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. 1995 Mar 1;51(Pt 2):136-9.
doi: 10.1107/S0907444994004713.

Do C-H...O hydrogen bonds contribute to the stability of nucleic acid base pairs?

G A Leonard  1 , K McAuley-Hecht, T Brown, W N Hunter
Affiliations

Do C-H...O hydrogen bonds contribute to the stability of nucleic acid base pairs?

G A Leonard et al. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. .

Abstract

The possible formation of inter-base C-H.O hydrogen bonds in A.T, A.U and certain non-Watson-Crick base pairs is examined. A geometrical analysis in conjunction with implications for the thermodynamic stability of the base pairs suggests that C-H.O hydrogen bonds could form in nucleic acid base pairs. They may alleviate destabilizing interactions that would arise if an unsatisfied hydrogen-bond acceptor were present and mediate secondary hydrogen-bonding effects in these base pairs.

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