G.T wobble base-pairing in Z-DNA at 1.0 A atomic resolution: the crystal structure of d(CGCGTG).

P. S. Ho, C. A. Frederick, G. J. Quigley, G. A. van der Marel, J. H. van Boom, A. H. Wang, A. Rich

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

85 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The DNA oligomer d(CGCGTG) crystallizes as a Z-DNA double helix containing two guanine-thymine base pair mismatches of the wobble type. The crystal diffracts to 1 A resolution and the structure has been solved and refined. At this resolution, a large amount of information is revealed about the organization of the water molecules in the lattice generally and more specifically around the wobble base pairs. By comparing this structure with the analogous high resolution structure of d(CGCGCG) we can visualize the structural changes as well as the reorganization of the solvent molecules associated with wobble base pairing. There is only a small distortion of the Z-DNA backbone resulting from introduction of the GT mismatched base pairs. The water molecules cluster around the wobble base pair taking up all of the hydrogen bonding capabilities of the bases due to wobble pairing. These bridging water molecules serve to stabilize the base-base interaction and, thus, may be generally important for base mispairing either in DNA or in RNA molecules.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3617-3623
Number of pages7
JournalEMBO Journal
Volume4
Issue number13 A
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 16 1985
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Immunology and Microbiology

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