Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has increasingly been applied for the study of nucleic acid structure and dynamics. Such studies require ncorporation of free radicals (spin labels) into the biopolymer. The labels can be incorporated during chemical synthesis of the oligomer (phosphoramidite approach) or postsynthetically, by reaction of a spin-labeling reagent with a reactive functional group on the oligonucleotide. Incorporation of the rigid nitroxide spin label ç is an example of the phosphoramidite method, and reaction of a spin-labeled azide with an alkyne-modified oligomer to yield a triazole-derived, spin-labeled nucleotide illustrates the postsynthetic spin-labeling strategy. Characterization and application of these labels to study structural features of DNA by EPR spectroscopy is discussed. Finally, a new spin-labeling strategy is described for nucleic acids that relies on noncovalent interactions between a spin-labeled nucleobase and an abasic site in duplex DNA.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 677-686 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Pure and Applied Chemistry |
| Volume | 83 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information: It is a pleasure to acknowledge my EPR collaborators, particularly Bruce Robinson at the University of Washington, Olav Schiemann at the University of St. Andrews, and Thomas Prisner at the Goethe University Frankfurt. I would also like to thank Thomas Edwards, Pavol Cekan, Nivrutti Barhate, Sandip A. Shelke, Ulla Jacobsen, and Stefan Vogel for their contributions to the work described here. I thank the Icelandic Research Fund and the University of Iceland Research Fund for financial support.Other keywords
- EPR spectroscopy
- Fluorescence
- Site-directed spin labeling (SDSL)
- Spin labels
- Structural biology