Abstract
The results of studies by NMR, ultraviolet spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and X-ray diffraction of complexes of complementary oligonucleotides containing between two and fifteen monomeric units are surveyed. The review deals with tne structures of the complexes in solution and in the crystalline state and the thermodynamics (using different theoretical models) and kinetics of their formation. The influence of the nucleotide composition and of the sequence and length of the oligomers on the structure and properties of the complexes as well as the biological importance of these systems are discussed. Attention has been devoted to the question of the stability of individual pairs of nucleotide complexes as a function of their nature and position in the oligomer chain.
The bibliography includes 124 references.