Dynamics of water in biological recognition

This review addresses some key issues of biomolecular hydration, with emphasis on proteins in the native state and on DNA of two types, synthetic dodecamer duplex and genomic calf thymus. The femtosecond time resolution provides the opportunity of mapping out hydration dynamics on the time scale of the actual molecular motions of water and at the earliest times. On this time scale, it is possible to examine the dynamical nature of water in the bulk and the water loosely bound in the interfacial layer.