Proton-detected solid-state NMR detects the inter-nucleotide correlations and architecture of dimeric RNA in microcrystals

Abstract

We report a novel proton-detected MAS solid-state NMR strategy based on ¹⁵N–¹⁵N proton assisted recoupling to detect the inter-nucleotide NH⋯N hydrogen bonds within the Watson–Crick base pairs of micro-crystallized dimeric RNA and to confirm the kissing-loop structure. This would contribute to advances in the structural determination of RNA using solid-state NMR.