Steric Parameters of the DNA Macromolecule

Copyright 2004 WILEY-VCH Veriag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim 

The more complex tertiary structure and quaternary structures of DNA characterize the compacted DNA states present in nucle-osomes and microscopically detected in chromosomes. 

Studies concerning the interaction of DNA with metal ions - which has as an outcome the formation of DNA-M type adducts - were performed using various physico-chemical methods, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), and spectroscopy (CD, UV, IR and Raman) (Zimmer 1971, Yang and Samejima 1971, Balasubramanian and Kumar 1976, Marzilli 1977, Arnott 1978, Jack 1979, Theophanides 1976, 

The dextrogyric rotation of the doublehelical DNA may generate the A-DNA, B-DNA, C-DNA, and D-DNA types, while the senestrogyric rotation generates the Z-DNA type. All these types are characterized by linear and angular steric parameters. Details on steric parameters, depending on the residual nucleotides from the macromo-lecular building and nucleobases pairs (respectively nucleotides) of the DNA double helix are provided below. 

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