Victor Zhurkin - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Victor Zhurkin
Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics, 2015
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
Monte-Carlo calculations have revealed a significant flexibility of the double stranded dinucleos... more Monte-Carlo calculations have revealed a significant flexibility of the double stranded dinucleoside phosphates AA: TT, AT: AT, TA: TA, GG: CC, GC: GC and CG: CG within the limits of the B-family of forms. Fluctuations of the dihedral angles and of the phase angle of pseudorotation, P, have been found to be 5-20 degrees and 10-20 degrees respectively. The r.m.s. deviation of the helical winding angle varies from 3 degrees to 6 degrees for different dimers. The G: C-containing dimers proved to be more rigid that the A: T-containing ones, though the methyl groups of thymines take part in stabilization of AA: TT and AT: AT dimers. The propeller angles in A: T and G: C pairs are of opposite sing. The pyrimidine-(3'-5')-purine dinucleoside phosphates demonstrate the least stability. All the dimers proved to be more flexible when opened into both grooves than in perpendicular directions. Due to the greater value of the glycosidic angle in the 3'-monomer the base pairs are opened into the wide groove. A connection between opening of the base pairs and bending of the double helix for different nucleotide sequences has been discussed. This might be important for the DNA package in nucleosomes.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
On the basis of general stereochemical considerations the classification of the stacking state of... more On the basis of general stereochemical considerations the classification of the stacking state of dinucleoside phosphate (DNP) including eight types of stacks of nucleic bases has been suggested. With the use of the algorithm, which makes possible determination of the backbone conformation for the given nucleic bases arrangement, the stacking conformes of DNP were analysed by atom-atom potential method. For all compounds different types of stacking conformes were obtained with energy values lower than that for the unstacking state. It follows from the results of calculations that for description of the conformational situation of DNP in solution the "non-canonical" conformers should be born in mind. In particular the forms having different sugar conformations in Np- and in pN-parts of the dimers are of interest. The effect of choice of the atom-atom potential functions on optimal conformation of DNP is discussed. For single-stranded RNA several regular and non-regular structures are proposed.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
The bending flexibility of six tetramers was studied in an assumption that they were extended in ... more The bending flexibility of six tetramers was studied in an assumption that they were extended in the both directions by regular double helices. The bends of B-DNA in different directions were considered. The stiffness of the B-DNA double helix when bent into the both grooves proved to be less pronounced than in the perpendicular direction by the order of magnitude. Such an anisotropy is a feature of the sugar-phosphate backbone structure. The calculated fluctuations of the DNA bending along the dyad axis, 5-7 degrees, are in agreement with the experimental value of DNA persistence length. Anisotropy of the double helix is sequence-dependent: most easily bent into the minor groove are the tetramers with purine-pyrimidine dimer (RY) in the middle. In contrast, YR dinucleotides prefer bending into the major groove, moreover, they have an equilibrium bend of 6-12 degrees into this groove. The above inequality is caused by the stacking interaction of the bases. The bend in the central dimers is distributed to some extent between the adjacent links, though the main fraction of the bend remains within the central link. Variation of the sugar-phosphate geometry in the bent helix is unessential, so that DNA remains within the limits of the B-family of forms: namely, when the helical axis is bent by 20 degrees the backbone dihedral angles vary by no more than 15 degrees. The obtained results are in accord with the X-ray structure of B-DNA dodecamer; they further substantiate our earlier model of DNA wrapping in the nucleosome by means of "mini-kinks" separated by a half-pitch of the double helix, i.e. by 5-6 b. p. Sequence-dependent anisotropy of DNA presumably dictates the three-dimensional structure of DNA in solution as well. We have found that nonrandom allocation of YR dimers leads to the systematic bends in the equilibrium structure of certain DNA fragments. To the four "Calladine rules" two more can be added: the minor-groove steric clash of purines in the YR sequences are avoided by: (1) bending of the helix into the major groove; (2) increasing the distance between the base pairs (stretching the double helix).
