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The presence of ionic (salt) bonds in DNA exclude the Watson/Crick twist model, but not Erlander's modified A‐DNA model, for B‐DNA
Author(s) -
Erlander Stig Robert
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.2_supplement.190
Subject(s) - molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid , chemistry , dna , hydrogen bond , crystallography , ionic bonding , salt (chemistry) , base pair , denaturation (fissile materials) , ionic strength , cationic polymerization , nucleic acid denaturation , stereochemistry , polymer chemistry , molecule , aqueous solution , organic chemistry , biochemistry , ion , nuclear chemistry , base sequence
The Watson/Crick DNA model cannot form ionic bonds between phosphates on different chains because the distance between these phosphates is too large. A modified A‐DNA model (Erlander, Starch/Starke [1970]22:352–362) can readily form ionic bonds between phosphates and is the primary stabilizing force for DNA, as seen from melting temperature studies for BOTH anionic and cationic sequences and other studies. They explain how the reversible denaturation of DNA in 8 M urea, pH 3.3, pH 11.3, or methanol to a double stranded coil holds the two coil chains together in the absence of hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds. Dialysis against high salt concentrations produces the syn‐basepair structure; low salt, the anti‐basepair structure (Erlander, FASEB J. Supplements 13[1999)A1361,#178). It is concluded that the conformation of B‐DNA is a modified, salt‐bonded DNA, and that the Watson/Crick model is wrong.