NUCLEIC ACID CONFORMATION AND FUNCTION

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The basic aim of this research is to determine the conformation of natural nucleic acids and their synthetic counterparts using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and related techniques. CD is an excellent technique for monitoring the secondary structure of optically active biological molecules, since it is very sensitive to the orientation of nearest neighbor chromophores, and since it can be used when these molecules are in solution. The conformation of biological molecules helps determine reactions which they undergo, and thus we expect to learn about the relationships between the conformation of the various nucleic acids and their biological function. However, CD is a relatively new technique and a great deal of basic work remains to be done if one is to relate a CD spectrum directly to the secondary structure of the biological molecule. At the same time that we are investigating the conformation of nucleic acids, we are also trying to improve the technique both experimentally and theoretically so that it will be more useful.