Biomaterial Database

Thermodynamics of the B-Z transition in superhelical DNA. 1984

M D Frank-Kamenetskii, and A V Vologodskii

One of the most exciting events in recent years in molecular biology was the discovery of the left-handed Z form of the DNA double helix. Originally found in linear self-complementary d(GC)x . d(GC)x polymers and oligomers in non-physiological conditions (a rather high salt concentration), it was recently shown to be easily enough adopted in physiological conditions when purine-pyrimidine sequences are inserted into superhelical DNA. From such a system, superhelical DNA carrying an artificial purine-pyrimidine insert, we can obtain data allowing the determination of the energy of the junction between the B and Z stretches, Fj, and the free energy change delta FBZ per base pair (bp). We present here a simple thermodynamic consideration of the B-Z transition in such a system. By applying the results to experimental data we have shown that the thermodynamic parameters for both sequences studied so far (d(GC)x . d(GC)x and d(GT)x . d(AC)x) are similar and equal to Fj = 4-5 kcal per mol per junction and delta FBZ = 0.5 divided by 0.7 kcal per mol per bp.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009690	Nucleic Acid Conformation	The spatial arrangement of the atoms of a nucleic acid or polynucleotide that results in its characteristic 3-dimensional shape.	DNA Conformation,RNA Conformation,Conformation, DNA,Conformation, Nucleic Acid,Conformation, RNA,Conformations, DNA,Conformations, Nucleic Acid,Conformations, RNA,DNA Conformations,Nucleic Acid Conformations,RNA Conformations
D004278	DNA, Superhelical	Circular duplex DNA isolated from viruses, bacteria and mitochondria in supercoiled or supertwisted form. This superhelical DNA is endowed with free energy. During transcription, the magnitude of RNA initiation is proportional to the DNA superhelicity.	DNA, Supercoiled,DNA, Supertwisted,Supercoiled DNA,Superhelical DNA,Supertwisted DNA
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D013816	Thermodynamics	A rigorously mathematical analysis of energy relationships (heat, work, temperature, and equilibrium). It describes systems whose states are determined by thermal parameters, such as temperature, in addition to mechanical and electromagnetic parameters. (From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 12th ed)	Thermodynamic