Conformational analysis of double‐helical polynucleotides

Abstract

The intramolecular interaction energy of the regular double-helical polynucleotide as a function of variables that determine the mutual position of base pairs and sugar pucker was calculated using atom-atom potentials. The calculations showed the existence of two valley-like regions with minimal values on the energetic surface. One of them corresponds to the A family of nucleic acids, the other to the B family. The points that correspond to the models constructed by means of x-ray data are placed in a conformational space near the lines that describe the position of the bottom of the valleys.