208D

HIGH-RESOLUTION STRUCTURE OF A DNA HELIX FORMING (C.G)*G BASE TRIPLETS

Summary for 208D

• Entry DOI: 10.2210/pdb208d/pdb
• Descriptor: DNA (5'-D(*GP*CP*GP*AP*AP*TP*TP*CP*G)-3'), MAGNESIUM ION (3 entities in total)
• Functional Keywords: b-dna, double helix, base triplet, dna
• Total number of polymer chains: 2
• Total formula weight: 5560.26

Authors

Van Meervelt, L.,Vlieghe, D.,Dautant, A.,Gallois, B.,Precigoux, G.,Kennard, O. (deposition date: 1995-04-26, release date: 1995-09-15, Last modification date: 2024-04-03)

Primary citation

Van Meervelt, L.,Vlieghe, D.,Dautant, A.,Gallois, B.,Precigoux, G.,Kennard, O.
High-resolution structure of a DNA helix forming (C.G)*G base triplets.
Nature, 374:742-744, 1995

PubMed Abstract: Triple helices result from interaction between single- and double-stranded nucleic acids. Their formation is a possible mechanism for recombination of homologous gene sequences in nature and provides, inter alia, a basis for artificial control of gene activity. Triple-helix motifs have been extensively studied by a variety of techniques, but few high-resolution structural data are available. The only triplet structures characterized so far by X-ray diffraction were in protein-DNA complexes studied at about 3 A resolution. We report here the X-ray analysis of a DNA nonamer, d(GCGAATTCG), to a resolution of 2.05 A, in which the extended crystal structure contains (C.G)*G triplets as a fragment of triple helix. The guanosine-containing chains are in a parallel orientation. This arrangement is a necessary feature of models for homologous recombination which results ultimately in replacement of one length of DNA by another of similar sequence. The present-structure agrees with many published predictions of triplex organization, and provides an accurate representation of an element that allows sequence-specific association between single- and double-stranded nucleic acids.

PubMed: 7715732
DOI: 10.1038/374742a0

Experimental method

X-RAY DIFFRACTION (2.05 Å)