Thomas T J, Messner R P
Nucleic Acids Res. 1986 Aug 26;14(16):6721-33. doi: 10.1093/nar/14.16.6721.
Blocks of potential Z-DNA forming alternating purine-pyrimidine (APP) sequences are widely dispersed in native DNAs. We have studied the effects of naturally occurring polyamines on the conformation of a synthetic APP sequence, poly(dA-dC).poly(dG-dT) by circular dichroism spectroscopy. In the presence of micromolar concentrations of spermidine (125 microM) and spermine (16 microM), this polymer undergoes B to Z transition in low ionic strength (2 mM Na+) buffers. The concentration of polyamines required for B to Z transition increases with Na+ in the buffer and a straight line is obtained on plotting ln[Na+] vs. ln [spermidine 3+]. However, at concentrations of polyamines higher than those necessary to induce B to Z transition, Z-DNA converts to psi-DNA, an ordered, twisted, tight packing arrangement of the double helix. These results suggest a pathway for the transient formation of Z-DNA segments in vivo by interaction of the ubiquitous polyamines with naturally occurring blocks of APP sequences.
潜在的形成交替嘌呤 - 嘧啶(APP)序列的Z - DNA片段广泛分散于天然DNA中。我们通过圆二色光谱法研究了天然存在的多胺对合成的APP序列聚(dA - dC)·聚(dG - dT)构象的影响。在微摩尔浓度的亚精胺(125微摩尔)和精胺(16微摩尔)存在下,这种聚合物在低离子强度(2毫摩尔钠离子)缓冲液中会发生从B型到Z型的转变。从B型到Z型转变所需的多胺浓度会随着缓冲液中钠离子浓度的增加而升高,绘制ln[钠离子]对ln[亚精胺3 +]的曲线可得到一条直线。然而,当多胺浓度高于诱导从B型到Z型转变所需的浓度时,Z - DNA会转变为ψ - DNA,这是一种双螺旋的有序、扭曲、紧密堆积排列形式。这些结果表明了一种在体内通过普遍存在的多胺与天然存在的APP序列片段相互作用而短暂形成Z - DNA片段的途径。