We propose a project to study intramolecular dynamics in 13C, 15N-uniformly labeled oligonucleotides by the means of NMR spectroscopy. Structural fluctuations in nucleic acids can be studied through the relaxation of 15N, 13C or 31P nuclei. The main prob lems in dynamics studies of uniformly labeled molecules arise from the effect of carbon-carbon coupling on measurement of carbon relaxation parameters and from the lack of data on 13C and 15N chemical shift anisotropy in nucleic acids. We will optimize t he pulse sequences for measurement of 15N, 13C and 31P relaxation rates and of the steady-state nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE). We will attempt to eliminate or limit the effect of carbon-carbon coupling on measurements of carbon relaxation parameters wi th the use of modern NMR techniques such as shaped pulses, selective decoupling and pulsed-field gradients. We will develop methods for quantitative measurement of interference effects between the dipolar and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) relaxation me

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