Effect of Ni2+ and Cd2+ ions on thermally induced conformational transitions in poly(dA)-poly(dT) system.

Effects of Ni(2+) and Cd(2+) ions on thermally induced conformational transitions in the poly(dA)·poly(dT) polynucleotide duplex and poly(dA)·2poly(dT) triplex under near physiological ionic conditions were studied by measurement of UV absorption melting curves and static light scattering intensity. The diagrams of conformational transitions in poly(dA)-poly(dT)-Me(2+) systems were plotted. An aggregation in these polynucleotide systems arises at certain values of the metal ions concentration and the temperature after the polymer dissociation into single strands.