Eric Westhof is a structural biochemist whose research concerns the architecture and molecular interactions of RNA. His institutionally hosted CV identifies work at Strasbourg's IBMC and a professorship in structural biochemistry.[ref]
Eric Westhof curriculum vitae at IBMC. Professional cursus and institutional affiliation
With N. B. Leontis, Westhof developed a geometric nomenclature for RNA base-pair geometry. The classification records the interacting RNA base-pair edges and the relative orientations of the two glycosidic bonds, allowing noncanonical base pairs to be described systematically.[ref]
Geometric nomenclature and classification of RNA base pairs by N. B. Leontis and E. Westhof. Abstract, edge-based classification and cis/trans orientations
An important distinction is between two kinds of orientation. The glycosidic torsion angle describes how one base rotates relative to its own sugar, giving syn glycosidic conformation or anti glycosidic conformation. The pair's cis/trans descriptor instead relates the two glycosidic bonds across the base-pair interaction. Reporting one descriptor does not automatically report the other.
A geometric family also leaves room for different base identities. The question of RNA base-pair isostericity is whether substitutions can preserve the relevant relative placement and shape sufficiently to support a similar structural role. This makes geometry useful when comparing homologous RNA structures even when their sequences differ.[ref]
Geometric nomenclature and classification of RNA base pairs by N. B. Leontis and E. Westhof. Abstract, isosteric relationships and recurrent three-dimensional motifs
Westhof's contribution helped connect structural observations with a reusable language for comparing RNA folds, rather than restricting descriptions to the familiar sequence letters or canonical base pairs.
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