Protein–nucleic acid interaction

Protein–nucleic acid interactions refer to the wide variety of physical and chemical contacts made between proteins and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) in biological systems, underpinning essential processes such as transcription, replication, repair, RNA splicing, and translation[3][4]. These interactions involve multiple physical forces, such as electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic effects, and van der Waals forces, and can be sequence-specific or structure-specific depending on the biological context[1][3][4]. Rather than representing a discrete target, the phrase describes a molecular process or interaction class, encompassing diverse proteins such as transcription factors, polymerases, and RNA-binding proteins, each of which may themselves be drug targets or have disease relevance[3][4][1].

Other names

Protein–DNA interactionProtein–RNA interactionProtein–nucleic acid binding