Thermodynamics of oligonucleotide triple helices

✍ Scribed by G. Eric Plum

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 327 KB
• Volume: 44
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0006-3525
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0282(1997)44:3<241::aid-bip4>3.0.co;2-v

✦ Synopsis

Understanding of the cellular role of nucleic acid triple helices and utilization of triple helix forming oligonucleotides in biotechnology, diagnostics, and therapeutics depend on development of an understanding of triple helix formation as a function of the nucleic acid components and solution conditions. This article reviews developments in nucleic acid triple helix thermodynamics with emphasis on the thermal and thermodynamic stability and their dependence on solution conditions. Special emphasis is placed on the construction and interpretation of state diagrams as a means of characterizing the complex behavior of triple helix forming oligonucleotides. Recent developments, which strive to overcome some of the limitations imposed by the natural nucleotide bases and sugar-phosphate backbone, are reviewed from a thermodynamic perspective.