ホモキラリティーの破れがDNAの構造と安定性に及ぼす影響

概要

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The duplex structure of several heterochiral dodecadeoxynucleotides containing an unnatural L-enantiomer of D-deoxyribose was investigated by using nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet, circular dichroism spectroscopy and restriction endonuclease Eco RI digestion. The UV melting study suggested that the L-nucleotide residue of the heterochiral 12mers retains the base pairing with the complementary natural D-counterpart. This was also supported by ^1H NMR analysis of L-4, which also revealed the molecular mechanisms for the L-nucleotide to form the Watson-Crick base pairing. The CD experiments suggested that the duplex structure of the heterochiral 12mers is not significantly different from that of the parental one, and some of the 12mers were recognized by restriction endonuclease EcoRI. These results suggested that the breaking homochirality of the 12mer does not induce significant conformational changes or helical distortion, although the duplex stability is somewhat decreased. The destabilization of the; duplex structure for heterochiral DNA might have been advantageous for natural selection of homochiral DNA in the processes of the chemical evolution of DNA.
生命の起原および進化学会の論文
2004-01-10