Tertiary structures of the Escherichia coli and human chromosome 21 molecules of DNA

Using the NDB database, we calculated geometrical parameters that were need ed to reproduce crystal structures of short DNA fragments in a phosphorus a tom representation. The geometrical parameters were included in a software generating tertiary structures of, for example, the Escherichia coli and hu man chromosome 21 molecules of DNA whose complete nucleotide sequences are deposited in the EMBL and related databases. Both molecules were found to b e heavily folded and composed of domains. A more elaborate version of the p resent approach will make analysis and comparison possible of tertiary stru ctures of genomic DNA molecules of various chromosomes to identify the chro mosome evolutionary and functional relationships. (C) 2001 Academic Press.