The Role of Minor Groove Functional Groups in DNA Hydration
Woods, K.K., Lan, T., McLaughlin, L.W., Williams, L.D.(2003) Nucleic Acids Res 31: 1536-1540
- PubMed: 12595562 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkg240
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1NGT - PubMed Abstract: 
Here we describe the crystal structure of modified [d(CGCGAATTCGCG)]2 refined to 2.04 A. The modification, which affects only the two thymines at the central ApT step, involves isosteric removal of the 2-keto oxygen atoms and substitution of the N1 nitrogen with carbon. The crystal structure reveals the ability of this modified thymine to effectively base pair with adenine in [d(CGCGAAtTCGCG)]2. The structure also suggests that the minor groove 'spine of hydration' is destabilized but essentially intact.
Organizational Affiliation: 
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.