________ Award Number: W81XWH-12-1-0333 TITLE: Determining the Location of DNA ...COVERED 15 August 2012 – 14 August 2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Determining the Location of DNA Modification and Mutation Caused

  6. Watson, Skinner y Algunas Disputas dentro del Conductismo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    RICARDO PELLÓN SUÁREZ DE PUGA

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Con motivo del primer centenario de la publicación del manifiesto conductista, se revisa brevemente la concepción de Watson (1913 sobre el aprendizaje y la conducta, y se extiende dicho análisis al conductismo de B. F. Skinner y a las disputas entre enfoques molares y moleculares en el análisis de la conducta.

  7. Theoretical study of GC+/GC base pair derivatives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng Fancui; Wang Huanjie; Xu Weiren; Liu Chengbu

    2005-01-01

    The geometries of R (R=CH 3 , CH 3 O, F, NO 2 ) substituted GC base pair derivatives and their cations have been optimized at B3LYP/6-31G* level and the substituent effects on the neutral and cationic geometric structures and energies have been discussed. The inner reorganization energies of various base pair derivatives and the native GC base pair have been calculated to discuss the substituent effects on the reorganization energy. NBO (natural bond orbital) analysis has been carried out on both the neutral and the cationic systems to investigate the differences of the charge distributions and the electronic structures. The outcomes indicate that 8-CH 3 O-G:C has the greatest reorganization energy and 8-NO 2 -G:C has the least, while the other substituted base pairs have a reorganization energy close to that of G:C. The one charge is mostly localized on guanine part after ionization and as high as 0.95e. The bond distances of N1-N3'andN2-O2' in the cationic base pair derivatives shortened and that of O6-N4' elongated as compared with the corresponding bond distances of the neutral GC base pair derivatives

  8. IBM Watson: How Cognitive Computing Can Be Applied to Big Data Challenges in Life Sciences Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ying; Elenee Argentinis, J D; Weber, Griff

    2016-04-01

    Life sciences researchers are under pressure to innovate faster than ever. Big data offer the promise of unlocking novel insights and accelerating breakthroughs. Ironically, although more data are available than ever, only a fraction is being integrated, understood, and analyzed. The challenge lies in harnessing volumes of data, integrating the data from hundreds of sources, and understanding their various formats. New technologies such as cognitive computing offer promise for addressing this challenge because cognitive solutions are specifically designed to integrate and analyze big datasets. Cognitive solutions can understand different types of data such as lab values in a structured database or the text of a scientific publication. Cognitive solutions are trained to understand technical, industry-specific content and use advanced reasoning, predictive modeling, and machine learning techniques to advance research faster. Watson, a cognitive computing technology, has been configured to support life sciences research. This version of Watson includes medical literature, patents, genomics, and chemical and pharmacological data that researchers would typically use in their work. Watson has also been developed with specific comprehension of scientific terminology so it can make novel connections in millions of pages of text. Watson has been applied to a few pilot studies in the areas of drug target identification and drug repurposing. The pilot results suggest that Watson can accelerate identification of novel drug candidates and novel drug targets by harnessing the potential of big data. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Theoretical analysis of noncanonical base pairing interactions in ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    PRAKASH KUMAR

    Noncanonical base pairs in RNA have strong structural and functional implications but are currently not considered ..... Full optimizations of the systems were also carried out using ... of the individual bases in the base pair through the equation.

  10. Characterization of a parallel-stranded DNA hairpin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Germann, M.W.; Vogel, H.J.; Pon, R.T.; van de Sande, J.H.

    1989-01-01

    Recently, the authors have shown that synthetic DNA containing homooligomeric A-T base pairs can form a parallel-stranded intramolecular hairpin structure. In the present study, they have employed NMR and optical spectroscopy to investigate the structure of the parallel-stranded (PS) DNA hairpin 3'-d(T) 8 C 4 (A) 8 -3' and the related antiparallel (APS) hair 5'-d(T) 8 C 4 (A) 8 -3'. The parallel orientation of the strands in the PS oligonucleotide is achieved by introducing a 5'-5' phosphodiester linkage in the hairpin loop. Ultraviolet spectroscopic and fluorescence data of drug binding are consistent with the formation of PS and APS structures, respectively, in these two hairpins. Vacuum circular dichroism measurements in combination with theoretical CD calculations indicate that the PS structure forms a right-handed helix. 31 P NMR measurements indicate that the conformation of the phosphodiester backbone of the PS structure is not drastically different from that of the APS control. The presence of slowly exchanging imino protons at 14 ppm and the observation of nuclear Overhauser enhancement between imino protons and the AH-2 protons demonstrate that similar base pairing and base stacking between T and A residues occur in both hairpins. On the basis of NOESY measurements, they find that the orientation of the bases is in the anti region and that the sugar puckering is in the 2'-endo range. The results indicate a B-like conformation for each of the strands in the stem part of the PS hairpin and reverse Watson-Crick base pairing between the T and A residues. These data are consistent with a previously calculated structure for parallel-stranded DNA

  11. Moving beyond Watson-Crick models of coarse grained DNA dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linak, Margaret C; Tourdot, Richard; Dorfman, Kevin D

    2011-11-28

    DNA produces a wide range of structures in addition to the canonical B-form of double-stranded DNA. Some of these structures are stabilized by Hoogsteen bonds. We developed an experimentally parameterized, coarse-grained model that incorporates such bonds. The model reproduces many of the microscopic features of double-stranded DNA and captures the experimental melting curves for a number of short DNA hairpins, even when the open state forms complicated secondary structures. We demonstrate the utility of the model by simulating the folding of a thrombin aptamer, which contains G-quartets, and strand invasion during triplex formation. Our results highlight the importance of including Hoogsteen bonding in coarse-grained models of DNA.

  12. G-quadruplexes Significantly Stimulate Pif1 Helicase-catalyzed Duplex DNA Unwinding*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Xiao-Lei; Liu, Na-Nv; Yang, Yan-Tao; Li, Hai-Hong; Li, Ming; Dou, Shuo-Xing; Xi, Xu-Guang

    2015-01-01

    The evolutionarily conserved G-quadruplexes (G4s) are faithfully inherited and serve a variety of cellular functions such as telomere maintenance, gene regulation, DNA replication initiation, and epigenetic regulation. Different from the Watson-Crick base-pairing found in duplex DNA, G4s are formed via Hoogsteen base pairing and are very stable and compact DNA structures. Failure of untangling them in the cell impedes DNA-based transactions and leads to genome instability. Cells have evolved highly specific helicases to resolve G4 structures. We used a recombinant nuclear form of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1 to characterize Pif1-mediated DNA unwinding with a substrate mimicking an ongoing lagging strand synthesis stalled by G4s, which resembles a replication origin and a G4-structured flap in Okazaki fragment maturation. We find that the presence of G4 may greatly stimulate the Pif1 helicase to unwind duplex DNA. Further studies reveal that this stimulation results from G4-enhanced Pif1 dimerization, which is required for duplex DNA unwinding. This finding provides new insights into the properties and functions of G4s. We discuss the observed activation phenomenon in relation to the possible regulatory role of G4s in the rapid rescue of the stalled lagging strand synthesis by helping the replicator recognize and activate the replication origin as well as by quickly removing the G4-structured flap during Okazaki fragment maturation. PMID:25627683

  13. J. B. Watson y la Publicidad, los Inicios de la Psicología del Consumidor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FELIPE PARRADO CORREDOR

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available La investigación del comportamiento de las personas frente a los productos y servicios se remonta a los inicios del siglo XX y J. B. Watson es uno de sus principales precursores. Watson ofreció un curso de psicología aplicada titulado Psicología de la Publicidad, introdujo en varias empresas las técnicas experimentales para el mercadeo de sus productos y, tras su retiro de la vida académica, se vinculó a la agencia de publicidad Walter Thompson, donde desarrolló campañas masivas con los mismos principios de las reacciones emocionales condicionadas. En este ensayo se expone la importancia del trabajo de Watson en la psicología de la publicidad, como precursor de los desarrollos científicos de la psicología del consumidor.

  14. Aplicação da Teoria do Cuidado Transpessoal de Jean Watson: uma década de produção brasileira Aplicación de la Teoría del Cuidado Transpersonal de Jean Watson: una década de producción brasileña Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring: a decade of Brazilian publications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciane Favero

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Esta revisão sistemática objetivou descrever e analisar a aplicação da Teoria do Cuidado Transpessoal de Jean Watson nas pesquisas divulgadas em publicações de Enfermagem brasileiras dos últimos dez anos. O levantamento bibliográfico abrangeu 34 produções científicas selecionadas nas bases de dados eletrônicas MEDLINE (MEDLARS [Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System] On-line, LILACS (Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, BDENF (Base de dados de Enfermagem e SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library On-line, que após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão estabelecidos, compuseram a amostra do estudo. Os resultados apontaram que a Região Sul concentra 61,8% das produções referidas ao tema de estudo, que ela pode ser aplicada nos níveis de atenção primária, secundária e terciária e que 64,7% das produções utilizam os fatores de cuidado propostos por Jean Watson em 1979. Emerge a necessidade de aprimoramento das pesquisas acerca da transformação ocorrida na Teoria do Cuidado Transpessoal, com abordagem do Processo Clinical Caritas, porém como são escassos os estudos referentes a esta temática, dificultam sua utilização prática.Esta revisión sistemática tuvo como objetivo describir y analizar la aplicación de la Teoría del Cuidado Transpersonal de Jean Watson en las investigaciones divulgadas en publicaciones de Enfermería brasileñas de los últimos diez años. El levantamiento bibliográfico abarcó 34 producciones seleccionadas en las bases de datos electrónicas MEDLINE (MEDLARS [Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System] On-line, LILACS (Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud, BDENF (Base de datos de Enfermería y SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library On-line, que después de la aplicación de los criterios de inclusión establecidos, compusieron la muestra del estudio. Los resultados señalaron que la región Sur concentra el 61,8% de las

  15. Structure of a stacked anthraquinone–DNA complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Luchi, Daniela; Usón, Isabel; Wright, Glenford; Gouyette, Catherine; Subirana, Juan A.

    2010-01-01

    The crystal structure of the telomeric sequence d(UBrAGG) interacting with an anthraquinone derivative has been solved by MAD. In all previously studied complexes of intercalating drugs, the drug is usually sandwiched between two DNA base pairs. Instead, the present structure looks like a crystal of stacked anthraquinone molecules in which isolated base pairs are intercalated. Unusual base pairs are present in the structure, such as G·G and A·UBr reverse Watson–Crick base pairs. PMID:20823516

  16. Interview with Mark Watson

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katy Shaw

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Mark Watson is a British comedian and novelist. His five novels to date – 'Bullet Points' (2004, 'A Light-Hearted Look At Murder' (2007, 'Eleven' (2010, 'The Knot' (2012 and 'Hotel Alpha' (2014 – explore human relationships and communities in contemporary society. His latest novel Hotel Alpha tells the story of an extraordinary hotel in London and two mysterious disappearances that raise questions no one seems willing to answer. External to the novel, readers can also discover more about the hotel and its inhabitants in one hundred extra stories that expand the world of the novel and can be found at http://www.hotelalphastories.com. In conversation here with Dr Katy Shaw, Mark offers some reflections on his writing process, the field of contemporary literature, and the vitality of the novel form in the twenty-first century.

  17. Watson: A new link in the IIE iron chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Edward; Davis, Andrew; Clarke, Roy S., Jr.; Schultz, Ludolf; Weber, Hartwig W.; Clayton, Robert; Mayeda, Toshiko; Jarosewich, Eugene; Sylvester, Paul; Grossman, Lawrence

    1994-01-01

    Watson, which was found in 1972 in South Australia, contains the largest single silicate rock mass seen in any known iron meteorite. A comprehensive study has been completed on this unusual meteorite: petrography, metallography, analyses of the silicate inclusion (whole rock chemical analysis, INAA, RNAA, noble gases, and oxygen isotope analysis) and mineral compositions (by electron microprobe and ion microprobe). The whole rock has a composition of an H-chondrite minus the normal H-group metal and troilite content. The oxygen isotope composition is that of the silicates in the IIE iron meteorites and lies along an oxygen isotope fractionation line with the H-group chondrites. Trace elements in the metal confirm Watson is a new IIE iron. Whole rock Watson silicate shows an enrichment in K and P (each approximately 2X H-chondrites). The silicate inclusion has a highly equilibrated igneous (peridotite-like) texture with olivine largely poikilitic within low-Ca pyroxene: olivine (Fa20), opx (Fs17Wo3), capx (Fs9Wo14)(with very fine exsolution lamellae), antiperthite feldspar (An1-3Or5) with less than 1 micron exsolution lamellae (An1-3Or greater than 40), shocked feldspar with altered stoichiometry, minor whitlockite (also a poorly characterized interstitial phosphate-rich phase) and chromite, and only traces of metal and troilite. The individual silicate minerals have normal chondritic REE patterns, but whitlockite has a remarkable REE pattern. It is very enriched in light REE (La is 720X C1, and Lu is 90X C1, as opposed to usual chonditic values of approximately 300X and 100-150X, respectively) with a negative Eu anomaly. The enrichment of whole rock K is expressed both in an unusually high mean modal Or content of the feldspar, Or13, and in the presence of antiperthite.

  18. James Watson's most inconvenient truth: race realism and the moralistic fallacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rushton, J Philippe; Jensen, Arthur R

    2008-11-01

    Recent editorials in this journal have defended the right of eminent biologist James Watson to raise the unpopular hypothesis that people of sub-Saharan African descent score lower, on average, than people of European or East Asian descent on tests of general intelligence. As those editorials imply, the scientific evidence is substantial in showing a genetic contribution to these differences. The unjustified ill treatment meted out to Watson therefore requires setting the record straight about the current state of the evidence on intelligence, race, and genetics. In this paper, we summarize our own previous reviews based on 10 categories of evidence: The worldwide distribution of test scores; the g factor of mental ability; heritability differences; brain size differences; trans-racial adoption studies; racial admixture studies; regression-to-the-mean effects; related life-history traits; human origins research; and the poverty of predictions from culture-only explanations. The preponderance of evidence demonstrates that in intelligence, brain size, and other life-history variables, East Asians average a higher IQ and larger brain than Europeans who average a higher IQ and larger brain than Africans. Further, these group differences are 50-80% heritable. These are facts, not opinions and science must be governed by data. There is no place for the "moralistic fallacy" that reality must conform to our social, political, or ethical desires.

  19. HuMiTar: A sequence-based method for prediction of human microRNA targets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Ke

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRs are small noncoding RNAs that bind to complementary/partially complementary sites in the 3' untranslated regions of target genes to regulate protein production of the target transcript and to induce mRNA degradation or mRNA cleavage. The ability to perform accurate, high-throughput identification of physiologically active miR targets would enable functional characterization of individual miRs. Current target prediction methods include traditional approaches that are based on specific base-pairing rules in the miR's seed region and implementation of cross-species conservation of the target site, and machine learning (ML methods that explore patterns that contrast true and false miR-mRNA duplexes. However, in the case of the traditional methods research shows that some seed region matches that are conserved are false positives and that some of the experimentally validated target sites are not conserved. Results We present HuMiTar, a computational method for identifying common targets of miRs, which is based on a scoring function that considers base-pairing for both seed and non-seed positions for human miR-mRNA duplexes. Our design shows that certain non-seed miR nucleotides, such as 14, 18, 13, 11, and 17, are characterized by a strong bias towards formation of Watson-Crick pairing. We contrasted HuMiTar with several representative competing methods on two sets of human miR targets and a set of ten glioblastoma oncogenes. Comparison with the two best performing traditional methods, PicTar and TargetScanS, and a representative ML method that considers the non-seed positions, NBmiRTar, shows that HuMiTar predictions include majority of the predictions of the other three methods. At the same time, the proposed method is also capable of finding more true positive targets as a trade-off for an increased number of predictions. Genome-wide predictions show that the proposed method is characterized by 1.99 signal

  20. WATSON: Detecting organic material in subsurface ice using deep-UV fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eshelman, E.; Wanger, G.; Manatt, K.; Malaska, M.; Willis, M.; Abbey, W.; Doloboff, I.; Beegle, L. W.; DeFlores, L. P.; Priscu, J. C.; Lane, A. L.; Carrier, B. L.; Mellerowicz, B.; Kim, D.; Paulsen, G.; Zacny, K.; Bhartia, R.

