Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2628, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Aug 24;24(17):13165. doi: 10.3390/ijms241713165.
Hydrogen bonds constitute a unique type of non-covalent interaction, with a critical role in biology. Until fairly recently, the canonical view held that these bonds occur between electronegative atoms, typically O and N, and that they are mostly electrostatic in nature. However, it is now understood that polarized C-H groups may also act as hydrogen bond donors in many systems, including biological macromolecules. First recognized from physical chemistry studies, C-H…X bonds were visualized with X-ray crystallography sixty years ago, although their true significance has only been recognized in the last few decades. This review traces the origins of the field and describes the occurrence and significance of the most important C-H…O bonds in proteins and nucleic acids.
氢键是一种独特的非共价相互作用类型，在生物学中具有重要作用。直到最近，人们普遍认为这些键发生在电负性原子（通常是 O 和 N）之间，本质上主要是静电的。然而，现在人们已经认识到，在许多系统中，包括生物大分子，极性 C-H 基团也可以作为氢键供体。C-H…X 键最初是从物理化学研究中识别出来的，六十年前就通过 X 射线晶体学观察到了它们的存在，尽管直到最近几十年，人们才真正认识到它们的重要性。本综述追溯了该领域的起源，并描述了在蛋白质和核酸中最重要的 C-H…O 键的存在和意义。
