Sequence-dependent structural properties of B-DNA: what have we learned in 40 years?
The structure of B-DNA, the physiological form of the DNA molecule, has been a central topic in biology, chemistry and physics. Far from uniform and rigid, the double helix was revealed as a flexible and structurally polymorphic molecule. Conformational changes that lead to local and global changes in the helix geometry are mediated by a complex choreography of base and backbone rearrangements affecting the ability of the B-DNA to recognize ligands and consequently on its functionality. In this sense, the knowledge obtained from the sequence-dependent structural properties of B-DNA has always been thought crucial to rationalize how ligands and, most notably, proteins recognize B-DNA and modulate its activity, i.e. the structural basis of gene regulation. Honouring the anniversary of the first high-resolution X-ray structure of a B-DNA molecule, in this contribution, we present the most important discoveries of the last 40 years on the sequence-dependent structural and dynamical properties of B-DNA, from the early beginnings to the current frontiers in the field.
WOS:001074281400036
2021-12-01
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The authors want to express their gratitude to the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) for the invitation to write this review and to Prof. Daniel Peluffo (UdelaR, UY) for suggesting our names to the IUPAB council. | |