Molecular Recognition Of Nucleic Acids

Focuses on the role of structural variations of DNA and proteins in gene regulation. Transcription factors, newly-proposed structural motifs and interactions between DNA and DNA-binding domains are discussed.

Basics of Molecular Recognition explores fundamental recognition principles between monomers or macromolecules that lead to diverse biological functions. Based on the author’s longtime courses, the book helps readers understand the structural aspects of macromolecular recognition and stimulates further research on whether molecules similar to DNA or protein can be synthesized chemically. The book begins with the types of bonds that participate in the recognition and the functional groups that are capable of forming these bonds. It then explains how smaller molecules select their partners in the overall recognition scheme, offering examples of specific recognition patterns involving molecules other than nucleic acids. The core of the book focuses on macromolecular recognition—the central dogma of molecular biology. The author discusses various methods for studying molecular recognition. He also describes how molecules without biological functions can be arrayed or folded following certain rules and examines the nature of interactions among them. Molecular recognition is a vast area encompassing every aspect of biology. This book highlights all aspects of non-covalent macromolecular recognition processes, including DNA–protein recognition and sugar–protein recognition.

In this book, the molecular recognition of DNA using small molecules is discussed, with a study of the photochemistry of BrU-labeled DNA. The purposes of the study were to develop small molecules for regenerative medicine, to develop a method to detect the recognition site of small molecules, and to detect the most important biological phenomena using the photochemistry of BrU-labeled DNA. The study began with the design and development of small molecules that can induce pluripotency genes. To deal with the important issue of cell permeability of the original compound, a new analogue of the original with improved gene expression was designed and synthesized. Using the photochemistry of BrU-labeled DNA, crucial biological phenomena such as cooperativity between transcription factors were detected. For the first time, the cooperativity was examined by excess electron transfer assay. DNA was also studied very carefully in order to understand the mechanism of the double-strand break in the UVA micro-irradiation technique. The mechanism of the double strand remained untouched. Nevertheless, the double-strand break mechanism was clearly demonstrated by Hoechst dye, as shown in this book.

This book provides a detailed view of the molecular structures of DNA and RNA and how they are recognised by small molecules and proteins. Extensive source material is provided, including information on relevant web sites and computer programmes. The major methods of structural investigation for nucleic acids: X-ray crystallography, NMR, and molecular modelling are reviewed and their scope and limitations (in the context of nucleic acids) discussed. Also covered are the conformational features of nucleic acid building blocks, including a description of how base-pair morphologies are analysed; the structures of DNA double helices and helical oligonucleotides, emphasising current ideas on sequence-dependent structure; and DNA-DNA interactions, including triplexes and quadruplexes. The principles of RNA folding, ribosome, and ribozyme structure are also surveyed. Both covalent and non-covalent nucleic acid interactions with small molecules are described, with the emphasis on recognition principles and sequence specific gene recognition. The principles of protein - nucleic acid are covered, focussing on regulatory proteins. Nucleic Acid Structure and Recognition will therefore equip readers with a good understanding of all the important aspects of this major field. The Nucleic Acid Database (NDB) crystallographic and NMR structures for the nucleic acid structures described in the book are freely available through the Nucleic Acid Structure and Recognition website.