Biophysical Journal, 2015
Specific details concerning the spatial organization of nucleosomes in 30 nm fibers remain unknow... more Specific details concerning the spatial organization of nucleosomes in 30 nm fibers remain unknown. To investigate this, we analyzed all stereochemically possible configurations of two-start nucleosome fibers with short DNA linkers L = 13-37 bp (nucleosome repeat length (NRL) = 160-184 bp). Four superhelical parameters-inclination of nucleosomes, twist, rise, and diameter-uniquely describe a regular symmetric fiber. The energy of a fiber is defined as the sum of four terms: elastic energy of the linker DNA, steric repulsion, electrostatics, and a phenomenological (H4 tail-acidic patch) interaction between two stacked nucleosomes. By optimizing the fiber energy with respect to the superhelical parameters, we found two types of topological transition in fibers (associated with the change in inclination angle): one caused by an abrupt 360° change in the linker DNA twisting (change in the DNA linking number, ΔLk = 1), and another caused by overcrossing of the linkers (ΔLk = 2). To the best of our knowledge, this topological polymorphism of the two-start fibers was not reported in the computations published earlier. Importantly, the optimal configurations of the fibers with linkers L = 10n and 10n + 5 bp are characterized by different values of the DNA linking number-that is, they are topologically different. Our results are consistent with experimental observations, such as the inclination 60° to 70° (the angle between the nucleosomal disks and the fiber axis), helical rise, diameter, and left-handedness of the fibers. In addition, we make several testable predictions, among them different degrees of DNA supercoiling in fibers with L = 10n and 10n + 5 bp, different flexibility of the two types of fibers, and a correlation between the local NRL and the level of transcription in different parts of the yeast genome.
Computational Studies of RNA and DNA, 2006
Abstract: The inferences that can be drawn from known DNA structures provide new stimuli for impr... more Abstract: The inferences that can be drawn from known DNA structures provide new stimuli for improvement of nucleic acid force fields and fresh ideas for exploration of the sequence-dependent properties of DNA. The rapidly growing database of high-resolution nucleic acid crystal ...
To elucidate the possible role of structural waters in stabilizing bent DNA, various conformation... more To elucidate the possible role of structural waters in stabilizing bent DNA, various conformations of AT-containing decamers, (A5T5)2 and A10:T10, were studied by Monte Carlo simulations. The duplexes were constrained to reproduce the NMR inter-proton distances for the A-tracts at two temperatures: 5 and 35C. Analysis of the water shell structures revealed a strong correlation between the groove widths on the one hand, and the types of hydration patterns and their probabilities on the other hand. Depending on the minor groove width, the following patterns were observed in this groove: either an interstrand "hydration spine", or interstrand two-water bridges, or a double ribbon of intrastrand sugar-base "water strings". Hydration shell in the major groove is less regular than in the minor groove, which agrees with crystallographic data. As in previous studies, energetically advantageous hydration is found for the A-tract conformations with narrow minor groove and ...
Physics of Life Reviews, 2011
Nucleic Acids Research, 1981
A 10.5-base periodicity found earlier is inherent in both eu- and prokaryotic coding nucleotide s... more A 10.5-base periodicity found earlier is inherent in both eu- and prokaryotic coding nucleotide sequences. In the case of noncoding eukaryotic sequences no periodicity is found, so the 10.5-base oscillation seemingly does not correlate with the nucleosomal organization of DNA. It is shown that the DNA fragments, coding the alpha-helical protein segments, manifest the pronounced 10.5-base periodicity, while those regions of DNA which code the beta-structure have a 6-base oscillation. The repeating pattern of nucleotide sequences can be used for comparison of the DNA segments with low degree of homology.
Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 1985
Conformational analysis has revealed anisotropic flexibility of the B-DNA double helix: it bends ... more Conformational analysis has revealed anisotropic flexibility of the B-DNA double helix: it bends most easily into the grooves, being the most rigid when bent in a perpendicular direction. This result implies that DNA in a nucleosome is curved by means of relatively sharp bends ("mini-kinks") which are directed into the major and minor grooves alternatively and separated by 5-6 base pairs. The "mini-kink" model proved to be in keeping with the x-ray structure of the B-DNA dodecamer resolved later, which exhibits two "annealed kinks", also directed into the grooves. The anisotropy of B DNA is sequence-dependent: the pyrimidine-purine dimers (YR) favor bending into the minor groove, and the purine-pyrimidine dinucleotides (RY), into the minor one. The RR and YY dimers appear to be the most rigid dinucleotides. Thus, a DNA fragment consisting of the interchanging oligopurine and oligopyrimidine blocks 5-6 base pairs long should manifest a spectacular curvature in solution. Similarly, a nucleotide sequence containing the RY and YR dimers separated by a half-pitch of the double helix is the most suitable for wrapping around the nucleosomal core. Analysis of the numerous examples demonstrating the specific alignment of nucleosomes on DNA confirms this concept. So, the sequence-dependent "mechanical" properties of the double helix influence the spatial arrangement of DNA in chromatin.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
ABSTRACT
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
A conformational transition of a single deoxyribose was analyzed in B-form trimers dA3:dT3 and dG... more A conformational transition of a single deoxyribose was analyzed in B-form trimers dA3:dT3 and dG3:dC3, both in the purine and pyrimidine chains. The main results were obtained for the duplexes with frozen ends, which could be extended by regular double helixes. The geometry of the central sugar ring in the duplexes may strongly deviate from the regular conformation. When deoxyribose changed its conformation in the central pyrimidine, the energy increase was proved to be less significant in comparison with that for purine. In the case of Thy, a decrease in pseudorotation angle P from 140 to 80 degrees causes the energy increase of 0.5 kcal/mol only, the barrier being 1.2 kcal/mol. The energy profile for Cyt has several local minima. The results of calculations were compared with numerous experimental data, they help to explain some NMR data. A perturbation of the duplex AAA:TTT structure caused by the thymine sugar ring transition, produces 5 degrees bend of the DNA axis directed toward adenines. We also investigated the influence of such conformational disturbance on the neighbouring base pairs, in particular the transition in the trimers with unfrozen ends.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
ABSTRACT
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
It was shown that in case of C(3')-endo pucker of ribose two left and two right types of ... more It was shown that in case of C(3')-endo pucker of ribose two left and two right types of helices are possible from the energetical point of view. However, such helices with C(2')-endo conformation of ribose are extremely unfavourable due to the steric hindrance caused by 2'-OH group. In this case the low energy structures have bases outside and phosphate groups inside the helix. The right and the left poly(A) helices have similar energy values, the barrier of transition between them being rather small. Biregular structures, i.e. the helices on which dinucleotide serves as the repeating unit, were also considered. These forms proved to be energetically optimal in the case of poly(A-C).
Journal of biomolecular Structure & Dynamics
Biophysical Journal, 2015
Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics, 2015
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
Monte-Carlo calculations have revealed a significant flexibility of the double stranded dinucleos... more Monte-Carlo calculations have revealed a significant flexibility of the double stranded dinucleoside phosphates AA: TT, AT: AT, TA: TA, GG: CC, GC: GC and CG: CG within the limits of the B-family of forms. Fluctuations of the dihedral angles and of the phase angle of pseudorotation, P, have been found to be 5-20 degrees and 10-20 degrees respectively. The r.m.s. deviation of the helical winding angle varies from 3 degrees to 6 degrees for different dimers. The G: C-containing dimers proved to be more rigid that the A: T-containing ones, though the methyl groups of thymines take part in stabilization of AA: TT and AT: AT dimers. The propeller angles in A: T and G: C pairs are of opposite sing. The pyrimidine-(3'-5')-purine dinucleoside phosphates demonstrate the least stability. All the dimers proved to be more flexible when opened into both grooves than in perpendicular directions. Due to the greater value of the glycosidic angle in the 3'-monomer the base pairs are opened into the wide groove. A connection between opening of the base pairs and bending of the double helix for different nucleotide sequences has been discussed. This might be important for the DNA package in nucleosomes.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
On the basis of general stereochemical considerations the classification of the stacking state of... more On the basis of general stereochemical considerations the classification of the stacking state of dinucleoside phosphate (DNP) including eight types of stacks of nucleic bases has been suggested. With the use of the algorithm, which makes possible determination of the backbone conformation for the given nucleic bases arrangement, the stacking conformes of DNP were analysed by atom-atom potential method. For all compounds different types of stacking conformes were obtained with energy values lower than that for the unstacking state. It follows from the results of calculations that for description of the conformational situation of DNP in solution the "non-canonical" conformers should be born in mind. In particular the forms having different sugar conformations in Np- and in pN-parts of the dimers are of interest. The effect of choice of the atom-atom potential functions on optimal conformation of DNP is discussed. For single-stranded RNA several regular and non-regular structures are proposed.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
