Nucleic acid vibrational circular dichroism, absorption, and linear dichroism spectra. II. A DeVoe theory approach.

The DeVoe polarizability theory is used to calculate vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and infrared (IR) absorption spectra of four polyribonucleotides: poly(rA) x poly(rU), poly(rU) x poly(rA) x poly(rU), poly(rG) x poly(rC), and poly(rC+) x poly(rI) x poly(rC). This is the first report on the use of the DeVoe theory to calculate VCD, oriented VCD, IR absorption, and IR linear dichroism (LD) spectra of double- and triple-stranded polyribonucleotides. Results are reported for DeVoe theory calculations--within the base-stretching 1750-1550 cm(-1) spectral region--on several proposed multistranded polyribonucleotide geometries. The calculated spectra obtained from these proposed geometries are compared with previously reported measured and calculated VCD and IR spectral results. Base-base hydrogen-bonding effects on the frequencies and magnitudes of the base carbonyl stretching modes are explicitly considered. The good agreements found between calculated and measured spectra are proposed to be further evidence of the usefulness of the DeVoe theory in drawing three-dimensional structural conclusions from measured polyribonucleotide VCD and IR spectra.