We probed conformational polymorphism of a synthetic DNA poly(dA-dT) by introducing various small amounts of bulky spherical hydrophobic isopropyl groups into the polynucleotide primary structure. For this purpose, three mixed copolymers of poly(dA-dT,ip5dU) were synthesized in which 2.6%, 8.6% or 14.2% of the polynucleotide pyrimidine bases had the isopropyl group in position 5. The isopropyls made the formation of both A-form and X-form incomplete, and this effect increased with the increasing isopropyl amount in the polynucleotide. However, the polynucleotide isomerization into the A-form was hindered by the isopropyls while the isomerization into the X-form was rather promoted. This observation indicates that, unlike the A-form, the X-form has the base pairs shifted towards the double helix major groove. Z-form was also promoted by the lowest concentration of the isopropyl groups while the most isopropylated poly(dA-dT) aggregated under the Z-form inducing conditions.

Institute of Biophysics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno

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