Interactions between nucleic acids and proteins are essential requirements for the viability of cellular life because they are indispensable for many basic biological processes. DNA is typically presented as a specific double-stranded helical structure, but nucleic acids have great structural flexibility. Current knowledge demonstrates that the structural conformations of nucleic acids play critical roles in protein-DNA interactions. This book presents a collection of research findings published in the Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, titled "Impacts of Molecular Structure on Nucleic Acid-Protein Interactions".
The breadth of research findings reported here demonstrates that the structural flexibility of nucleic acids plays critical roles in their interactions with proteins, with important implications across a range of human diseases, including cancer and some infectious diseases.
Prof. Richard Bowater
University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
Prof. V clav Br zda
Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic