Ultrashort complementary RNA oligomers, as short as six base pairs in length, are found to exhibit chiral nematic and columnar liquid crystal phases in aqueous solution, through end-to-end adhesion into physically bound, but chemically segmented, polymers. Geometrical constraints indicate that the phosphate helix is continuous along the aggregated chain. The end-to-end adhesion is due to a base-staking type interaction, whose energy and temperature dependence are determined.
Physical polymerization and liquid crystallization of RNA oligomers / G. Zanchetta, T. Bellini, M. Nakata, N.A. Clark. - In: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. - ISSN 0002-7863. - 130:39(2008 Oct 01), pp. 12864-12865.
Physical polymerization and liquid crystallization of RNA oligomers
G. ZanchettaPrimo
;T. BelliniSecondo
;
2008
Abstract
Ultrashort complementary RNA oligomers, as short as six base pairs in length, are found to exhibit chiral nematic and columnar liquid crystal phases in aqueous solution, through end-to-end adhesion into physically bound, but chemically segmented, polymers. Geometrical constraints indicate that the phosphate helix is continuous along the aggregated chain. The end-to-end adhesion is due to a base-staking type interaction, whose energy and temperature dependence are determined.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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