Metal ions are essential cofactors for the structure and functions of nucleic acids. Yet, the early discovery in the 70s of the crucial role of Mg2+ in stabilizing tRNA structures has occulted for a long time the importance of monovalent cations. Renewed interest in these ions was brought in the late 90s by the discovery of specific potassium metal ions in the core of a group I intron. Their importance in nucleic acid folding and catalytic activity is now well established. However, detection of K+ and Na+ ions is notoriously problematic and the question about their specificity is recurrent. Here we review the different methods that can be used to detect K+ and Na+ ions in nucleic acid structures such as X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance or molecular dynamics simulations. We also discuss specific versus non-specific binding to different structures through various examples.
CITATION STYLE
Auffinger, P., D’Ascenzo, L., & Ennifar, E. (2016). Sodium and Potassium Interactions with Nucleic Acids. In Metal Ions in Life Sciences (Vol. 16, pp. 167–201). Walter de Gruyter GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21756-7_6
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