Physiological-temperature distance measurement in nucleic acid using triarylmethyl-based spin labels and pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy

J Am Chem Soc. 2014 Jul 16;136(28):9874-7. doi: 10.1021/ja505122n. Epub 2014 Jul 1.

Abstract

Resolving the nanometer-scale structure of biomolecules in natural conditions still remains a challenging task. We report the first distance measurement in nucleic acid at physiological temperature using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The model 10-mer DNA duplex has been labeled with reactive forms of triarylmethyl radicals and then immobilized on a sorbent in water solution and investigated by double quantum coherence EPR. We succeeded in development of optimal triarylmethyl-based labels, approach for site-directed spin labeling and efficient immobilization procedure that, working together, allowed us to measure as long distances as ~4.6 nm with high accuracy at 310 K (37 °C).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy / methods*
  • Free Radicals / chemistry
  • Models, Molecular
  • Nitrogen Oxides / chemistry
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Nucleic Acids / chemistry*
  • Oligonucleotides / chemical synthesis
  • Oligonucleotides / chemistry
  • Spin Labels

Substances

  • Free Radicals
  • Nitrogen Oxides
  • Nucleic Acids
  • Oligonucleotides
  • Spin Labels