Heat capacity changes associated with nucleic acid folding

Whereas heat capacity changes (Δ C P s) associated with folding transitions are commonplace in the literature of protein folding, they have long been considered a minor energetic contributor in nucleic acid folding. Recent advances in the understanding of nucleic acid folding and improved technology for measuring the energetics of folding transitions have allowed a greater experimental window for measuring these effects. We present in this review a survey of current literature that confronts the issue of Δ C P s associated with nucleic acid folding transitions. This work helps to gather the molecular insights that can be gleaned from analysis of Δ C P s and points toward the challenges that will need to be overcome if the energetic contribution of Δ C P terms are to be put to use in improving free energy calculations for nucleic acid structure prediction. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 82: 38–58, 2006 This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com