Base pair analogs in the gas phase.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 14612563.
- Also identified by PMC identifier 283493.
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Abstract
A rotationally resolved electronic spectrum of the gas-phase dimer 2-aminopyridine.2-pyridone, an analog of the adenine.thymine base pair, has been observed and assigned, leading to precise measurements of its moments of inertia and preliminary determinations of its structure. A Watson-Crick configuration results, with N...H-N and N-H...O hydrogen bond lengths of 2.898 and 2.810 A, respectively. The two bases are found not to be coplanar; a dihedral angle of 6.1 degrees between the base planes is also estimated from the measured moments of inertia. Possible chemical and biological implications of these results are discussed.
Medical subject headings
- DNA