Nucleic acid hydration: a volumetric perspective

Hydration represents a major force governing the conformational preferences and drug binding properties of nucleic acids. Volumetric measurements have proven useful in characterizing the hydration properties of nucleic acid structures and their complexes with other molecules. In this paper, we present an overview of recent developments in the field of volumetric investigations of nucleic acids. We discuss, in particular, the volumetric properties of nucleic acids, their molecular components and analogs, conformational transitions of DNA and RNA, and drug–DNA interactions. We emphasize the importance of hydration as a major contributor to the energetics of molecular recognition. We also emphasize the need of expanding the field of volumetric characterizations of nucleic acid structures in an effort to gain further insight into the molecular origins of various nucleic acid recognition processes, including helix-to-coil and helix-to-helix conformational transitions, as well as drug–DNA and protein–DNA interactions.