MEASUREMENT OF DIFFUSION CONSTANTS FOR NUCLEIC-ACIDS BY NMR

Pulsed field-gradient NMR experiments can be used to measure the diffu sion constants of nucleic acids. The diffusion constants measured in t his way for double-helical DNAs of defined length agree well both with theory and with measurements done using other techniques. When applie d to RNAs, this experiment easily distinguishes duplex RNAs from RNA h airpins and thus it can solve one of the perennial problems faced by R NA spectroscopists, i.e. assessing whether their samples are monomeric or not.