    2017-12-01

    Future astrobiological missions to Europa and other ocean worlds may benefit from next-generation instrumentation capable of in situ organic and life detection in subsurface ice environments. WATSON (Wireline Analysis Tool for in Situ Observation of Northern ice sheets) is an instrument under development at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. WATSON contains high-TRL instrumentation developed for SHERLOC, the Mars 2020 deep-UV fluorescence and Raman spectrometer, including a 248.6 nm NeCu hollow cathode laser as an excitation source. In WATSON, these technologies provide spectroscopic capabilities highly sensitive to many organic compounds, including microbes, in an instrument package approximately 1.2 m long with a 101.6 mm diameter, designed to accommodate a 108 mm ice borehole. Interrogation into the ice wall with a laser allows for a non-destructive in situ measurement that preserves the spatial distribution of material within the ice. We report on a successful deployment of WATSON to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, where the instrument was lowered to a 4.5 m depth in a hand-cored hole on the Kangerlussuaq sector of the Greenland ice sheet. Motorized stages within the instrument were used to raster a laser across cm-scale regions of the interior surface of the borehole, obtaining fluorescence spectral maps with a 200 µm spatial resolution and a spectral range from 265 nm to 440 nm. This region includes the UV emission bands of many aromatic compounds and microbes, and includes the water and ice Raman O-H stretching modes. We additionally report on experiments designed to inform an early-2018 deployment to Kangerlussuaq where WATSON will be incorporated into a Honeybee Robotics planetary deep drill, with a goal of drilling to a depth of 100 m and investigating the distribution of organic material within the ice sheet. These experiments include laboratory calibrations to determine the sensitivity to organic compounds embedded in ice at various depths, as well as

  1. Flouting maxim by sherlock holmes and dr. Watson in tv series Of sherlock season

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lina Affifatusholihah

    2017-04-01

    In running daily activities, people will always meet and interact with other people, and language is a medium that is used by humans to interact with each other. In a conversation or discussion, everyone should pay attention to the four maxims in order that there are no errors in communication. However, it is not uncommon that the four rules above are breached by the speakers. This is called non-observance of the maxims, and one of a non-observance of the maxims that often occurs in is flouting maxim. The aims of this paper are to describe types of maxims that are flouted by Sherlock Holmes and dr. Watson as well as to describe how the maxims are flouted in Sherlock TV series season 1. This research used qualitative descriptive method. The researcher classifies the utterances to know what kind of maxim which are flouted, categorizes those into the category based on the Grice’s theory of Cooperative Principle, namely: maxim of quantity, quality, relation and manner. The research procedure begin by searching the script in the internet, matching the utterances in the script and in film and sorting the utterances between Sherlock Holmes and dr. Watson as well observing every word or sentence which are flouted by the main characters. The findings find that all kinds of maxims are flouted by Sherlock and dr. Watson. The result of analysis shows that the maxim flouted when the speakers say something irrelevant; something roguishness or lied to hide the truth in the form of rhetorical question; the information becomes more or too informative than what is required; and something obscurity of expression, ambiguity, or unnecessary prolixity.

  2. Villain of Molecular Biology: Why are we not reproducible in research? [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/5ou

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikash Bhardwaj

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Worldwide, there is an issue of irreproducibility in life science research. In the USA alone $28 billion per year spent on preclinical research is not reproducible. Within this opinion article, I provide a brief historical account of the discovery of the Watson-Crick DNA model and introduce another neglected model of DNA. This negligence may be one of the fundamental reasons behind irreproducibility in molecular biology research.

  3. Do cells care about physics?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guck, Jochen

    2009-07-01

    Ever since James Watson and Francis Crick cracked the code of life and laid the foundations for molecular biology, biologists have almost exclusively focused on the molecular aspects of biological systems. This cumulated in the mapping of the entire human genome a few years ago-the entire blueprint of every cell. So, does that mean we can stop? Is everything known that we can possibly know about cells? Far from it.

  4. Insights into Watson–Crick/Hoogsteen breathing dynamics and damage repair from the solution structure and dynamic ensemble of DNA duplexes containing m1A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sathyamoorthy, Bharathwaj; Shi, Honglue; Zhou, Huiqing; Xue, Yi; Rangadurai, Atul; Merriman, Dawn K.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract In the canonical DNA double helix, Watson–Crick (WC) base pairs (bps) exist in dynamic equilibrium with sparsely populated (∼0.02–0.4%) and short-lived (lifetimes ∼0.2–2.5 ms) Hoogsteen (HG) bps. To gain insights into transient HG bps, we used solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, including measurements of residual dipolar couplings and molecular dynamics simulations, to examine how a single HG bp trapped using the N1-methylated adenine (m1A) lesion affects the structural and dynamic properties of two duplexes. The solution structure and dynamic ensembles of the duplexes reveals that in both cases, m1A forms a m1A•T HG bp, which is accompanied by local and global structural and dynamic perturbations in the double helix. These include a bias toward the BI backbone conformation; sugar repuckering, major-groove directed kinking (∼9°); and local melting of neighboring WC bps. These results provide atomic insights into WC/HG breathing dynamics in unmodified DNA duplexes as well as identify structural and dynamic signatures that could play roles in m1A recognition and repair. PMID:28369571

  5. Jokulhlaups and sediment transport in Watson River, Kangerlussuaq, West Greenland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, A. B.; Hasholt, Bent; Knudsen, N. T.

    2013-01-01

    For 3 years, during a 4-year observation period (2007-2010), jokulhlaups were observed from a lake at the northern margin of Russells Gletscher. At a gauging station located on a bedrock sill near the outlet of Watson River into Sdr Stromfjord, discharge and sediment transport was monitored during...

  6. Thermodynamic control of small RNA-mediated gene silencing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumiko eUi-Tei

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs are crucial regulators of posttranscriptional gene silencing, which is referred to as RNA interference (RNAi or RNA silencing. In RNAi, siRNA loaded onto the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC downregulates target gene expression by cleaving mRNA whose sequence is perfectly complementary to the siRNA guide strand. We previously showed that highly functional siRNAs possessed the following characteristics: A or U residues at nucleotide position 1 measured from the 5’ terminal, four to seven A/Us in positions 1–7, and G or C residues at position 19. This finding indicated that an RNA strand with a thermodynamically unstable 5’ terminal is easily retained in the RISC and functions as a guide strand. In addition, it is clear that unintended genes with complementarities only in the seed region (positions 2–8 are also downregulated by off-target effects. siRNA efficiency is mainly determined by the Watson-Crick base-pairing stability formed between the siRNA seed region and target mRNA. siRNAs with a low seed-target duplex melting temperature (Tm have little or no seed-dependent off-target activity. Thus, important parts of the RNA silencing machinery may be regulated by nucleotide base-pairing thermodynamic stability. A mechanistic understanding of thermodynamic control may enable an efficient target gene-specific RNAi for functional genomics and safe therapeutic applications.

  7. Force induced DNA melting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santosh, Mogurampelly; Maiti, Prabal K

    2009-01-01

    When pulled along the axis, double-strand DNA undergoes a large conformational change and elongates by roughly twice its initial contour length at a pulling force of about 70 pN. The transition to this highly overstretched form of DNA is very cooperative. Applying a force perpendicular to the DNA axis (unzipping), double-strand DNA can also be separated into two single-stranded DNA, this being a fundamental process in DNA replication. We study the DNA overstretching and unzipping transition using fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and argue that the conformational changes of double-strand DNA associated with either of the above mentioned processes can be viewed as force induced DNA melting. As the force at one end of the DNA is increased the DNA starts melting abruptly/smoothly above a critical force depending on the pulling direction. The critical force f m , at which DNA melts completely decreases as the temperature of the system is increased. The melting force in the case of unzipping is smaller compared to the melting force when the DNA is pulled along the helical axis. In the case of melting through unzipping, the double-strand separation has jumps which correspond to the different energy minima arising due to sequence of different base pairs. The fraction of Watson-Crick base pair hydrogen bond breaking as a function of force does not show smooth and continuous behavior and consists of plateaus followed by sharp jumps.

  8. Structure and function of initiator methionine tRNA from the mitochondria of Neurospora crassa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heckman, J.E.; Hecker, L.I.; Schwartzbach, S.D.; Barnett, W.E.; Baumstark, B.; RajBhandary, U.L.

    1978-01-01

    Initiator methionine tRNA from the mitochondria of Neurospora crassa has been purified and sequenced. This mitochondrial tRNA can be aminoacylated and formylated by E. coli enzymes, and is capable of initiating protein synthesis in E. coli extracts. The nucleotide composition of the mitochondrial initiator tRNA (the first mitochondrial tRNA subjected to sequence analysis) is very rich in A + U, like that reported for total mitochondrial tRNA. In two of the unique features which differentiate procaryotic from eucaryotic cytoplasmic initiator tRNAs, the mitochondrial tRNA appears to resemble the eucaryotic initiator tRNAs. Thus unlike procaryotic initiator tRNAs in which the 5' terminal nucleotide cannot form a Watson-Crick base pair to the fifth nucleotide from 3' end, the mitochondrial tRNA can form such a base pair; and like the eucaryotic cytoplasmic initiator tRNAs, the mitochondrial initiator tRNA lacks the sequence - T psiCG(or A) in loop IV. The corresponding sequence in the mitochondrial tRNA, however, is -UGCA- and not -AU(or psi)CG- as found in all eucaryotic cytoplasmic initiator tRNAs. In spite of some similarity of the mitochondrial initiator tRNA to both eucaryotic and procaryotic initiator tRNAs, the mitochondrial initiator tRNA is basically different from both these tRNAs. Between these two classes of initiator tRNAs, however, it is more homologous in sequence to procaryotic (56 to 60%) than to eucaryotic cytoplasmic initiator tRNAs

  9. Label-Free Potentiometry for Detecting DNA Hybridization Using Peptide Nucleic Acid and DNA Probes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goda, Tatsuro; Singi, Ankit Balram; Maeda, Yasuhiro; Matsumoto, Akira; Torimura, Masaki; Aoki, Hiroshi; Miyahara, Yuji

    2013-01-01

    Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) has outstanding affinity over DNA for complementary nucleic acid sequences by forming a PNA-DNA heterodimer upon hybridization via Watson-Crick base-pairing. To verify whether PNA probes on an electrode surface enhance sensitivity for potentiometric DNA detection or not, we conducted a comparative study on the hybridization of PNA and DNA probes on the surface of a 10-channel gold electrodes microarray. Changes in the charge density as a result of hybridization at the solution/electrode interface on the self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-formed microelectrodes were directly transformed into potentiometric signals using a high input impedance electrometer. The charge readout allows label-free, reagent-less, and multi-parallel detection of target oligonucleotides without any optical assistance. The differences in the probe lengths between 15- to 22-mer dramatically influenced on the sensitivity of the PNA and DNA sensors. Molecular type of the capturing probe did not affect the degree of potential shift. Theoretical model for charged rod-like duplex using the Gouy-Chapman equation indicates the dominant effect of electrostatic attractive forces between anionic DNA and underlying electrode at the electrolyte/electrode interface in the potentiometry. PMID:23435052

  10. Label-Free Potentiometry for Detecting DNA Hybridization Using Peptide Nucleic Acid and DNA Probes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuji Miyahara

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Peptide nucleic acid (PNA has outstanding affinity over DNA for complementary nucleic acid sequences by forming a PNA-DNA heterodimer upon hybridization via Watson-Crick base-pairing. To verify whether PNA probes on an electrode surface enhance sensitivity for potentiometric DNA detection or not, we conducted a comparative study on the hybridization of PNA and DNA probes on the surface of a 10-channel gold electrodes microarray. Changes in the charge density as a result of hybridization at the solution/electrode interface on the self-assembled monolayer (SAM-formed microelectrodes were directly transformed into potentiometric signals using a high input impedance electrometer. The charge readout allows label-free, reagent-less, and multi-parallel detection of target oligonucleotides without any optical assistance. The differences in the probe lengths between 15- to 22-mer dramatically influenced on the sensitivity of the PNA and DNA sensors. Molecular type of the capturing probe did not affect the degree of potential shift. Theoretical model for charged rod-like duplex using the Gouy-Chapman equation indicates the dominant effect of electrostatic attractive forces between anionic DNA and underlying electrode at the electrolyte/electrode interface in the potentiometry.

  11. Theoretical studies on the electronic and optoelectronic properties of [A.2AP(w)/A*.2AP(WC)/C.2AP(w)/C*.2AP(WC)/C.A(w)/C*.A(WC)]-Au8 mismatch nucleobase complexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Ruby

    2018-01-01

    The electronic and optoelectronic properties of [A.2AP(w)/A*.2AP(WC)/C.2AP(w)/C*.2AP(WC)/C.A(w)/ C*.A(WC)]-Au8 metal-mismatch nucleobase complexes are investigated by means of density functional theory and time-dependent methods. We selected these mispairs as 2-aminopurine (2AP) produces incorporation errors when binding with cytosine (C) into the wobble (w) C.2AP(w) mispair, and is tautomerised into Watson-Crick (WC)-like base mispair C*.2AP(WC) and less effectively produces A.2AP(w)/A*.2AP(WC) mispairs. The vertical ionisation potential, vertical electron affinity, hardness and electrophilicity index of these complexes have also been discussed. The modifications of energy levels and charge density distributions of the frontier orbitals are also analysed. The absorption spectra of these complexes lie in the visible region, which suggests their application in fluorescent-bio imaging. The mechanism of cooperativity effect is studied by molecular orbital potential (MEP), atoms-in-molecules (AIM) and natural bond orbital analyses. Most metalated pairs have smaller HOMO-LUMO band gaps than the isolated mismatch nucleobases which suggest interesting consequences for electron transfer through DNA duplexes.

  12. The mechanism of untargeted mutagenesis in UV-irradiated yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, C W; Christensen, R B

    1982-01-01

    The SOS error-prone repair hypothesis proposes that untargeted and targeted mutations in E. coli both result from the inhibition of polymerase functions that normally maintain fidelity, and that this is a necessary precondition for translesion synthesis. Using mating experiments with excision deficient strains of Bakers' yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we find that up to 40% of cycl-91 revertants induced by UV are untargeted, showing that a reduction in fidelity is also found in irradiated cells of this organism. We are, however, unable to detect the induction or activation of any diffusible factor capable of inhibiting fidelity, and therefore suggest that untargeted and targeted mutations are the consequence of largely different processes. We propose that these observations are best explained in terms of a limited fidelity model. Untargeted mutations are thought to result from the limited capacity of processes which normally maintain fidelity, which are active during replication on both irradiated and unirradiated templates. Even moderate UV fluences saturate this capacity, leading to competition for the limited resource. Targeted mutations are believed to result from the limited, though far from negligible, capacity of lesions like pyrimidine dimers to form Watson-Crick base pairs.

