PMID: 9546216 , Related PDB ids: 8DRH, 8PSH

Authors:

Bachelin M, Hessler G, Kurz G, Hacia JG, Dervan PB, Kessler H

Title:

Structure of a stereoregular phosphorothioate DNA/RNA duplex.

Journal:

Nat Struct Biol. 1998 Apr;5(4):271-6.

Abstract:

In this work, we present the first NMR solution structure of a DNA/RNA hybrid containing stereoregular Rp-phosphorothioate modifications of all DNA backbone linkages. The complex of the enzymatically synthesized phosphorothioate DNA octamer (all-Rp)-d(GCGTCAGG) and its complementary RNA r(CCUGACGC) was found to adopt an overall conformation within the A-form family. Most helical parameters and the sugar puckers of the DNA strand assume values intermediate between A- and B-form. The close structural similarity with the unmodified DNA/RNA hybrid of the same sequence may explain why both the natural and the sulfur-substituted complex can be recognized and digested by ribonuclease H.