The bending flexibility of six tetramers was studied in an assumption that they were extended in ... more The bending flexibility of six tetramers was studied in an assumption that they were extended in the both directions by regular double helices. The bends of B-DNA in different directions were considered. The stiffness of the B-DNA double helix when bent into the both grooves proved to be less pronounced than in the perpendicular direction by the order of magnitude. Such an anisotropy is a feature of the sugar-phosphate backbone structure. The calculated fluctuations of the DNA bending along the dyad axis, 5-7 degrees, are in agreement with the experimental value of DNA persistence length. Anisotropy of the double helix is sequence-dependent: most easily bent into the minor groove are the tetramers with purine-pyrimidine dimer (RY) in the middle. In contrast, YR dinucleotides prefer bending into the major groove, moreover, they have an equilibrium bend of 6-12 degrees into this groove. The above inequality is caused by the stacking interaction of the bases. The bend in the central dimers is distributed to some extent between the adjacent links, though the main fraction of the bend remains within the central link. Variation of the sugar-phosphate geometry in the bent helix is unessential, so that DNA remains within the limits of the B-family of forms: namely, when the helical axis is bent by 20 degrees the backbone dihedral angles vary by no more than 15 degrees. The obtained results are in accord with the X-ray structure of B-DNA dodecamer; they further substantiate our earlier model of DNA wrapping in the nucleosome by means of "mini-kinks" separated by a half-pitch of the double helix, i.e. by 5-6 b. p. Sequence-dependent anisotropy of DNA presumably dictates the three-dimensional structure of DNA in solution as well. We have found that nonrandom allocation of YR dimers leads to the systematic bends in the equilibrium structure of certain DNA fragments. To the four "Calladine rules" two more can be added: the minor-groove steric clash of purines in the YR sequences are avoided by: (1) bending of the helix into the major groove; (2) increasing the distance between the base pairs (stretching the double helix).
Biophysical Journal, 2015
Specific details concerning the spatial organization of nucleosomes in 30 nm fibers remain unknow... more Specific details concerning the spatial organization of nucleosomes in 30 nm fibers remain unknown. To investigate this, we analyzed all stereochemically possible configurations of two-start nucleosome fibers with short DNA linkers L = 13-37 bp (nucleosome repeat length (NRL) = 160-184 bp). Four superhelical parameters-inclination of nucleosomes, twist, rise, and diameter-uniquely describe a regular symmetric fiber. The energy of a fiber is defined as the sum of four terms: elastic energy of the linker DNA, steric repulsion, electrostatics, and a phenomenological (H4 tail-acidic patch) interaction between two stacked nucleosomes. By optimizing the fiber energy with respect to the superhelical parameters, we found two types of topological transition in fibers (associated with the change in inclination angle): one caused by an abrupt 360° change in the linker DNA twisting (change in the DNA linking number, ΔLk = 1), and another caused by overcrossing of the linkers (ΔLk = 2). To the best of our knowledge, this topological polymorphism of the two-start fibers was not reported in the computations published earlier. Importantly, the optimal configurations of the fibers with linkers L = 10n and 10n + 5 bp are characterized by different values of the DNA linking number-that is, they are topologically different. Our results are consistent with experimental observations, such as the inclination 60° to 70° (the angle between the nucleosomal disks and the fiber axis), helical rise, diameter, and left-handedness of the fibers. In addition, we make several testable predictions, among them different degrees of DNA supercoiling in fibers with L = 10n and 10n + 5 bp, different flexibility of the two types of fibers, and a correlation between the local NRL and the level of transcription in different parts of the yeast genome.
Computational Studies of RNA and DNA, 2006
Abstract: The inferences that can be drawn from known DNA structures provide new stimuli for impr... more Abstract: The inferences that can be drawn from known DNA structures provide new stimuli for improvement of nucleic acid force fields and fresh ideas for exploration of the sequence-dependent properties of DNA. The rapidly growing database of high-resolution nucleic acid crystal ...
To elucidate the possible role of structural waters in stabilizing bent DNA, various conformation... more To elucidate the possible role of structural waters in stabilizing bent DNA, various conformations of AT-containing decamers, (A5T5)2 and A10:T10, were studied by Monte Carlo simulations. The duplexes were constrained to reproduce the NMR inter-proton distances for the A-tracts at two temperatures: 5 and 35C. Analysis of the water shell structures revealed a strong correlation between the groove widths on the one hand, and the types of hydration patterns and their probabilities on the other hand. Depending on the minor groove width, the following patterns were observed in this groove: either an interstrand "hydration spine", or interstrand two-water bridges, or a double ribbon of intrastrand sugar-base "water strings". Hydration shell in the major groove is less regular than in the minor groove, which agrees with crystallographic data. As in previous studies, energetically advantageous hydration is found for the A-tract conformations with narrow minor groove and ...
