Phenanthroline-Cu(II) cleavage as a probe of rRNA structure.

Chemical cleavage is developing into a powerful tool for analysis and characterization of nucleic acids. Phenanthroline-Cu(II) cleavage has been used extensively for studies of DNA for the last two decades, but recently has been applied to structural studies of RNA as well. This approach has been used to study the structure and structural changes occurring in ribosomal RNA within the ribosomes. In this article we discuss the mechanism by which phenanthroline cleaves, the applications possible using this approach, and the results that can be obtained. Protocols for use of phenanthroline are outlined as well.