Hydrostatic and osmotic pressure study of the RNA hydration

Abstract

The tertiary structure of nucleic acids results from an equilibrium between electrostatic interactions of phosphates, stacking interactions of bases, hydrogen bonds between polar atoms and water molecules. Water interactions with ribonucleic acid play a key role in its structure formation, stabilization and dynamics. We used high hydrostatic pressure and osmotic pressure to analyze changes in RNA hydration. We analyzed the lead catalyzed hydrolysis of tRNA Phe from S. cerevisiae as well as hydrolytic activity of leadzyme. Pb(II) induced hydrolysis of the single phosphodiester bond in tRNA Phe is accompanied by release of 98 water molecules, while other molecule, leadzyme releases 86. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.