Nucleic acid protein crystallography facilitated by selenium nucleic acids (SeNA)

Selenium derivatization of nucleic acids for crystallography

The high-resolution structure of the DNA (5'-GTGTACA-C-3') with the selenium derivatization at the 2'-position of T2 was determined via MAD and SAD phasing. The selenium-derivatized structure (1.28 A resolution) with the 2'-Se modification in the minor groove is isomorphorous to the native structure (2.0 A). To directly compare with the conventional bromine derivatization, we incorporated bromi...

Selenium Derivatization of Nucleic Acids for Phase and Structure Determination in Nucleic Acid X-ray Crystallography

Selenium derivatization (via selenomethionine) of proteins for crystal structure determination via MAD phasing has revolutionized protein X-ray crystallography. It is estimated that over two thirds of all new crystal structures of proteins have been determined via Se-Met derivatization. Similarly, selenium functionalities have also been successfully incorporated into nucleic acids to facilitate...

Locked nucleic acids: promising nucleic acid analogs for therapeutic applications.

Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) is a unique nucleic-acid modification possessing very high binding affinity and excellent specificity toward complementary RNA or DNA oligonucleotides. The remarkable properties exhibited by LNA oligonucleotides have been employed in different nucleic acid-based therapeutic strategies both in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we highlight the applications of LNA nucleotides f...

Editorial: Nucleic Acids Research and Nucleic Acid Therapeutics

1Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109, USA, 2RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA, 3Departments of Pharmacology & Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6001 Forest Park Road, Dallas, TX 75390-9041, USA, 4Departments o...

Protein–nucleic acid interactions