B-DNA's Conformational Substates Revealed by Fourier Transform Infrared Difference Spectroscopy

摘要

Conformational substates (CSs) of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), essential for its dynamics and function, are spectroscopically revealed by a new low-temperature method. Hydrated films of the sodium salt of DNA containing up to ≈100/100 of the B-form were quenched into the glassy metastable state at 77 K. Attainment of equilibrium in the glass- liquid transition region by interconversion of CSs was followed isothermally by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.