  13. The mechanism of untargeted mutagenesis in UV-irradiated yeast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lawrence, C.W.; Christensen, R.B.

    1982-01-01

    The SOS error-prone repair hypothesis proposes that untargeted and targeted mutations in E. coli both result from the inhibition of polymerase functions that normally maintain fidelity, and that this is a necessary precondition for translesion synthesis. Using mating experiments with excision deficient strains of Bakers' yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we find that up to 40% of cycl-91 revertants induced by UV are untargeted, showing that a reduction in fidelity is also found in irradiated cells of this organism. We are, however, unable to detect the induction or activation of any diffusible factor capable of inhibiting fidelity, and therefore suggest that untargeted and targeted mutations are the consequence of largely different processes. We propose that these observations are best explained in terms of a limited fidelity model. Untargeted mutations are thought to result from the limited capacity of processes which normally maintain fidelity, which are active during replication on both irradiated and unirradiated templates. Even moderate UV fluences saturate this capacity, leading to competition for the limited resource. Targeted mutations are believed to result from the limited, though far from negligible, capacity of lesions like pyrimidine dimers to form Watson-Crick base pairs. (orig.)

  14. A bouquet of DNA structures: Emerging diversity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaushik, Mahima; Kaushik, Shikha; Roy, Kapil; Singh, Anju; Mahendru, Swati; Kumar, Mohan; Chaudhary, Swati; Ahmed, Saami; Kukreti, Shrikant

    2016-03-01

    Structural polymorphism of DNA has constantly been evolving from the time of illustration of the double helical model of DNA by Watson and Crick. A variety of non-canonical DNA structures have constantly been documented across the globe. DNA attracted worldwide attention as a carrier of genetic information. In addition to the classical Watson-Crick duplex, DNA can actually adopt diverse structures during its active participation in cellular processes like replication, transcription, recombination and repair. Structures like hairpin, cruciform, triplex, G-triplex, quadruplex, i-motif and other alternative non-canonical DNA structures have been studied at length and have also shown their in vivo occurrence. This review mainly focuses on non-canonical structures adopted by DNA oligonucleotides which have certain prerequisites for their formation in terms of sequence, its length, number and orientation of strands along with varied solution conditions. This conformational polymorphism of DNA might be the basis of different functional properties of a specific set of DNA sequences, further giving some insights for various extremely complicated biological phenomena. Many of these structures have already shown their linkages with diseases like cancer and genetic disorders, hence making them an extremely striking target for structure-specific drug designing and therapeutic applications.

  15. From structure prediction to genomic screens for novel non-coding RNAs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Gorodkin

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs are receiving more and more attention not only as an abundant class of genes, but also as regulatory structural elements (some located in mRNAs. A key feature of RNA function is its structure. Computational methods were developed early for folding and prediction of RNA structure with the aim of assisting in functional analysis. With the discovery of more and more ncRNAs, it has become clear that a large fraction of these are highly structured. Interestingly, a large part of the structure is comprised of regular Watson-Crick and GU wobble base pairs. This and the increased amount of available genomes have made it possible to employ structure-based methods for genomic screens. The field has moved from folding prediction of single sequences to computational screens for ncRNAs in genomic sequence using the RNA structure as the main characteristic feature. Whereas early methods focused on energy-directed folding of single sequences, comparative analysis based on structure preserving changes of base pairs has been efficient in improving accuracy, and today this constitutes a key component in genomic screens. Here, we cover the basic principles of RNA folding and touch upon some of the concepts in current methods that have been applied in genomic screens for de novo RNA structures in searches for novel ncRNA genes and regulatory RNA structure on mRNAs. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different strategies and how they can complement each other.

  16. Learning preferences from paired opposite-based semantics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Franco de los Ríos, Camilo; Rodríguez, J. Tinguaro; Montero, Javier

    2017-01-01

    Preference semantics examine the meaning of the preference predicate, according to the way that alternatives can be understood and organized for decision making purposes. Through opposite-based semantics, preference structures can be characterized by their paired decomposition of preference...... on the character of opposition, the compound meaning of preference emerges from the fuzzy reinforcement of paired opposite concepts, searching for significant evidence for affirming dominance among the decision objects. Here we propose a general model for the paired decomposition of preference, examining its...

  17. Forecasting Science and Technology for the Department of Defense

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-12-01

    Watson and Francis Crick announced that they had elucidated the structure of DNA and had therefore “discovered the secret of life.” While this was a...an organic chemist, figured out a process by which very small quantities of DNA could be amplified with high fidelity. This process, known as...polymerase chain reaction (PCR), for the first time, allowed scientists to produce DNA in large quantities. Roughly during this period, Leroy Hood and

  18. DNA-Enabled Integrated Molecular Systems for Computation and Sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-05-21

    Computational devices can be chemically conjugated to different strands of DNA that are then self-assembled according to strict WatsonCrick binding rules... DNA -Enabled Integrated Molecular Systems for Computation and Sensing Craig LaBoda,† Heather Duschl,† and Chris L. Dwyer*,†,‡ †Department of...guided folding of DNA , inspired by nature, allows designs to manipulate molecular-scale processes unlike any other material system. Thus, DNA can be

  19. Sequence- and structure-dependent DNA base dynamics: Synthesis, structure, and dynamics of site and sequence specifically spin-labeled DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spaltenstein, A.; Robinson, B.H.; Hopkins, P.B.

    1989-01-01

    A nitroxide spin-labeled analogue of thymidine (1a), in which the methyl group is replaced by an acetylene-tethered nitroxide, was evaluated as a probe for structural and dynamics studies of sequence specifically spin-labeled DNA. Residue 1a was incorporated into synthetic deoxyoligonucleotides by using automated phosphite triester methods. 1 H NMR, CD, and thermal denaturation studies indicate that 1a (T) does not significantly alter the structure of 5'-d(CGCGAATT*CGCG) from that of the native dodecamer. EPR studies on monomer, single-stranded, and duplexed DNA show that 1a readily distinguishes environments of different rigidity. Comparison of the general line-shape features of the observed EPR spectra of several small duplexes (12-mer, 24-mer) with simulated EPR spectra assuming isotropic motion suggests that probe 1a monitors global tumbling of small duplexes. Increasing the length of the DNA oligomers results in significant deviation from isotropic motion, with line-shape features similar to those of calculated spectra of objects with isotropic rotational correlation times of 20-100 ns. EPR spectra of a spin-labeled GT mismatch and a T bulge in long DNAs are distinct from those of spin-labeled Watson-Crick paired DNAs, further demonstrating the value of EPR as a tool in the evaluation of local dynamic and structural features in macromolecules

  20. NMR study of hexanucleotide d(CCGCGG)2 containing two triplet repeats of fragile X syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monleon, Daniel; Esteve, Vicent; Celda, Bernardo

    2003-01-01

    Long repeated stretches of d(CCG) and tri-nucleotide are crucial mutations that cause hereditary forms of mental retardation (fragile X-syndrome). Moreover, the alternating (CG) di-nucleotide is one of the candidates for Z-DNA conformation. Solution NMR structure of d(CCGCGG) 2 has been solved and is discussed. The determined NMR solution structure is a distorted highly bent B-DNA conformation with increased flexibility in both terminal residues. This conformation differs significantly from the Z-DNA tetramer structure reported for the same hexamer in the crystal state at similar ionic strength by Malinina and co-workers. Crystal structure of d(CCGCGG) 2 at high salt concentration includes a central alternating tetramer in Z-DNA conformation, while the initial cytosine swings out and forms a Watson-Crick base-pair with the terminal guanine of a symmetry-related molecule. In solution, NMR data for sugar ring puckering combined with restrained molecular dynamics simulations starting from a Z-DNA form show that terminal furanose residues could adopt the conformation required for aromatic bases swinging out. Therefore, tetramer formation could be considered possible once the hexanucleotide had previously adopted the Z-DNA form. This work gives some insight into correlations between anomalous crystal structures and their accessibility in the solution state

  1. Impact parameter representation from the Watson-Sommerfeld transform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Islam, M.M.

    1976-01-01

    Using the Watson-Sommerfeld transform the elastic scattering amplitude of two spinless particles is shown to have an exact and unique impact parameter, or Fourier-Bessel (FB) representation. The representation is valid for all physical energies and scattering angles. Wallace's recent work is found to be an asymptotic expansion of the FB amplitude obtained from the partial-wave expansion. The way singularities of the partial-wave amplitude in the l-plane enter in the FB amplitude is also explicitly shown. (Auth.)

  2. Some Econometric Results for the Blanchard-Watson Bubble Model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Soren; Lange, Theis

    The purpose of the present paper is to analyse a simple bubble model suggested by Blanchard and Watson. The model is defined by y(t) =s(t)¿y(t-1)+e(t), t=1,…,n, where s(t) is an i.i.d. binary variable with p=P(s(t)=1), independent of e(t) i.i.d. with mean zero and finite variance. We take ¿>1 so...

  3. A novel pseudo-complementary PNA G-C base pair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Anne G.; Dahl, Otto; Petersen, Asger Bjørn

    2011-01-01

    Pseudo-complementary oligonucleotide analogues and mimics provide novel opportunities for targeting duplex structures in RNA and DNA. Previously, a pseudo-complementary A-T base pair has been introduced. Towards sequence unrestricted targeting, a pseudo-complementary G-C base pair consisting...

  4. Sequence dependent structure and thermodynamics of DNA oligonucleotides and polynucleotides: uv melting and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aboul-ela, F.M.

    1987-12-01

    Thermodynamic parameters for double strand formation have been measured for the twenty-five DNA double helices made by mixing deoxyoligonucleotides of the sequence dCA 3 XA 3 G with the complement dCT 3 YT 3 G. Each of the bases A, C, G, T, and I (I = hypoxanthine) have been substituted at the positions labeled X and Y. The results are analyzed in terms of nearest neighbors. At higher temperatures the sequences containing a G/center dot/C base pair become more stable than those containing only A/center dot/T. All molecules containing mismatcher are destabilized with respect to those with only Watson-Crick pairing, but there is a wide range of destabilization. Large neighboring base effects upon stability were observed. For example, when (X, Y) = (I, A), the duplex is eightfold more stable than when (X, Y) = (A, I). Independent of sequence effects the order of stabilities is: I/center dot/C /succ/ I/center dot/ A/succ/ I/center dot/T ∼ I/center dot/G. All of these results are discussed within the context of models for sequence dependent DNA secondary structure, replication fidelity and mechanisms of mismatch repair, and implications for probe design. The duplex deoxyoligonucleotide d(GGATGGGAG)/center dot/d(CTCCCATCC) is a portion of the gene recognition sequence of the protein transcription factor IIIA. The crystal structure of this oligonucleotide was shown to be A-form The present study employs Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, optical, chemical and enzymatic techniques to investigate the solution structure of this DNA 9-mer. (157 refs., 19 figs., 10 tabs.)

  5. Effects of Nursing Care Based on Watson's Theory of Human Caring on Anxiety, Distress, And Coping, When Infertility Treatment Fails: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durgun Ozan, Yeter; Okumuş, Hülya

    2017-06-01

    Introduction: The failure of infertility treatment leads to individual, familial, and social problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the nursing care program based on Watson's "Theory of Human Caring" on anxiety and distress caused by coping when the treatment fails. Methods: This study randomized controlled trial study was conducted from April to November 2012, with 86 Turkish women with infertility (intervention group: 45, control group: 41). Follow-up of 32 infertile women, who failed infertility treatment from intervention group, and 35 infertile women, who failed infertility treatment from control group, continued for another four weeks. Data were collected through Spiel Berger's State/Trait Anxiety Inventory, Distress Scale, and Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The analyses of data were conducted using SPSS ver 13. Results: The intervention and control groups significantly differed in terms of anxiety, distress, and coping levels. The intervention group's mean anxiety score decreased by thirteen points and distress by fourteen points (in a positive direction). The intervention group's mean positive coping style score increased. Whereas a negative increase was observed in the control group's values depending on the failure of the treatment. Conclusion: Watson's theory of human caring is recommended as a guide to nursing patients with infertility treatment to decrease levels of anxiety and distress, and to increase the positive coping style among infertile women.

  6. Envisaging quantum transport phenomenon in a muddled base pair of DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vohra, Rajan; Sawhney, Ravinder Singh

    2018-05-01

    The effect of muddled base pair on electron transfer through a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule connected to the gold electrodes has been elucidated using tight binding model. The effect of hydrogen and nitrogen bonds on the resistance of the base pair has been minutely observed. Using the semiempirical extended Huckel approach within NEGF regime, we have determined the current and conductance vs. bias voltage for disordered base pairs of DNA made of thymine (T) and adenine (A). The asymmetrical behaviour amid five times depreciation in the current characteristics has been observed for deviated Au-AT base pair-Au devices. An interesting revelation is that the conductance of the intrinsic AT base pair configuration attains dramatically high values with the symmetrical zig-zag pattern of current, which clearly indicates the transformation of the bond length within the strands of base pair when compared with other samples. A thorough investigation of the transmission coefficients T( E) and HOMO-LUMO gap reveals the misalignment of the strands in base pairs of DNA. The observed results present an insight to extend this work to build biosensing devices to predict the abnormality with the DNA.

  7. Bone Marrow Failure Secondary to Cytokinesis Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    Kottemann, M.C. and A. Smogorzewska, Fanconi anaemia and the repair of Watson and Crick DNA crosslinks. Nature, 2013. 493(7432): p. 356-63. 5. Sawyer, S.L...BRCA DNA repair pathway and regulate cellular resistance to genotoxic DNA cross- linking agents [3-5]. Disruption of any of the 18 FA genes accounts for... DNA and nuclear membrane Lap2 and analyzed microscopically for the presence of binucleated cells as described previously [6]. The HSC activity was

  8. Das DNA-Puzzle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchner, Stefan

    Im Jahre 1953 wurde von James Watson und Francis Crick erstmalig der strukturelle Aufbau der sogenannten DNA (Desoxyribonukleinsäure) beschrieben, welche das Erbgut jedes Lebewesens enthält. Der wesentliche Teil des Erbguts wird dabei durch eine sehr lange Folge der vier Basen Adenin (A), Cytosin (C), Guanin (G) und Thymin (T) codiert. Seit einigen Jahren ist es möglich, die Folge der vier Basen zu einer gegebenen DNA zu bestimmen. Biologen bezeichnen diesen Vorgang als Sequenzierung.

  9. An Insilico Design of Nanoclay Based Nanocomposites and Scaffolds in Bone Tissue Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Anurag

    scaffold. Overall, this study provides a leap into methodologies for in silico design of biomaterials for bone tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, as a part of this work, a molecular dynamics study of rice DNA in the presence of single walled carbon nanotube is carried out to understand the role played by molecular interactions in the conformation changes of rice DNA. The simulations results showed wrapping of DNA onto SWCNT, breaking and forming of hydrogen bonds due to unzipping of Watson-Crick (WC) nucleobase pairs and forming of new non-WC nucleobase pairs in DNA.

  10. Ed Watson 1940-2006

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Ed Watson arrived at CERN in March 1973 to work on digital electronics and CAMAC systems under Bob Dobinson, after many years at Rolls Royce in Scotland. He joined the European Muon Collaboration in 1976, where he played a major role in the design, deployment and running of its data acquisition system (DAQ) with David Botterill, Bob Dobinson, and Vicky White. The CAMAC-ROMULUS system was by far the largest and most advanced of its time, and it became a defining standard for DAQ systems for years to come. Ed was deeply involved in the detailed planning of the control rooms and the experiment cabling, as well as sharing the responsibility for the CAMAC readout system. He had a real talent for trouble shooting and played a vital part in supporting the experiment throughout its lifetime. He offered great moral support to the younger members of the collaboration and helped them a great deal with their work. The EMC had a wonderful social life to which Ed was a major contributor - who can forget its barbecues?  In...

