‘Z-RNA’—a left-handed RNA double helix (original) (raw)

Nature volume 311, pages 584–586 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

In contrast to double-stranded DNA, there has so far been little evidence that double-stranded RNA can undergo major conformational transitions. We have investigated the conformation in different conditions of the double-stranded RNA molecule poly(G-C)·poly(G-C), by NMR, circular dichroism and absorbance spectroscopy. We report here evidence obtained by these different spectroscopic techniques that poly(G-C)·poly(G-C) undergoes a transition from the A-form to a left-handed Z-form in conditions of high ionic strength and at temperatures above 35°C. This conformational transition may be of relevance to the biological situations in which double-stranded RNA occurs, such as in ribosomes and in some viruses.

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Author notes

  1. Johan H. van de Sande
    Present address: Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 4N1
  2. Thomas M. Jovin and Johan H. van de Sande: Abteilung Molekulare Biologie, Max Planck Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, D-3400 Göttingen, FDR

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department and Laboratory of Chemical Biodynamics, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
    Kathleen Hall, Phillip Cruz, Ignacio Tinoco Jr, Thomas M. Jovin & Johan H. van de Sande

Authors

  1. Kathleen Hall
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  2. Phillip Cruz
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  3. Ignacio Tinoco Jr
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  4. Thomas M. Jovin
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  5. Johan H. van de Sande
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Hall, K., Cruz, P., Tinoco, I. et al. ‘Z-RNA’—a left-handed RNA double helix.Nature 311, 584–586 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/311584a0

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