Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Priyakumar UD
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2791195 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Priyakumar U Deva UD Hyeon Changbong C Thirumalai D D Mackerell Alexander D AD
Journal of the American Chemical Society 20091201 49
Urea titration of RNA by urea is an effective approach to investigate the forces stabilizing this biologically important molecule. We used all atom molecular dynamics simulations using two urea force fields and two RNA constructs to elucidate in atomic detail the destabilization mechanism of folded RNA in aqueous urea solutions. Urea denatures RNA by forming multiple hydrogen bonds with the RNA bases and has little influence on the phosphodiester backbone. Most significantly we discovered that u ...[more]