  11. When a clear strong voice was needed: A retrospective review of Watson's (1924/1930) behaviorism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malone, John C; García-Penagos, Andrés

    2014-07-25

    Despite the attention given John B. Watson during the century since he introduced behaviorism, there remain questions about what he really contributed. He is still appropriately criticized for his arrogant self-promotion and especially for his perceived emphasis on a simple S-R reflexology. However, we argue that the former was necessary at the time and that criticism of Watson on the second count only diverts attention from the genuine contributions that he did make. In support of these contentions we examine several aspects of his contributions that warrant clarification, namely, his promotion of applied comparative psychology, his views on the nature of mind, his originality, criticism from and respect afforded by contemporaries, his relation to recent interest in "the embodiment of mind," his treatment of thinking, and his appreciation of Freud's work. We organize our discussion around specific chapters of the two editions of Behaviorism, but in support of our arguments we include publications of Watson that are less well known. Those works develop some important points that are only briefly treated in both editions of Behaviorism. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

  12. J. B. Watson y la Publicidad, los Inicios de la Psicología del Consumidor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FELIPE PARRADO CORREDOR

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Research regarding the behavior of individuals with respect to products and services dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, and J. B. Watson is one of its main precursors. Watson taught an applied psychology course called Psychology of Advertising, introduced many companies to experimental techniques for the marketing of their products, and, after retiring from academic life, joined the Walter Thompson advertising agency, where he developed massive campaigns using the principles of conditioned emotional responses. The article highlights the importance of Watson’s work in the psychology of advertising, as a forerunner of the scientific developments of consumer psychology.

  13. On the extension of the Fermi-Watson Theorem to high energy diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malecki, A.; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Frascati

    1995-12-01

    The Fermi-Watson theorem, established for low energy reactions and then applied to high energy collision, is revisited. Its use for the processes of inelastic diffraction is discussed. The theorem turns out to be valid in the case inclusive cross-section of diffractive transition

  14. The Thurgood Marshall School of Law Empirical Findings: A Report of the Watson-Glaser for the 2009-2010 Test Takers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadhi, T.; Palasota, A.; Holley, D.; Rudley, D.

    2010-01-01

    The following report gives the statistical findings of the 2009-2010 Watson-Glaser test. Data is pre-existing and was given to the Evaluator by email from the Director, Center for Legal Pedagogy. Statistical analyses were run using SPSS 17 to address the following questions: 1. What are the statistical descriptors of the Watson-Glaser results of…

  15. "Elementary, my dear Watson". Per una falsa citazione

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irene Minella

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Nowhere, among Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's pages concerning one of the most celebrated characters of British literature, Sherlock Holmes, is to be found the interjection: "Elementary, my dear Watson!". Exploring the creation of the London investigator as well as Holmes' first appearance in theatre, cinema and literature, this essay will help to understand why he is still so popular and why the 'non-quotation' keeps haunting the collective imagination. Despite its philological inaccuracy, the interjection has become so famous that it has been used even outside its original context.

  16. Structural and thermodynamic analysis of modified nucleosides in self-assembled DNA cross-tiles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakker, Lauren; Marchi, Alexandria N; Harris, Kimberly A; LaBean, Thomas H; Agris, Paul F

    2014-01-01

    DNA Holliday junctions are important natural strand-exchange structures that form during homologous recombination. Immobile four-arm junctions, analogs to Holliday junctions, have been designed to self-assemble into cross-tile structures by maximizing Watson-Crick base pairing and fixed crossover points. The cross-tiles, self-assembled from base pair recognition between designed single-stranded DNAs, form higher order lattice structures through cohesion of self-associating sticky ends. These cross-tiles have 16 unpaired nucleosides in the central loop at the junction of the four duplex stems. The importance of the centralized unpaired nucleosides to the structure's thermodynamic stability and self-assembly is unknown. Cross-tile DNA nanostructures were designed and constructed from nine single-stranded DNAs with four shell strands, four arms, and a central loop containing 16 unpaired bases. The 16 unpaired bases were either 2'-deoxyribothymidines, 2'-O-methylribouridines, or abasic 1',2'-dideoxyribonucleosides. Thermodynamic profiles and structural base-stacking contributions were assessed using UV absorption spectroscopy during thermal denaturation and circular dichroism spectroscopy, respectively, and the resulting structures were observed by atomic force microscopy. There were surprisingly significant changes in the thermodynamic and structural properties of lattice formation as a result of altering only the 16 unpaired, centralized nucleosides. The 16 unpaired 2'-O-methyluridines were stabilizing and produced uniform tubular structures. In contrast, the abasic nucleosides were destabilizing producing a mixture of structures. These results strongly indicate the importance of a small number of centrally located unpaired nucleosides within the structures. Since minor modifications lead to palpable changes in lattice formation, DNA cross-tiles present an easily manipulated structure convenient for applications in biomedical and biosensing devices.

  17. Thermodynamic and structural properties of the specific binding between Ag⁺ ion and C:C mismatched base pair in duplex DNA to form C-Ag-C metal-mediated base pair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torigoe, Hidetaka; Okamoto, Itaru; Dairaku, Takenori; Tanaka, Yoshiyuki; Ono, Akira; Kozasa, Tetsuo

    2012-11-01

    Metal ion-nucleic acid interactions have attracted considerable interest for their involvement in structure formation and catalytic activity of nucleic acids. Although interactions between metal ion and mismatched base pair duplex are important to understand mechanism of gene mutations related to heavy metal ions, they have not been well-characterized. We recently found that the Ag(+) ion stabilized a C:C mismatched base pair duplex DNA. A C-Ag-C metal-mediated base pair was supposed to be formed by the binding between the Ag(+) ion and the C:C mismatched base pair to stabilize the duplex. Here, we examined specificity, thermodynamics and structure of possible C-Ag-C metal-mediated base pair. UV melting indicated that only the duplex with the C:C mismatched base pair, and not of the duplexes with the perfectly matched and other mismatched base pairs, was specifically stabilized on adding the Ag(+) ion. Isothermal titration calorimetry demonstrated that the Ag(+) ion specifically bound with the C:C base pair at 1:1 molar ratio with a binding constant of 10(6) M(-1), which was significantly larger than those for nonspecific metal ion-DNA interactions. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry also supported the specific 1:1 binding between the Ag(+) ion and the C:C base pair. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and NMR revealed that the Ag(+) ion may bind with the N3 positions of the C:C base pair without distorting the higher-order structure of the duplex. We conclude that the specific formation of C-Ag-C base pair with large binding affinity would provide a binding mode of metal ion-DNA interactions, similar to that of the previously reported T-Hg-T base pair. The C-Ag-C base pair may be useful not only for understanding of molecular mechanism of gene mutations related to heavy metal ions but also for wide variety of potential applications of metal-mediated base pairs in various fields, such as material, life and environmental sciences. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier

  18. Finding Little Albert: A Journey to John B. Watson's Infant Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, Hall P.; Levinson, Sharman; Irons, Gary

    2009-01-01

    In 1920, John Watson and Rosalie Rayner claimed to have conditioned a baby boy, Albert, to fear a laboratory rat. In subsequent tests, they reported that the child's fear generalized to other furry objects. After the last testing session, Albert disappeared, creating one of the greatest mysteries in the history of psychology. This article…

  19. The Importance of Short- and Long-Range Exchange on Various Excited State Properties of DNA Monomers, Stacked Complexes, and Watson-Crick Pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raeber, Alexandra E; Wong, Bryan M

    2015-05-12

    We present a detailed analysis of several time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) methods, including conventional hybrid functionals and two types of nonempirically tuned range-separated functionals, for predicting a diverse set of electronic excitations in DNA nucleobase monomers and dimers. This large and extensive set of excitations comprises a total of 50 different transitions (for each tested DFT functional) that includes several n → π and π → π* valence excitations, long-range charge-transfer excitations, and extended Rydberg transitions (complete with benchmark calculations from high-level EOM-CCSD(T) methods). The presence of localized valence excitations as well as extreme long-range charge-transfer excitations in these systems poses a serious challenge for TD-DFT methods that allows us to assess the importance of both short- and long-range exchange contributions for simultaneously predicting all of these various transitions. In particular, we find that functionals that do not have both short- and full long-range exchange components are unable to predict the different types of nucleobase excitations with the same accuracy. Most importantly, the current study highlights the importance of both short-range exchange and a nonempirically tuned contribution of long-range exchange for accurately predicting the diverse excitations in these challenging nucleobase systems.

  20. Binding of the antitumor drug nogalamycin and its derivatives to DNA: Structural comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Yi-Gui; Liaw, Yen-Chywan; Robinson, H.; Wang, A. H.-J.

    1990-01-01

    The three-dimensional molecular structures of the complexes between a novel antitumor drug nogalamycin and its derivative U-58872 with a modified DNA hexamer d[m 5 CGT(pS)Am 5 CG] have been determined at 1.7- and 1.8-angstrom resolution, respectively, by X-ray diffraction analyses. Both structures (in space group P6 1 ) have been refined with constrained refinement procedure to final R factors of 0.208 (3386 reflections) and 0.196 (2143 reflections). In both complexes, two nogalamycins bind to the DNA hexamer double helix in a 2:1 ratio with the elongated aglycon chromophore intercalated between the CpG steps at both ends of the helix. The aglycon chromophore spans across the GC Watson-Crick base pairs with its nogalose lying in the minor groove and the aminoglucose lying in the major groove of the distorted B-DNA double helix. Most of the sugars remain in the C2'-endo pucker family, except three deoxycytidine residues (terminal C1, C7, and internal C5). All nucleotides are in the anti conformation. Specific hydrogen bonds are found in the complex between the drug and guanine-cytosine bases in both grooves of the helix. One hydroxyl group of the aminoglucose donates a hydrogen bond to the N7 of guanine, while the other receives a hydrogen bond from the N4 amino group of cytosine. The orientation of these two hydrogen bonds suggests that nogalamycin prefers a GC base pair with its aglycon chromophore intercalating at the 5'-side of a guanine (between NpG), or at the 3'-side of a cytosine (between CpN) with the sugars pointing toward the GC base pair. The binding of nogalamycin to DNA requires that the base pairs in DNA open up transiently to allow the bulky sugars to go through, suggesting that nogalamycin prefers GC sequences embedded in a stretch of AT sequences

  1. Does the Watson-Jones or Modified Smith-Petersen Approach Provide Superior Exposure for Femoral Neck Fracture Fixation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lichstein, Paul M; Kleimeyer, John P; Githens, Michael; Vorhies, John S; Gardner, Michael J; Bellino, Michael; Bishop, Julius

    2018-04-24

    A well-reduced femoral neck fracture is more likely to heal than a poorly reduced one, and increasing the quality of the surgical exposure makes it easier to achieve anatomic fracture reduction. Two open approaches are in common use for femoral neck fractures, the modified Smith-Petersen and Watson-Jones; however, to our knowledge, the quality of exposure of the femoral neck exposure provided by each approach has not been investigated. (1) What is the respective area of exposed femoral neck afforded by the Watson-Jones and modified Smith-Petersen approaches? (2) Is there a difference in the ability to visualize and/or palpate important anatomic landmarks provided by the Watson-Jones and modified Smith-Petersen approaches? Ten fresh-frozen human pelvi underwent both modified Smith-Petersen (utilizing the caudal extent of the standard Smith-Petersen interval distal to the anterosuperior iliac spine and parallel to the palpable interval between the tensor fascia lata and the sartorius) and Watson-Jones approaches. Dissections were performed by three fellowship-trained orthopaedic traumatologists with extensive experience in both approaches. Exposure (in cm) was quantified with calibrated digital photographs and specialized software. Modified Smith-Petersen approaches were analyzed before and after rectus femoris tenotomy. The ability to visualize and palpate seven clinically relevant anatomic structures (the labrum, femoral head, subcapital femoral neck, basicervical femoral neck, greater trochanter, lesser trochanter, and medial femoral neck) was also recorded. The quantified area of the exposed proximal femur was utilized to compare which approach afforded the largest field of view of the femoral neck and articular surface for assessment of femoral neck fracture and associated femoral head injury. The ability to visualize and palpate surrounding structures was assessed so that we could better understand which approach afforded the ability to assess structures that

  2. Intramolecular tautomerisation and the conformational variability of some classical mutagens – cytosine derivatives: quantum chemical study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hovorun D. M.

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To determine the lifetime of the mutagenic cytosine derivatives through the investigation of the physicochemical mechanisms of their intramolecular proton transfer. Methods. Non-empirical quantum chemistry, the analysis of the electron density by means of Bader’s atoms in molecules (AIM theory and physicochemical kinetics were used. Results. It is shown that the modification of all investigated compounds, except DCyt, prevents their pairing in both mutagenic and canonical tautomeric forms with a base which is an interacting partner. This effect can inhibit their mutagenic potential. It is also established that Watson-Crick tautomeric hypothesis can be formally expanded for the investigated molecules so far as a lifetime of the mutagenic tautomers much more exceeds characteristic time for the incorporation of one nucleotides pair by DNA biosynthesis machinery. It seems that just within the frame of this hypothesis it will be possible to give an adequate explanation of the mechanisms of mutagenic action of N4-aminocytosine, N4-methoxycytosine, N4-hydroxycytosine and N4dehydrocytosine, which have much more energy advantageous imino form in comparison with amino form. Conclusions. For the first time the comprehensive conformational analysis of a number of classical mutagens, namely cytosine derivatives, has been performed using the methods of non-empirical quantum chemistry at the MP2/6-311++G (2df,pd//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p level of theory

  3. Structural features of an exocyclic adduct positioned opposite an abasic site in a DNA duplex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kouchakdjian, M.; Patel, D.J.; Eisenberg, M.; Johnson, F.; Grollman, A.P.

    1991-01-01

    Structural studies have been extended to dual lesions where an exocyclic adduct is positioned opposite an abasic site in the center of a DNA oligomer duplex. NMR and energy minimization studies were performed on the 1,N 2 -propanodeoxyguanosine exocyclic adduct (X) positioned opposite a tetrahydrofuran abasic site (F) with the dual lesions located in the center of the (C1-A2-T3-G4-X5-G6-T7-A8-C9)·(G10-T11-A12-C13-F14-C15-A16-T17-G18) X·F 9-mer duplex. Two-dimensional NMR experiments establish that the X·F 9-mer helix is right-handed with Watson-Crick A·T and G·C base pairing on either side of the lesion site. NOEs are detected from the methylene protons of the exocyclic ring of X5 to the imino protons of G4·C15 and G6·C13 which flank the lesion site, as well as to the H1' and H1 double-prime protons of the cross strand F14 tetrahydrofuran moiety. These NMR results establish that the exocyclic adduct X5 is positioned between flanking G4·C15 and G6·C13 base pairs and directed toward the abasic lesion F14 on the partner strand. These studies establish that the exocyclic ring of the 1,N 2 -propanodeoxyguanosine adduct fits into the cavity generated by the abasic site

  4. Inverse folding of RNA pseudoknot structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Linda YM

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background RNA exhibits a variety of structural configurations. Here we consider a structure to be tantamount to the noncrossing Watson-Crick and G-U-base pairings (secondary structure and additional cross-serial base pairs. These interactions are called pseudoknots and are observed across the whole spectrum of RNA functionalities. In the context of studying natural RNA structures, searching for new ribozymes and designing artificial RNA, it is of interest to find RNA sequences folding into a specific structure and to analyze their induced neutral networks. Since the established inverse folding algorithms, RNAinverse, RNA-SSD as well as INFO-RNA are limited to RNA secondary structures, we present in this paper the inverse folding algorithm Inv which can deal with 3-noncrossing, canonical pseudoknot structures. Results In this paper we present the inverse folding algorithm Inv. We give a detailed analysis of Inv, including pseudocodes. We show that Inv allows to design in particular 3-noncrossing nonplanar RNA pseudoknot 3-noncrossing RNA structures-a class which is difficult to construct via dynamic programming routines. Inv is freely available at http://www.combinatorics.cn/cbpc/inv.html. Conclusions The algorithm Inv extends inverse folding capabilities to RNA pseudoknot structures. In comparison with RNAinverse it uses new ideas, for instance by considering sets of competing structures. As a result, Inv is not only able to find novel sequences even for RNA secondary structures, it does so in the context of competing structures that potentially exhibit cross-serial interactions.