Physics of Life Reviews, 2011
Nucleic Acids Research, 1981
A 10.5-base periodicity found earlier is inherent in both eu- and prokaryotic coding nucleotide s... more A 10.5-base periodicity found earlier is inherent in both eu- and prokaryotic coding nucleotide sequences. In the case of noncoding eukaryotic sequences no periodicity is found, so the 10.5-base oscillation seemingly does not correlate with the nucleosomal organization of DNA. It is shown that the DNA fragments, coding the alpha-helical protein segments, manifest the pronounced 10.5-base periodicity, while those regions of DNA which code the beta-structure have a 6-base oscillation. The repeating pattern of nucleotide sequences can be used for comparison of the DNA segments with low degree of homology.
Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 1985
Conformational analysis has revealed anisotropic flexibility of the B-DNA double helix: it bends ... more Conformational analysis has revealed anisotropic flexibility of the B-DNA double helix: it bends most easily into the grooves, being the most rigid when bent in a perpendicular direction. This result implies that DNA in a nucleosome is curved by means of relatively sharp bends ("mini-kinks") which are directed into the major and minor grooves alternatively and separated by 5-6 base pairs. The "mini-kink" model proved to be in keeping with the x-ray structure of the B-DNA dodecamer resolved later, which exhibits two "annealed kinks", also directed into the grooves. The anisotropy of B DNA is sequence-dependent: the pyrimidine-purine dimers (YR) favor bending into the minor groove, and the purine-pyrimidine dinucleotides (RY), into the minor one. The RR and YY dimers appear to be the most rigid dinucleotides. Thus, a DNA fragment consisting of the interchanging oligopurine and oligopyrimidine blocks 5-6 base pairs long should manifest a spectacular curvature in solution. Similarly, a nucleotide sequence containing the RY and YR dimers separated by a half-pitch of the double helix is the most suitable for wrapping around the nucleosomal core. Analysis of the numerous examples demonstrating the specific alignment of nucleosomes on DNA confirms this concept. So, the sequence-dependent "mechanical" properties of the double helix influence the spatial arrangement of DNA in chromatin.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
ABSTRACT
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
A conformational transition of a single deoxyribose was analyzed in B-form trimers dA3:dT3 and dG... more A conformational transition of a single deoxyribose was analyzed in B-form trimers dA3:dT3 and dG3:dC3, both in the purine and pyrimidine chains. The main results were obtained for the duplexes with frozen ends, which could be extended by regular double helixes. The geometry of the central sugar ring in the duplexes may strongly deviate from the regular conformation. When deoxyribose changed its conformation in the central pyrimidine, the energy increase was proved to be less significant in comparison with that for purine. In the case of Thy, a decrease in pseudorotation angle P from 140 to 80 degrees causes the energy increase of 0.5 kcal/mol only, the barrier being 1.2 kcal/mol. The energy profile for Cyt has several local minima. The results of calculations were compared with numerous experimental data, they help to explain some NMR data. A perturbation of the duplex AAA:TTT structure caused by the thymine sugar ring transition, produces 5 degrees bend of the DNA axis directed toward adenines. We also investigated the influence of such conformational disturbance on the neighbouring base pairs, in particular the transition in the trimers with unfrozen ends.
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
ABSTRACT
Molekuliarnaia biologiia
It was shown that in case of C(3')-endo pucker of ribose two left and two right types of ... more It was shown that in case of C(3')-endo pucker of ribose two left and two right types of helices are possible from the energetical point of view. However, such helices with C(2')-endo conformation of ribose are extremely unfavourable due to the steric hindrance caused by 2'-OH group. In this case the low energy structures have bases outside and phosphate groups inside the helix. The right and the left poly(A) helices have similar energy values, the barrier of transition between them being rather small. Biregular structures, i.e. the helices on which dinucleotide serves as the repeating unit, were also considered. These forms proved to be energetically optimal in the case of poly(A-C).
Journal of biomolecular Structure & Dynamics
Biophysical Journal, 2015