  5. A chat with James Watson

    CERN Multimedia

    2011-01-01

    On 6 September, Nobel laureate James Watson paid a visit to CERN. In this interview, he shares his views with CERN's Paola Catapano.      var flash_video_player=get_video_player_path(); insert_player_for_external('Video/Public/Movies/2011/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144-0753-kbps-640x360-25-fps-audio-64-kbps-44-kHz-stereo', 'mms://mediastream.cern.ch/MediaArchive/Video/Public/Movies/2011/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144-0480-kbps-512x288-25-fps-audio-128-kbps-48-kHz-stereo.wmv', 'false', 480, 360, 'https://mediastream.cern.ch/MediaArchive/Video/Public/Movies/2011/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144-posterframe-640x360-at-10-percent.jpg', '1384418', true, 'Video/Public/Movies/2011/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144/CERN-MOVIE-2011-144-0600-kbps-maxH-360-25-fps-audio-128-kbps-48-kHz-stereo.mp4');

  6. Automatic Determination of the Need for Intravenous Contrast in Musculoskeletal MRI Examinations Using IBM Watson's Natural Language Processing Algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trivedi, Hari; Mesterhazy, Joseph; Laguna, Benjamin; Vu, Thienkhai; Sohn, Jae Ho

    2018-04-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocoling can be time- and resource-intensive, and protocols can often be suboptimal dependent upon the expertise or preferences of the protocoling radiologist. Providing a best-practice recommendation for an MRI protocol has the potential to improve efficiency and decrease the likelihood of a suboptimal or erroneous study. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a machine learning-based natural language classifier that can automatically assign the use of intravenous contrast for musculoskeletal MRI protocols based upon the free-text clinical indication of the study, thereby improving efficiency of the protocoling radiologist and potentially decreasing errors. We utilized a deep learning-based natural language classification system from IBM Watson, a question-answering supercomputer that gained fame after challenging the best human players on Jeopardy! in 2011. We compared this solution to a series of traditional machine learning-based natural language processing techniques that utilize a term-document frequency matrix. Each classifier was trained with 1240 MRI protocols plus their respective clinical indications and validated with a test set of 280. Ground truth of contrast assignment was obtained from the clinical record. For evaluation of inter-reader agreement, a blinded second reader radiologist analyzed all cases and determined contrast assignment based on only the free-text clinical indication. In the test set, Watson demonstrated overall accuracy of 83.2% when compared to the original protocol. This was similar to the overall accuracy of 80.2% achieved by an ensemble of eight traditional machine learning algorithms based on a term-document matrix. When compared to the second reader's contrast assignment, Watson achieved 88.6% agreement. When evaluating only the subset of cases where the original protocol and second reader were concordant (n = 251), agreement climbed further to 90.0%. The classifier was

  7. Nucleobase-functionalized grapheme nanoribbons for accurate high-speed DNA sequencing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paulechka, Eugene; Wassenaar, Tsjerk; Kroenlein, Kenneth; Kazakov, Andrei; Smolyanitsky, Alex

    2016-01-01

    We propose a water-immersed nucleobase-functionalized suspended graphene nanoribbon as an intrinsically selective device for nucleotide detection. The proposed sensing method combines Watson–Crick selective base pairing with graphene's capacity for converting anisotropic lattice strain to changes in

  8. Building Watson: An Overview of the DeepQA Project

    OpenAIRE

    Ferrucci, David; Brown, Eric; Chu-Carroll, Jennifer; Fan, James; Gondek, David; Kalyanpur, Aditya A.; Lally, Adam; Murdock, J. William; Nyberg, Eric; Prager, John; Schlaefer, Nico; Welty, Chris

    2010-01-01

    IBM Research undertook a challenge to build a computer system that could compete at the human champion level in real time on the American TV Quiz show, Jeopardy! The extent of the challenge includes fielding a real-time automatic contestant on the show, not merely a laboratory exercise. The Jeopardy! Challenge helped us address requirements that led to the design of the DeepQA architecture and the implementation of Watson. After 3 years of intense research and development by a core team of ab...

  9. The spontaneous replication error and the mismatch discrimination mechanisms of human DNA polymerase β

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koag, Myong-Chul; Nam, Kwangho; Lee, Seongmin

    2014-01-01

    To provide molecular-level insights into the spontaneous replication error and the mismatch discrimination mechanisms of human DNA polymerase β (polβ), we report four crystal structures of polβ complexed with dG•dTTP and dA•dCTP mismatches in the presence of Mg2+ or Mn2+. The Mg2+-bound ground-state structures show that the dA•dCTP-Mg2+ complex adopts an ‘intermediate’ protein conformation while the dG•dTTP-Mg2+ complex adopts an open protein conformation. The Mn2+-bound ‘pre-chemistry-state’ structures show that the dA•dCTP-Mn2+ complex is structurally very similar to the dA•dCTP-Mg2+ complex, whereas the dG•dTTP-Mn2+ complex undergoes a large-scale conformational change to adopt a Watson–Crick-like dG•dTTP base pair and a closed protein conformation. These structural differences, together with our molecular dynamics simulation studies, suggest that polβ increases replication fidelity via a two-stage mismatch discrimination mechanism, where one is in the ground state and the other in the closed conformation state. In the closed conformation state, polβ appears to allow only a Watson–Crick-like conformation for purine•pyrimidine base pairs, thereby discriminating the mismatched base pairs based on their ability to form the Watson–Crick-like conformation. Overall, the present studies provide new insights into the spontaneous replication error and the replication fidelity mechanisms of polβ. PMID:25200079

  10. Structural mechanisms of human RecQ helicases WRN and BLM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ken eKitano

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The RecQ family DNA helicases WRN (Werner syndrome protein and BLM (Bloom syndrome protein play a key role in protecting the genome against deleterious changes. In humans, mutations in these proteins lead to rare genetic diseases associated with cancer predisposition and accelerated aging. WRN and BLM are distinguished from other helicases by possessing signature tandem domains toward the C terminus, referred to as the RecQ C-terminal (RQC and helicase-and-ribonuclease D-C-terminal (HRDC domains. Although the precise function of the HRDC domain remains unclear, the previous crystal structure of a WRN RQC-DNA complex visualized a central role for the RQC domain in recognizing, binding and unwinding DNA at branch points. In particular, a prominent hairpin structure (the β-wing within the RQC winged-helix motif acts as a scalpel to induce the unpairing of a Watson-Crick base pair at the DNA duplex terminus. A similar RQC-DNA interaction was also observed in the recent crystal structure of a BLM-DNA complex. I review the latest structures of WRN and BLM, and then provide a docking simulation of BLM with a Holliday junction. The model offers an explanation for the efficient branch migration activity of the RecQ family toward recombination and repair intermediates.

  11. Meltwater chemistry and solute export from a Greenland ice sheet catchment, Watson River, West Greenland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yde, Jacob C.; Knudsen, N. Tvis; Hasholt, Bent

    2014-01-01

    –2010 for the Watson River sector of the GrIS that drains into the fjord Kangerlussuaq. The hydrochemistry is dominated by Ca2+ and HCO3− with a relatively high molar K+/Na+ ratio of 0.6 ± 0.1, typical for meltwaters draining a gneissic lithology. Low molar Ca2+/Na+ and Mg2+/Na+ ratios indicate that weathering....... However, when normalized by discharge the denudation rates are comparable to other Arctic sites. When extrapolating the results from the Watson River catchment to the entire Greenland for 2007–2010, the solute export from Greenland meltwater varied between 7.1 × 106 and 7.8 × 106 tons, whilst the major...

  12. Viewing Human DNA Polymerase β Faithfully and Unfaithfully Bypass an Oxidative Lesion by Time-Dependent Crystallography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vyas, Rajan; Reed, Andrew J.; Tokarsky, E. John; Suo, Zucai

    2015-01-01

    One common oxidative DNA lesion, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanine (8-oxoG), is highly mutagenic in vivo due to its anti-conformation forming a Watson–Crick base pair with correct deoxycytidine 5′-triphosphate (dCTP) and its syn-conformation forming a Hoogsteen base pair with incorrect deoxyadenosine 5′-triphosphate (dATP). Here, we utilized time-resolved X-ray crystallography to follow 8-oxoG bypass by human DNA polymerase β (hPolβ). In the 12 solved structures, both Watson–Crick (anti-8-oxoG:anti-dCTP) and Hoogsteen (syn-8-oxoG:anti-dATP) base pairing were clearly visible and were maintained throughout the chemical reaction. Additionally, a third Mg2+ appeared during the process of phosphodiester bond formation and was located between the reacting α- and β-phosphates of the dNTP, suggesting its role in stabilizing reaction intermediates. After phosphodiester bond formation, hPolβ reopened its conformation, pyrophosphate was released, and the newly incorporated primer 3′-terminal nucleotide stacked, rather than base paired, with 8-oxoG. These structures provide the first real-time pictures, to our knowledge, of how a polymerase correctly and incorrectly bypasses a DNA lesion. PMID:25825995

  13. Sequence dependent structure and thermodynamics of DNA oligonucleotides and polynucleotides: uv melting and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aboul-ela, F.M.

    1987-12-01

    Thermodynamic parameters for double strand formation have been measured for the twenty-five DNA double helices made by mixing deoxyoligonucleotides of the sequence dCA/sub 3/XA/sub 3/G with the complement dCT/sub 3/YT/sub 3/G. Each of the bases A, C, G, T, and I (I = hypoxanthine) have been substituted at the positions labeled X and Y. The results are analyzed in terms of nearest neighbors. At higher temperatures the sequences containing a G)centerreverse arrowdot)C base pair become more stable than those containing only A)centerreverse arrowdot)T. All molecules containing mismatcher are destabilized with respect to those with only Watson-Crick pairing, but there is a wide range of destabilization. Large neighboring base effects upon stability were observed. For example, when (X, Y) = (I, A), the duplex is eightfold more stable than when (X, Y) = (A, I). Independent of sequence effects the order of stabilities is: I)centerreverse arrowdot)C )succ) I)centerreverse arrowdot) A)succ) I)centerreverse arrowdot)T approx. I)centerreverse arrowdot)G. All of these results are discussed within the context of models for sequence dependent DNA secondary structure, replication fidelity and mechanisms of mismatch repair, and implications for probe design. The duplex deoxyoligonucleotide d(GGATGGGAG))centerreverse arrowdot)d(CTCCCATCC) is a portion of the gene recognition sequence of the protein transcription factor IIIA. The crystal structure of this oligonucleotide was shown to be A-form The present study employs Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, optical, chemical and enzymatic techniques to investigate the solution structure of this DNA 9-mer. (157 refs., 19 figs., 10 tabs.

  14. Hazardous Waste Cleanup: IBM Corporation-TJ Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    IBM Corporation -TJ Watson Research Center is located in southern Yorktown near the boundary separating the Town of Yorktown from the Town of New Castle. The site occupies an area of approximately 217 acres and adjoins land uses are predominantly residenti

  15. The generative power of weighted one-sided and regular sticker systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siang, Gan Yee; Heng, Fong Wan; Sarmin, Nor Haniza; Turaev, Sherzod

    2014-06-01

    Sticker systems were introduced in 1998 as one of the DNA computing models by using the recombination behavior of DNA molecules. The Watson-Crick complementary principle of DNA molecules is abstractly used in the sticker systems to perform the computation of sticker systems. In this paper, the generative power of weighted one-sided sticker systems and weighted regular sticker systems are investigated. Moreover, the relationship of the families of languages generated by these two variants of sticker systems to the Chomsky hierarchy is also presented.

  16. A big data geospatial analytics platform - Physical Analytics Integrated Repository and Services (PAIRS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamann, H.; Jimenez Marianno, F.; Klein, L.; Albrecht, C.; Freitag, M.; Hinds, N.; Lu, S.

    2015-12-01

    A big data geospatial analytics platform:Physical Analytics Information Repository and Services (PAIRS)Fernando Marianno, Levente Klein, Siyuan Lu, Conrad Albrecht, Marcus Freitag, Nigel Hinds, Hendrik HamannIBM TJ Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598A major challenge in leveraging big geospatial data sets is the ability to quickly integrate multiple data sources into physical and statistical models and be run these models in real time. A geospatial data platform called Physical Analytics Information and Services (PAIRS) is developed on top of open source hardware and software stack to manage Terabyte of data. A new data interpolation and re gridding is implemented where any geospatial data layers can be associated with a set of global grid where the grid resolutions is doubling for consecutive layers. Each pixel on the PAIRS grid have an index that is a combination of locations and time stamp. The indexing allow quick access to data sets that are part of a global data layers and allowing to retrieve only the data of interest. PAIRS takes advantages of parallel processing framework (Hadoop) in a cloud environment to digest, curate, and analyze the data sets while being very robust and stable. The data is stored on a distributed no-SQL database (Hbase) across multiple server, data upload and retrieval is parallelized where the original analytics task is broken up is smaller areas/volume, analyzed independently, and then reassembled for the original geographical area. The differentiating aspect of PAIRS is the ability to accelerate model development across large geographical regions and spatial resolution ranging from 0.1 m up to hundreds of kilometer. System performance is benchmarked on real time automated data ingestion and retrieval of Modis and Landsat data layers. The data layers are curated for sensor error, verified for correctness, and analyzed statistically to detect local anomalies. Multi-layer query enable PAIRS to filter different data

  17. The circumstances of the missing biographer or why Watson didn't narrate these four Sherlock Holmes stories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caplan, R M

    1982-06-01

    The author provides arguments to explain why four of Arthur Conan Doyle's sixty stories about Sherlock Holmes were not narrated by Dr. Watson. The arguments relate to logical demands of the plot in the cases of the two stories told by an unidentified narrator. The two told by Holmes seem to demand Watson's absence because the final elucidation requires skill in cutaneous diagnosis; the presence of a medical man would have, or should have, relieved the dramatic tension of the mystery too soon. The Sherlock Holmes stories can provide delightful diversion as well as serve constantly to enhance our appreciation for highly alert and careful physical examination.

  18. Thermodynamic basis for the emergence of genomes during prebiotic evolution.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyung-June Woo

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The RNA world hypothesis views modern organisms as descendants of RNA molecules. The earliest RNA molecules must have been random sequences, from which the first genomes that coded for polymerase ribozymes emerged. The quasispecies theory by Eigen predicts the existence of an error threshold limiting genomic stability during such transitions, but does not address the spontaneity of changes. Following a recent theoretical approach, we applied the quasispecies theory combined with kinetic/thermodynamic descriptions of RNA replication to analyze the collective behavior of RNA replicators based on known experimental kinetics data. We find that, with increasing fidelity (relative rate of base-extension for Watson-Crick versus mismatched base pairs, replications without enzymes, with ribozymes, and with protein-based polymerases are above, near, and below a critical point, respectively. The prebiotic evolution therefore must have crossed this critical region. Over large regions of the phase diagram, fitness increases with increasing fidelity, biasing random drifts in sequence space toward 'crystallization.' This region encloses the experimental nonenzymatic fidelity value, favoring evolutions toward polymerase sequences with ever higher fidelity, despite error rates above the error catastrophe threshold. Our work shows that experimentally characterized kinetics and thermodynamics of RNA replication allow us to determine the physicochemical conditions required for the spontaneous crystallization of biological information. Our findings also suggest that among many potential oligomers capable of templated replication, RNAs may have evolved to form prebiotic genomes due to the value of their nonenzymatic fidelity.

  19. Different methods and metaphysics in early molecular genetics--a case of disparity of research?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deichmann, Ute

    2008-01-01

    The encounter between two fundamentally different approaches in seminal research in molecular biology--the problems, aims, methods and metaphysics--is delineated and analyzed. They are exemplified by the microbiologist Oswald T. Avery who, in line with the reductionist mechanistic metaphysics of Jacques Loeb, attempted to explain basic life phenomena through chemistry; and the theoretical physicist Max Delbrück who, influenced by Bohr's antimechanistic views, preferred to explain these phenomena without chemistry. Avery's and Delbrück's most important studies took place concurrently. Thus analysis of their contrasting approaches lends itself to examination of the Weltanschauungen view concerning the role of fundamental (metaphysical) assumptions in scientific change, that is, the view that empirical research cannot be neutral in regard to the worldviews of the researchers. This study shows that the initial ostensible disparity (non-integratibility) of the two approaches lasted for just a short time. Ironically it was a student of Delbrück's school, James Watson, who (with Crick) proposed a chemical model, the DNA double helix, as a solution to Delbrück's problem. The structure of DNA has not been seriously challenged over the past half century Moreover, Watson's and Crick's work did not call into question the validity of Delbrück's research, but opened it up to entirely new approaches. The case of Avery and Delbrück demonstrates that after initial obstacles were overcome the different fundamental attitudes and the resulting research practices were capable of integration.

  20. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Performance of Business Management Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, R. E.; Southey, G. N.

    1990-01-01

    The 80-item Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal-Form A was administered to 415 business management students in Australia as a step toward adapting the test for Australian use. The results correspond reasonably closely to the U.S. data. Analysis of group results and item statistics provided information about necessary modifications. (SLD)

  1. Unnatural base pair systems toward the expansion of the genetic alphabet in the central dogma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirao, Ichiro; Kimoto, Michiko

    2012-01-01

    Toward the expansion of the genetic alphabet of DNA, several artificial third base pairs (unnatural base pairs) have been created. Synthetic DNAs containing the unnatural base pairs can be amplified faithfully by PCR, along with the natural A-T and G-C pairs, and transcribed into RNA. The unnatural base pair systems now have high potential to open the door to next generation biotechnology. The creation of unnatural base pairs is a consequence of repeating "proof of concept" experiments. In the process, initially designed base pairs were modified to address their weak points. Some of them were artificially evolved to ones with higher efficiency and selectivity in polymerase reactions, while others were eliminated from the analysis. Here, we describe the process of unnatural base pair development, as well as the tests of their applications.

  2. Covering All the Bases in Genetics: Simple Shorthands and Diagrams for Teaching Base Pairing to Biology Undergraduates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergei Kuchin

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Explaining base pairing is an important element in teaching undergraduate genetics. I propose a teaching approach that aims to close the gap between the mantra “A pairs with T, and G pairs with C” and the “intimidating” chemical diagrams. The approach offers a set of simple “shorthands” for the key bases that can be used to quickly deduce all canonical and wobble pairs that the students need to know. The approach can be further developed to analyze mutagenic mismatch pairing.

  3. Thermodynamic properties of water molecules in the presence of cosolute depend on DNA structure: a study using grid inhomogeneous solvation theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakano, Miki; Tateishi-Karimata, Hisae; Tanaka, Shigenori; Tama, Florence; Miyashita, Osamu; Nakano, Shu-ichi; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2015-01-01

    In conditions that mimic those of the living cell, where various biomolecules and other components are present, DNA strands can adopt many structures in addition to the canonical B-form duplex. Previous studies in the presence of cosolutes that induce molecular crowding showed that thermal stabilities of DNA structures are associated with the properties of the water molecules around the DNAs. To understand how cosolutes, such as ethylene glycol, affect the thermal stability of DNA structures, we investigated the thermodynamic properties of water molecules around a hairpin duplex and a G-quadruplex using grid inhomogeneous solvation theory (GIST) with or without cosolutes. Our analysis indicated that (i) cosolutes increased the free energy of water molecules around DNA by disrupting water–water interactions, (ii) ethylene glycol more effectively disrupted water–water interactions around Watson–Crick base pairs than those around G-quartets or non-paired bases, (iii) due to the negative electrostatic potential there was a thicker hydration shell around G-quartets than around Watson–Crick-paired bases. Our findings suggest that the thermal stability of the hydration shell around DNAs is one factor that affects the thermal stabilities of DNA structures under the crowding conditions. PMID:26538600

  4. The Effect of Nonzero Autocorrelation Coefficients on the Distributions of Durbin-Watson Test Estimator: Three Autoregressive Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mei-Yu LEE

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the effect of the nonzero autocorrelation coefficients on the sampling distributions of the Durbin-Watson test estimator in three time-series models that have different variance-covariance matrix assumption, separately. We show that the expected values and variances of the Durbin-Watson test estimator are slightly different, but the skewed and kurtosis coefficients are considerably different among three models. The shapes of four coefficients are similar between the Durbin-Watson model and our benchmark model, but are not the same with the autoregressive model cut by one-lagged period. Second, the large sample case shows that the three models have the same expected values, however, the autoregressive model cut by one-lagged period explores different shapes of variance, skewed and kurtosis coefficients from the other two models. This implies that the large samples lead to the same expected values, 2(1 – ρ0, whatever the variance-covariance matrix of the errors is assumed. Finally, comparing with the two sample cases, the shape of each coefficient is almost the same, moreover, the autocorrelation coefficients are negatively related with expected values, are inverted-U related with variances, are cubic related with skewed coefficients, and are U related with kurtosis coefficients.

  5. The McLean-Watson line strength formula and its implementation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hey, J D

    2009-01-01

    We consider the application of the line strength formula recently derived by Watson (2006 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 39 L291) to transitions between states of high principal quantum number in hydrogenic atoms and ions (Rydberg-Rydberg transitions). Apparent difficulties in the implementation of this formula are overcome by the use of recurrence relations derived by the ladder operator technique of Infeld and Hull (1951 Rev. Mod. Phys. 23 21), and set out in an earlier paper by the present author (2006 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 39 2641). The use of the McLean-Watson formula for such cases is illustrated by the determination of the radiative lifetimes for levels with n ∼ 1000 and comparison of present results with approximate formulae. Interest in this work on the radial matrix elements for large n and n' is related both to measurements of radio recombination lines from tenuous space plasmas, e.g. Stepkin et al (2007 Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 374 852) and to the calculation of Stark broadening for such spectra, e.g. Gigosos et al (2007 Astron. Astrophys. 466 1189), Stambulchik et al (2007 Phys. Rev. E 75 016401) and Stambulchik and Maron (2008 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 41 095703). In addition, we discuss the question of inaccuracy caused by the omission of fine structure in such calculations, and the numerical stability of the recurrence relations used to implement the line strength formulae.

  6. Signature scheme based on bilinear pairs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Rui Y.; Geng, Yong J.

    2013-03-01

    An identity-based signature scheme is proposed by using bilinear pairs technology. The scheme uses user's identity information as public key such as email address, IP address, telephone number so that it erases the cost of forming and managing public key infrastructure and avoids the problem of user private generating center generating forgery signature by using CL-PKC framework to generate user's private key.

  7. Single DNA denaturation and bubble dynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Metzler, Ralf; Ambjörnsson, Tobias; Hanke, Andreas

    2009-01-01

    While the Watson-Crick double-strand is the thermodynamically stable state of DNA in a wide range of temperature and salt conditions, even at physiological conditions local denaturation bubbles may open up spontaneously due to thermal activation. By raising the ambient temperature, titration......, or by external forces in single molecule setups bubbles proliferate until full denaturation of the DNA occurs. Based on the Poland-Scheraga model we investigate both the equilibrium transition of DNA denaturation and the dynamics of the denaturation bubbles with respect to recent single DNA chain experiments...... for situations below, at, and above the denaturation transition. We also propose a new single molecule setup based on DNA constructs with two bubble zones to measure the bubble coalescence and extract the physical parameters relevant to DNA breathing. Finally we consider the interplay between denaturation...

  8. Nucleic acid-functionalized transition metal nanosheets for biosensing applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mo, Liuting; Li, Juan; Liu, Qiaoling; Qiu, Liping; Tan, Weihong

    2017-03-15

    In clinical diagnostics, as well as food and environmental safety practices, biosensors are powerful tools for monitoring biological or biochemical processes. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal nanomaterials, including transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) and transition metal oxides (TMOs), are receiving growing interest for their use in biosensing applications based on such unique properties as high surface area and fluorescence quenching abilities. Meanwhile, nucleic acid probes based on Watson-Crick base-pairing rules are also being widely applied in biosensing based on their excellent recognition capability. In particular, the emergence of functional nucleic acids in the 1980s, especially aptamers, has substantially extended the recognition capability of nucleic acids to various targets, ranging from small organic molecules and metal ions to proteins and cells. Based on π-π stacking interaction between transition metal nanosheets and nucleic acids, biosensing systems can be easily assembled. Therefore, the combination of 2D transition metal nanomaterials and nucleic acids brings intriguing opportunities in bioanalysis and biomedicine. In this review, we summarize recent advances of nucleic acid-functionalized transition metal nanosheets in biosensing applications. The structure and properties of 2D transition metal nanomaterials are first discussed, emphasizing the interaction between transition metal nanosheets and nucleic acids. Then, the applications of nucleic acid-functionalized transition metal nanosheet-based biosensors are discussed in the context of different signal transducing mechanisms, including optical and electrochemical approaches. Finally, we provide our perspectives on the current challenges and opportunities in this promising field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Accurate interaction energies of base pairing and base stacking. The final chapter

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šponer, Jiří; Jurečka, Petr; Hobza, Pavel

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 22, č. 6 (2005), s. 767 ISSN 0739-1102. [Albany 2005. Conversation /14./. 14.06.2005-18.06.2005, Albany] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : base pairing * base stacking * nucleic acids Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics

  10. Programmable Nucleic Acid Based Polygons with Controlled Neuroimmunomodulatory Properties for Predictive QSAR Modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Morgan Brittany; Halman, Justin R; Satterwhite, Emily; Zakharov, Alexey V; Bui, My N; Benkato, Kheiria; Goldsworthy, Victoria; Kim, Taejin; Hong, Enping; Dobrovolskaia, Marina A; Khisamutdinov, Emil F; Marriott, Ian; Afonin, Kirill A

    2017-11-01

    In the past few years, the study of therapeutic RNA nanotechnology has expanded tremendously to encompass a large group of interdisciplinary sciences. It is now evident that rationally designed programmable RNA nanostructures offer unique advantages in addressing contemporary therapeutic challenges such as distinguishing target cell types and ameliorating disease. However, to maximize the therapeutic benefit of these nanostructures, it is essential to understand the immunostimulatory aptitude of such tools and identify potential complications. This paper presents a set of 16 nanoparticle platforms that are highly configurable. These novel nucleic acid based polygonal platforms are programmed for controllable self-assembly from RNA and/or DNA strands via canonical Watson-Crick interactions. It is demonstrated that the immunostimulatory properties of these particular designs can be tuned to elicit the desired immune response or lack thereof. To advance the current understanding of the nanoparticle properties that contribute to the observed immunomodulatory activity and establish corresponding designing principles, quantitative structure-activity relationship modeling is conducted. The results demonstrate that molecular weight, together with melting temperature and half-life, strongly predicts the observed immunomodulatory activity. This framework provides the fundamental guidelines necessary for the development of a new library of nanoparticles with predictable immunomodulatory activity. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. AudioPairBank: Towards A Large-Scale Tag-Pair-Based Audio Content Analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Sager, Sebastian; Elizalde, Benjamin; Borth, Damian; Schulze, Christian; Raj, Bhiksha; Lane, Ian

    2016-01-01

    Recently, sound recognition has been used to identify sounds, such as car and river. However, sounds have nuances that may be better described by adjective-noun pairs such as slow car, and verb-noun pairs such as flying insects, which are under explored. Therefore, in this work we investigate the relation between audio content and both adjective-noun pairs and verb-noun pairs. Due to the lack of datasets with these kinds of annotations, we collected and processed the AudioPairBank corpus cons...

  12. Molecular dynamics study of some non-hydrogen-bonding base pair DNA strands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Rakesh K.; Ojha, Rajendra P.; Tiwari, Gargi; Pandey, Vishnudatt; Mall, Vijaysree

    2018-05-01

    In order to elucidate the structural activity of hydrophobic modified DNA, the DMMO2-D5SICS, base pair is introduced as a constituent in different set of 12-mer and 14-mer DNA sequences for the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation in explicit water solvent. AMBER 14 force field was employed for each set of duplex during the 200ns production-dynamics simulation in orthogonal-box-water solvent by the Particle-Mesh-Ewald (PME) method in infinite periodic boundary conditions (PBC) to determine conformational parameters of the complex. The force-field parameters of modified base-pair were calculated by Gaussian-code using Hartree-Fock /ab-initio methodology. RMSD Results reveal that the conformation of the duplex is sequence dependent and the binding energy of the complex depends on the position of the modified base-pair in the nucleic acid strand. We found that non-bonding energy had a significant contribution to stabilising such type of duplex in comparison to electrostatic energy. The distortion produced within strands by such type of base-pair was local and destabilised the duplex integrity near to substitution, moreover the binding energy of duplex depends on the position of substitution of hydrophobic base-pair and the DNA sequence and strongly supports the corresponding experimental study.

  13. DFT study on metal-mediated uracil base pair complexes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayhan Üngördü

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The most stable of metal-mediated uracil base pair complexes were determined. Method was used density functional theory, B3LYP. The calculations of systems containing C, H, N, O were described by 6-311++G(d,p and cc-PVTZ basis sets and LANL2DZ and SDD basis sets was used for transition metals. Then Egap values of complexes were calculated and the electrical conductivity of the complexes for single nanowires was studied by band theory. Metal-mediated uracil base pair complexes which will be used as conductive wires in nanotechnology were predicted. In nanoworld, this study is expected to show a way for practical applications.

  14. Viroids: from genotype to phenotype just relying on RNA sequence and structural motifs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo eFlores

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available As a consequence of two unique physical properties, small size and circularity, viroid RNAs do not code for proteins and thus depend on RNA sequence/structural motifs for interacting with host proteins that mediate their invasion, replication, spread, and circumvention of defensive barriers. Viroid genomes fold up on themselves adopting collapsed secondary structures wherein stretches of nucleotides stabilized by Watson-Crick pairs are flanked by apparently unstructured loops. However, compelling data show that they are instead stabilized by alternative non-canonical pairs and that specific loops in the rod-like secondary structure, characteristic of Potato spindle tuber viroid and most other members of the family Pospiviroidae, are critical for replication and systemic trafficking. In contrast, rather than folding into a rod-like secondary structure, most members of the family Avsunvioidae adopt multibranched conformations occasionally stabilized by kissing loop interactions critical for viroid viability in vivo. Besides these most stable secondary structures, viroid RNAs alternatively adopt during replication transient metastable conformations containing elements of local higher-order structure, prominent among which are the hammerhead ribozymes catalyzing a key replicative step in the family Avsunvioidae, and certain conserved hairpins that also mediate replication steps in the family Pospiviroidae. Therefore, different RNA structures ⎯either global or local ⎯ determine different functions, thus highlighting the need for in-depth structural studies on viroid RNAs.

  15. Increasing the Analytical Sensitivity by Oligonucleotides Modified with Para- and Ortho-Twisted Intercalating Nucleic Acids - TINA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schneider, Uffe V; Géci, Imrich; Jøhnk, Nina

    2011-01-01

    -TINA molecules increased the melting point (Tm) of Watson-Crick based antiparallel DNA duplexes. The increase in Tm was greatest when the intercalators were placed at the 5' and 3' termini (preferable) or, if placed internally, for each half or whole helix turn. Terminally positioned TINA molecules improved......The sensitivity and specificity of clinical diagnostic assays using DNA hybridization techniques are limited by the dissociation of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antiparallel duplex helices. This situation can be improved by addition of DNA stabilizing molecules such as nucleic acid intercalators....... Here, we report the synthesis of a novel ortho-Twisted Intercalating Nucleic Acid (TINA) amidite utilizing the phosphoramidite approach, and examine the stabilizing effect of ortho- and para-TINA molecules in antiparallel DNA duplex formation. In a thermal stability assay, ortho- and para...

  16. Quadruplexes in 'Dicty': crystal structure of a four-quartet G-quadruplex formed by G-rich motif found in the Dictyostelium discoideum genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guédin, Aurore; Lin, Linda Yingqi; Armane, Samir; Lacroix, Laurent; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Thore, Stéphane; Yatsunyk, Liliya A

    2018-06-01

    Guanine-rich DNA has the potential to fold into non-canonical G-quadruplex (G4) structures. Analysis of the genome of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum indicates a low number of sequences with G4-forming potential (249-1055). Therefore, D. discoideum is a perfect model organism to investigate the relationship between the presence of G4s and their biological functions. As a first step in this investigation, we crystallized the dGGGGGAGGGGTACAGGGGTACAGGGG sequence from the putative promoter region of two divergent genes in D. discoideum. According to the crystal structure, this sequence folds into a four-quartet intramolecular antiparallel G4 with two lateral and one diagonal loops. The G-quadruplex core is further stabilized by a G-C Watson-Crick base pair and a A-T-A triad and displays high thermal stability (Tm > 90°C at 100 mM KCl). Biophysical characterization of the native sequence and loop mutants suggests that the DNA adopts the same structure in solution and in crystalline form, and that loop interactions are important for the G4 stability but not for its folding. Four-tetrad G4 structures are sparse. Thus, our work advances understanding of the structural diversity of G-quadruplexes and yields coordinates for in silico drug screening programs and G4 predictive tools.

  17. A model capturing novel strand symmetries in bacterial DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobottka, Marcelo; Hart, Andrew G.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → We propose a simple stochastic model to construct primitive DNA sequences. → The model provide an explanation for Chargaff's second parity rule in primitive DNA sequences. → The model is also used to predict a novel type of strand symmetry in primitive DNA sequences. → We extend the results for bacterial DNA sequences and compare distributional properties intrinsic to the model to statistical estimates from 1049 bacterial genomes. → We find out statistical evidences that the novel type of strand symmetry holds for bacterial DNA sequences. -- Abstract: Chargaff's second parity rule for short oligonucleotides states that the frequency of any short nucleotide sequence on a strand is approximately equal to the frequency of its reverse complement on the same strand. Recent studies have shown that, with the exception of organellar DNA, this parity rule generally holds for double-stranded DNA genomes and fails to hold for single-stranded genomes. While Chargaff's first parity rule is fully explained by the Watson-Crick pairing in the DNA double helix, a definitive explanation for the second parity rule has not yet been determined. In this work, we propose a model based on a hidden Markov process for approximating the distributional structure of primitive DNA sequences. Then, we use the model to provide another possible theoretical explanation for Chargaff's second parity rule, and to predict novel distributional aspects of bacterial DNA sequences.

  18. Dimerization of human immunodeficiency virus (type 1) RNA: stimulation by cations and possible mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marquet, R; Baudin, F; Gabus, C; Darlix, J L; Mougel, M; Ehresmann, C; Ehresmann, B

    1991-05-11

    The retroviral genome consists of two identical RNA molecules joined close to their 5' ends by the dimer linkage structure. Recent findings indicated that retroviral RNA dimerization and encapsidation are probably related events during virion assembly. We studied the cation-induced dimerization of HIV-1 RNA and results indicate that all in vitro generated HIV-1 RNAs containing a 100 nucleotide domain downstream from the 5' splice site are able to dimerize. RNA dimerization depends on the concentration of RNA, mono- and multivalent cations, the size of the monovalent cation, temperature, and pH. Up to 75% of HIV-1 RNA is dimeric in the presence of spermidine. HIV-1 RNA dimer is fairly resistant to denaturing agents and unaffected by intercalating drugs. Antisense HIV-1 RNA does not dimerize but heterodimers can be formed between HIV-1 RNA and either MoMuLV or RSV RNA. Therefore retroviral RNA dimerization probably does not simply proceed through mechanisms involving Watson-Crick base-pairing. Neither adenine and cytosine protonation, nor quartets containing only guanines appear to determine the stability of the HIV-1 RNA dimer, while quartets involving both adenine(s) and guanine(s) could account for our results. A consensus sequence PuGGAPuA found in the putative dimerization-encapsidation region of all retroviral genomes examined may participate in the dimerization process.

  19. The Role of Repulsion in Colloidal Crystal Engineering with DNA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seo, Soyoung E. [Department; Li, Tao [X-ray; Senesi, Andrew J. [X-ray; Mirkin, Chad A. [Department; Lee, Byeongdu [X-ray

    2017-11-07

    Hybridization interactions between DNA-functionalized nanoparticles (DNA-NPs) can be used to program the crystallization behavior of superlattices, yielding access to complex three-dimensional structures with more than 30 different lattice symmetries. The first superlattice structures using DNA-NPs as building blocks were identified almost two decades ago, yet the role of repulsive interactions in guiding structure formation is still largely unexplored. Here, a com-prehensive approach is taken to study the role of repulsion in the assembly behavior of DNA-NPs, enabling the calculation of interparticle interaction potentials based on experimental results. In this work, we used two different means to assemble DNA-NPs—Watson-Crick base pairing interactions and depletion interactions—and systematically varied the salt concen-tration to study the effective interactions in DNA-NP superlattices. A comparison between the two systems allows us to decouple the repulsive forces from the attractive hybridization interactions that are sensitive to the ionic environment. We find that the gap distance between adjacent DNA-NPs follows a simple power law dependence on solution ionic strength regardless of the type of attractive forces present. This result suggests that the observed trend is driven by repulsive inter-actions. To better understand such behavior, we propose a mean-field model that provides a mathematical description for the observed trend. This model shows that the trend is due to the variation in the effective cross-sectional diameter of DNA duplex and the thickness of DNA shell.

  20. Hairpin structures in DNA containing arabinofuranosylcytosine. A combination of nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pieters, J.M.L.; de Vroom, E.; van der Marel, G.A.; van Boom, J.H.; Altona, C.; Koning, T.H.G.; Kaptein, R.

    1990-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and model-building studies were carried out on the hairpin form of the octamer d(CG a CTAGCG) ( a C = arabinofuranosylcytosine), referred to as the TA compound. The nonexchangeable protons of the TA compound were assigned by means of nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) and correlated spectroscopy (COSY). Form a detailed analysis of the coupling data and of the NOESY spectra the following conclusions are reached: (i) the hairpin consists of a stem of three Watson-Crick type base pairs, and the two remaining residues, T(4) and dA(5), participate in a loop. (ii) All sugar rings show conformational flexibility although a strong preference for the S-type (C2'-endo) conformer is observed. (iii) The thymine does not stack upon the 3' side of the stem as expected, but swings into the minor groove. (iv) At the 5'-3' loop-stem junction a stacking discontinuity occurs as a consequence of a sharp turn in that part of the backbone, caused by the unusual β + and γ t torsion angles in residue dG(6). (v) The A base slides over the 5' side of the stem to stack upon the a C(3) residue at the 3' side of the stem in an antiparallel fashion. On the basis of J couplings and a set approximate proton-proton distances from NOE cross peaks, a model for the hairpin was constructed

  1. Base pair mismatches and carcinogen-modified bases in DNA: an NMR study of G x T and G x O4meT pairing in dodecanucleotide duplexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalnik, M.W.; Kouchakdjian, M.; Li, B.F.L.; Swann, P.F.; Patel, D.J.

    1988-01-01

    High-resolution two-dimensional NMR studies have been completed on the self-complementary d(C-G-C-G-A-G-C-T-T-G-C-G) duplex (designated G x T 12-mer) and the self-complementary d(C-G-C-G-A-G-C-T-O 4 meT-G-C-G) duplex (designated G x O 4 meT 12-mer) containing G x T and G x O 4 meT pairs at identical positions four base pairs in from either end of the duplex. The exchangeable and nonexchangeable proton resonances have been assigned from an analysis of two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOESY) spectra for the G x T 12-mer and G x O 4 meT 12-mer duplexes in H 2 O and D 2 O solution. The guanosine and thymidine imino protons in the G x T mismatch resonate at 10.57 and 11.98 ppm, respectively, and exhibit a strong NOE between themselves and to imino protons of flanking base pairs in the G x T 12-mer duplex. The large upfield chemical shift of this proton relative to that of the imino proton resonance of G in the G x T mismatch or in G x C base pairs indicates that hydrogen bonding to O 4 meT is either very weak or absent. This guanosine imino proton has an NOE to the OCH 3 group of O 4 meT across the pair and NOEs to the imino protons of flanking base pairs. Taken together with data from the NMR of nonexchangeable protons, this shows that both G and O 4 meT have anti-glycosidic torsion angles and are stacked into the duplex. Comparison of the intensity of the NOEs between the guanosine imino proton and the OCH 3 of O 4 meT as well as other protons in its vicinity demonstrates that the OCH 3 group of O 4 meT adopts the syn orientation with respect to N3 of the methylated thymidine. The authors propose an alternate base pairing mode stabilized by one short hydrogen bond between the 2-amino group of guanosine and the 2-carbonyl group of O 4 met

  2. Biotecnología: una ciencia moderna para una institución centenaria

    OpenAIRE

    Pineda Priego, Manuel

    2011-01-01

    Biotecnología es “toda aplicación tecnológica que utilice sistemas biológicos y organismos vivos o sus derivados para la creación o modificación de productos o procesos para usos específicos” (Convenio sobre Diversidad Biológica de la Naciones Unidas, 1992). La Biotecnología moderna está basada en la estructura de la molécula de ADN (Watson y Crick, 1953) y el descubrimiento de las enzimas de restricción y de las técnicas de transformación celular. El primer ejemplo exitoso de ...

  3. Cancer and Evolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guevara Pardo, Gonzalo

    2001-01-01

    First it was the luminous idea of the natural selection, proposed by Alfred Russell Wallace and Talk Darwin, the one that allowed understanding the way as the living organisms are evolve. Then they were the brilliant Francis Crick and James Watson who discovered the curvilinear molecule of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and then it was the great explosion of the molecular biology. The cancer, illness that wakes up our deepest fears, is analyzed in this article from an evolutionary conception that could give us a road but appropriate to understand it and maybe to guide us toward better therapeutic options

  4. Modelos de computación lógica con ADN

    OpenAIRE

    Sainz de Murieta Fuentes, Iñaki

    2011-01-01

    La computación molecular es una disciplina que se ocupa del diseño e implementación de dispositivos para el procesamiento de información sobre un sustrato biológico, como el ácido desoxirribonucleico (ADN), el ácido ribonucleico (ARN) o las proteínas. Desde que Watson y Crick descubrieron en los años cincuenta la estructura molecular del ADN en forma de doble hélice, se desencadenaron otros descubrimientos como las enzimas que cortan el ADN o la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR), cont...

  5. Micromechanics of base pair unzipping in the DNA duplex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Volkov, Sergey N; Paramonova, Ekaterina V; Yakubovich, Alexander V; Solov’yov, Andrey V

    2012-01-01

    All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of DNA duplex unzipping in a water environment were performed. The investigated DNA double helix consists of a Drew-Dickerson dodecamer sequence and a hairpin (AAG) attached to the end of the double-helix chain. The considered system is used to examine the process of DNA strand separation under the action of an external force. This process occurs in vivo and now is being intensively investigated in experiments with single molecules. The DNA dodecamer duplex is consequently unzipped pair by pair by means of the steered MD. The unzipping trajectories turn out to be similar for the duplex parts with G⋅C content and rather distinct for the parts with A⋅T content. It is shown that during the unzipping each pair experiences two types of motion: relatively quick rotation together with all the duplex and slower motion in the frame of the unzipping fork. In the course of opening, the complementary pair passes through several distinct states: (i) the closed state in the double helix, (ii) the metastable preopened state in the unzipping fork and (iii) the unbound state. The performed simulations show that water molecules participate in the stabilization of the metastable states of the preopened base pairs in the DNA unzipping fork. (paper)

  6. Single DNA denaturation and bubble dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metzler, Ralf; Ambjoernsson, Tobias; Hanke, Andreas; Fogedby, Hans C

    2009-01-01

    While the Watson-Crick double-strand is the thermodynamically stable state of DNA in a wide range of temperature and salt conditions, even at physiological conditions local denaturation bubbles may open up spontaneously due to thermal activation. By raising the ambient temperature, titration, or by external forces in single molecule setups bubbles proliferate until full denaturation of the DNA occurs. Based on the Poland-Scheraga model we investigate both the equilibrium transition of DNA denaturation and the dynamics of the denaturation bubbles with respect to recent single DNA chain experiments for situations below, at, and above the denaturation transition. We also propose a new single molecule setup based on DNA constructs with two bubble zones to measure the bubble coalescence and extract the physical parameters relevant to DNA breathing. Finally we consider the interplay between denaturation bubbles and selectively single-stranded DNA binding proteins.

  7. NOTE TAKING PAIRS TO IMPROVE STUDENTS‟ SENTENCE BASED WRITING ACHIEVEMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Testiana Deni Wijayatiningsih

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Students had skill to actualize their imagination and interpret their knowledge through writing which could be combined with good writing structure. Moreover, their writing skill still had low motivation and had not reached the standard writing structure. Based on the background above, this research has purpose to know the influence Note Taking Pairs in improving students‘sentence based writing achievement. The subject of this research was the second semester of English Department in Muhammadiyah University of Semarang. It also used statistic non parametric method to analyze the students‘ writing achievement. The result of this research showed that Note Taking Pairs strategy could improve students‘sentence based writing achievement. Hopefully this research is recommended into learning process to improve students‘writing skill especially in sentence-based writing subject.

  8. Validation of a Crowdsourcing Methodology for Developing a Knowledge Base of Related Problem-Medication Pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, A B; Wright, A; Krousel-Wood, M; Thomas, E J; McCoy, J A; Sittig, D F

    2015-01-01

    Clinical knowledge bases of problem-medication pairs are necessary for many informatics solutions that improve patient safety, such as clinical summarization. However, developing these knowledge bases can be challenging. We sought to validate a previously developed crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large, non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record. We first retrieved medications and problems entered in the electronic health record by clinicians during routine care during a six month study period. Following the previously published approach, we calculated the link frequency and link ratio for each pair then identified a threshold cutoff for estimated problem-medication pair appropriateness through clinician review; problem-medication pairs meeting the threshold were included in the resulting knowledge base. We selected 50 medications and their gold standard indications to compare the resulting knowledge base to the pilot knowledge base developed previously and determine its recall and precision. The resulting knowledge base contained 26,912 pairs, had a recall of 62.3% and a precision of 87.5%, and outperformed the pilot knowledge base containing 11,167 pairs from the previous study, which had a recall of 46.9% and a precision of 83.3%. We validated the crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record, indicating that the approach may be generalizable across healthcare settings and clinical systems. Further research is necessary to better evaluate the knowledge, to compare crowdsourcing with other approaches, and to evaluate if incorporating the knowledge into electronic health records improves patient outcomes.

  9. Estimating the Per-Base-Pair Mutation Rate in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    OpenAIRE

    Lang, Gregory I.; Murray, Andrew W.

    2008-01-01

    Although mutation rates are a key determinant of the rate of evolution they are difficult to measure precisely and global mutations rates (mutations per genome per generation) are often extrapolated from the per-base-pair mutation rate assuming that mutation rate is uniform across the genome. Using budding yeast, we describe an improved method for the accurate calculation of mutation rates based on the fluctuation assay. Our analysis suggests that the per-base-pair mutation rates at two genes...

  10. DNA and Protein Requirements for Substrate Conformational Changes Necessary for Human Flap Endonuclease-1-catalyzed Reaction*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Algasaier, Sana I.; Exell, Jack C.; Bennet, Ian A.; Thompson, Mark J.; Gotham, Victoria J. B.; Shaw, Steven J.; Craggs, Timothy D.; Finger, L. David; Grasby, Jane A.

    2016-01-01

    Human flap endonuclease-1 (hFEN1) catalyzes the essential removal of single-stranded flaps arising at DNA junctions during replication and repair processes. hFEN1 biological function must be precisely controlled, and consequently, the protein relies on a combination of protein and substrate conformational changes as a prerequisite for reaction. These include substrate bending at the duplex-duplex junction and transfer of unpaired reacting duplex end into the active site. When present, 5′-flaps are thought to thread under the helical cap, limiting reaction to flaps with free 5′-termini in vivo. Here we monitored DNA bending by FRET and DNA unpairing using 2-aminopurine exciton pair CD to determine the DNA and protein requirements for these substrate conformational changes. Binding of DNA to hFEN1 in a bent conformation occurred independently of 5′-flap accommodation and did not require active site metal ions or the presence of conserved active site residues. More stringent requirements exist for transfer of the substrate to the active site. Placement of the scissile phosphate diester in the active site required the presence of divalent metal ions, a free 5′-flap (if present), a Watson-Crick base pair at the terminus of the reacting duplex, and the intact secondary structure of the enzyme helical cap. Optimal positioning of the scissile phosphate additionally required active site conserved residues Tyr40, Asp181, and Arg100 and a reacting duplex 5′-phosphate. These studies suggest a FEN1 reaction mechanism where junctions are bound and 5′-flaps are threaded (when present), and finally the substrate is transferred onto active site metals initiating cleavage. PMID:26884332

  11. Validation of a Crowdsourcing Methodology for Developing a Knowledge Base of Related Problem-Medication Pairs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, A.; Krousel-Wood, M.; Thomas, E. J.; McCoy, J. A.; Sittig, D. F.

    2015-01-01

    Summary Background Clinical knowledge bases of problem-medication pairs are necessary for many informatics solutions that improve patient safety, such as clinical summarization. However, developing these knowledge bases can be challenging. Objective We sought to validate a previously developed crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large, non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record. Methods We first retrieved medications and problems entered in the electronic health record by clinicians during routine care during a six month study period. Following the previously published approach, we calculated the link frequency and link ratio for each pair then identified a threshold cutoff for estimated problem-medication pair appropriateness through clinician review; problem-medication pairs meeting the threshold were included in the resulting knowledge base. We selected 50 medications and their gold standard indications to compare the resulting knowledge base to the pilot knowledge base developed previously and determine its recall and precision. Results The resulting knowledge base contained 26,912 pairs, had a recall of 62.3% and a precision of 87.5%, and outperformed the pilot knowledge base containing 11,167 pairs from the previous study, which had a recall of 46.9% and a precision of 83.3%. Conclusions We validated the crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record, indicating that the approach may be generalizable across healthcare settings and clinical systems. Further research is necessary to better evaluate the knowledge, to compare crowdsourcing with other approaches, and to evaluate if incorporating the knowledge into electronic health records improves patient outcomes. PMID:26171079

  12. Lewis pair polymerization by classical and frustrated Lewis pairs: Acid, base and monomer scope and polymerization mechanism

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Yuetao

    2012-01-01

    Classical and frustrated Lewis pairs (LPs) of the strong Lewis acid (LA) Al(C 6F 5) 3 with several Lewis base (LB) classes have been found to exhibit exceptional activity in the Lewis pair polymerization (LPP) of conjugated polar alkenes such as methyl methacrylate (MMA) as well as renewable α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (MBL) and γ-methyl- α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (γ-MMBL), leading to high molecular weight polymers, often with narrow molecular weight distributions. This study has investigated a large number of LPs, consisting of 11 LAs as well as 10 achiral and 4 chiral LBs, for LPP of 12 monomers of several different types. Although some more common LAs can also be utilized for LPP, Al(C 6F 5) 3-based LPs are far more active and effective than other LA-based LPs. On the other hand, several classes of LBs, when paired with Al(C 6F 5) 3, can render highly active and effective LPP of MMA and γ-MMBL; such LBs include phosphines (e.g., P tBu 3), chiral chelating diphosphines, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), and phosphazene superbases (e.g., P 4- tBu). The P 4- tBu/Al(C 6F 5) 3 pair exhibits the highest activity of the LP series, with a remarkably high turn-over frequency of 9.6 × 10 4 h -1 (0.125 mol% catalyst, 100% MMA conversion in 30 s, M n = 2.12 × 10 5 g mol -1, PDI = 1.34). The polymers produced by LPs at RT are typically atactic (P γMMBL with ∼47% mr) or syndio-rich (PMMA with ∼70-75% rr), but highly syndiotactic PMMA with rr ∼91% can be produced by chiral or achiral LPs at -78 °C. Mechanistic studies have identified and structurally characterized zwitterionic phosphonium and imidazolium enolaluminates as the active species of the current LPP system, which are formed by the reaction of the monomer·Al(C 6F 5) 3 adduct with P tBu 3 and NHC bases, respectively. Kinetic studies have revealed that the MMA polymerization by the tBu 3P/ Al(C 6F 5) 3 pair is zero-order in monomer concentration after an initial induction period, and the polymerization

  13. Of the Helmholtz Club, South-Californian seedbed for visual and cognitive neuroscience, and its patron Francis Crick.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aicardi, Christine

    2014-03-01

    Taking up the view that semi-institutional gatherings such as clubs, societies, research schools, have been instrumental in creating sheltered spaces from which many a 20th-century project-driven interdisciplinary research programme could develop and become established within the institutions of science, the paper explores the history of one such gathering from its inception in the early 1980s into the 2000s, the Helmholtz Club, which brought together scientists from such various research fields as neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, psychophysics, computer science and engineering, who all had an interest in the study of the visual system and of higher cognitive functions relying on visual perception such as visual consciousness. It argues that British molecular biologist turned South Californian neuroscientist Francis Crick had an early and lasting influence over the Helmholtz Club of which he was a founding pillar, and that from its inception, the club served as a constitutive element in his long-term plans for a neuroscience of vision and of cognition. Further, it argues that in this role, the Helmholtz Club served many purposes, the primary of which was to be a social forum for interdisciplinary discussion, where 'discussion' was not mere talk but was imbued with an epistemic value and as such, carefully cultivated. Finally, it questions what counts as 'doing science' and in turn, definitions of success and failure-and provides some material evidence towards re-appraising the successfulness of Crick's contribution to the neurosciences. Copyright © 2013 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  14. Base Pair Opening in a Deoxynucleotide Duplex Containing a cis-syn Thymine Cyclobutane Dimer Lesion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wenke, Belinda B.; Huiting, Leah N.; Frankel, Elisa B.; Lane, Benjamin F.; Núñez, Megan E.

    2014-01-01

    The cis-syn thymine cyclobutane dimer is a DNA photoproduct implicated in skin cancer. We compared the stability of individual base pairs in thymine dimer-containing duplexes to undamaged parent 10-mer duplexes. UV melting thermodynamic measurements, CD spectroscopy, and 2D NOESY NMR spectroscopy confirm that the thymine dimer lesion is locally and moderately destabilizing within an overall B-form duplex conformation. We measured the rates of exchange of individual imino protons by NMR using magnetization transfer from water and determined the equilibrium constant for the opening of each base pair Kop. In the normal duplex Kop decreases from the frayed ends of the duplex toward the center, such that the central TA pair is the most stable with a Kop of 8×10−7. In contrast, base pair opening at the 5’T of the thymine dimer is facile. The 5’T of the dimer has the largest equilibrium constant (Kop =3×10−4) in its duplex, considerably larger than even the frayed penultimate base pairs. Notably, base pairing by the 3’T of the dimer is much more stable than by the 5’T, indicating that the predominant opening mechanism for the thymine dimer lesion is not likely to be flipping out into solution as a single unit. The dimer asymmetrically affects the stability of the duplex in its vicinity, destabilizing base pairing on its 5’ side more than on the 3’ side. The striking differences in base pair opening between parent and dimer duplexes occur independently of the duplex-single strand melting transitions. PMID:24328089

  15. Mechanisms of Insertion of dCTP and dTTP Opposite the DNA Lesion O6-Methyl-2′-deoxyguanosine by Human DNA Polymerase η*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patra, Amitraj; Zhang, Qianqian; Guengerich, F. Peter; Egli, Martin

    2016-01-01

    O6-Methyl-2′-deoxyguanosine (O6-MeG) is a ubiquitous DNA lesion, formed not only by xenobiotic carcinogens but also by the endogenous methylating agent S-adenosylmethionine. It can introduce mutations during DNA replication, with different DNA polymerases displaying different ratios of correct or incorrect incorporation opposite this nucleoside. Of the “translesion” Y-family human DNA polymerases (hpols), hpol η is most efficient in incorporating equal numbers of correct and incorrect C and T bases. However, the mechanistic basis for this specific yet indiscriminate activity is not known. To explore this question, we report biochemical and structural analysis of the catalytic core of hpol η. Activity assays showed the truncated form displayed similar misincorporation properties as the full-length enzyme, incorporating C and T equally and extending from both. X-ray crystal structures of both dC and dT paired with O6-MeG were solved in both insertion and extension modes. The structures revealed a Watson-Crick-like pairing between O6-MeG and 2"-deoxythymidine-5"-[(α, β)-imido]triphosphate (approximating dT) at both the insertion and extension stages with formation of two H-bonds. Conversely, both the structures with O6- MeG opposite dCTP and dC display sheared configuration of base pairs but to different degrees, with formation of two bifurcated H-bonds and two single H-bonds in the structures trapped in the insertion and extension states, respectively. The structural data are consistent with the observed tendency of hpol η to insert both dC and dT opposite the O6-MeG lesion with similar efficiencies. Comparison of the hpol η active site configurations with either O6-MeG:dC or O6-MeG:dT bound compared with the corresponding situations in structures of complexes of Sulfolobus solfataricus Dpo4, a bypass pol that favors C relative to T by a factor of ∼4, helps rationalize the more error-prone synthesis opposite the lesion by hpol η. PMID:27694439

  16. Charge transfer in DNA: role of base pairing

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kratochvílová, Irena; Bunček, M.; Schneider, Bohdan

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 38, Suppl. (2009), S123-S123 ISSN 0175-7571. [EBSA European Biophysics Congress /7./. Genoa, 11.07.2009-15.07.2009] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520; CEZ:AV0Z50520701 Keywords : DNA * charge transport * base pairing Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 2.437, year: 2009

  17. Orbital interactions and charge redistribution in weak hydrogen bonds: The Watson-Crick AT mimic adenine-2,4-difluorotoluene

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fonseca Guerra, C.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.

    2003-01-01

    An overview is given of results that reestablish hydrogen bonding as an essential factor in DNA replication involving natural bases as well as less polar mimics and they also confirm the importance of steric factors, in line with Kool's experimental work. In addition they show that knowledge of the

  18. Assistência em Enfermagem e Jean Watson: Uma reflexão sobre a empatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberta Maria Savieto

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Resumo Objetivo: Relacionar a empatia com a Teoria do Cuidado Humano, de Jean Watson, no contexto atual da Enfermagem. Métodos: Trata-se de um ensaio teórico-reflexivo que propõe uma discussão acerca da empatia e sua relação com a Teoria do Cuidado Humano, de Jean Watson, na prática contemporânea da Enfermagem. Resultado: É apresentado o processo Clinical Caritas e cada elemento de cuidado que o compõe visando propor e discutir as conexões com a empatia na assistência em Enfermagem. Torna-se imperioso aliar aspectos técnicos e humanísticos na oferta do cuidado de Enfermagem, além de resgatar a valorização da abordagem da empatia na formação de profissionais da saúde, bem como na continuidade dos estudos após a graduação. Conclusão: Entende-se que essa reflexão pode contribuir para a reorganização de ideias e conceitos sobre aprimoramentos essenciais que se mostram necessários à prática atual da Enfermagem, além de reforçar seu crescimento enquanto ciência.

  19. Studies of base pair sequence effects on DNA solvation based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixit, Surjit B; Mezei, Mihaly; Beveridge, David L

    2012-07-01

    Detailed analyses of the sequence-dependent solvation and ion atmosphere of DNA are presented based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on all the 136 unique tetranucleotide steps obtained by the ABC consortium using the AMBER suite of programs. Significant sequence effects on solvation and ion localization were observed in these simulations. The results were compared to essentially all known experimental data on the subject. Proximity analysis was employed to highlight the sequence dependent differences in solvation and ion localization properties in the grooves of DNA. Comparison of the MD-calculated DNA structure with canonical A- and B-forms supports the idea that the G/C-rich sequences are closer to canonical A- than B-form structures, while the reverse is true for the poly A sequences, with the exception of the alternating ATAT sequence. Analysis of hydration density maps reveals that the flexibility of solute molecule has a significant effect on the nature of observed hydration. Energetic analysis of solute-solvent interactions based on proximity analysis of solvent reveals that the GC or CG base pairs interact more strongly with water molecules in the minor groove of DNA that the AT or TA base pairs, while the interactions of the AT or TA pairs in the major groove are stronger than those of the GC or CG pairs. Computation of solvent-accessible surface area of the nucleotide units in the simulated trajectories reveals that the similarity with results derived from analysis of a database of crystallographic structures is excellent. The MD trajectories tend to follow Manning's counterion condensation theory, presenting a region of condensed counterions within a radius of about 17 A from the DNA surface independent of sequence. The GC and CG pairs tend to associate with cations in the major groove of the DNA structure to a greater extent than the AT and TA pairs. Cation association is more frequent in the minor groove of AT than the GC pairs. In general, the

  20. Photochemical selectivity in guanine-cytosine base-pair structures

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Abo-Riziq, A.; Grace, L.; Nir, E.; Kabeláč, Martin; Hobza, Pavel; Vries de, M. S.

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 102, č. 1 (2005), s. 20-23 ISSN 0027-8424 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA203/05/0009 Grant - others:NSF(US) CHE-0244341 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : DNA base pairs * IR-UV spectroscopy * phytochemistry Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 10.231, year: 2005