Wang Guliang, Mouratidis Ioannis, Provatas Kimonas, Chantzi Nikol, Patsakis Michail, Georgakopoulos-Soares Ilias, Vasquez Karen M
Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dell Pediatric Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 1400 Barbara Jordan Boulevard, Austin, TX 78723, United States.
Institute for Personalized Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
Brief Bioinform. 2025 May 1;26(3). doi: 10.1093/bib/bbaf240.
Z-deoxyribonucleic acid (Z-DNA) is an alternative left-handed DNA structure with a zigzag-shaped backbone that differs from the right-handed canonical B-DNA helix. Z-DNA has been implicated in various biological processes, including transcription, replication, and DNA repair, and can induce genetic instability. Repetitive sequences of alternating purines and pyrimidines have the potential to adopt Z-DNA structures. ZSeeker is a novel computational tool developed for the accurate detection of potential Z-DNA-forming sequences in genomes, addressing key limitations of prior methods, such as computational inefficiency, difficult interpretability and usability, and lack of experimentally generated data. By introducing a novel methodology informed and validated by experimental data, ZSeeker enables the refined detection of potential Z-DNA-forming sequences. Built both as a standalone Python package and as an accessible web interface, ZSeeker allows users to input genomic sequences, adjust detection parameters, and view potential Z-DNA sequence distributions and Z-scores via downloadable visualizations. Our web platform provides a no-code solution for Z-DNA identification, with a focus on accessibility, user-friendliness, speed, and customizability. By providing efficient, high-throughput analysis, and enhanced detection accuracy, ZSeeker has the potential to support significant advancements in understanding the roles of Z-DNA in normal cellular functions, genetic instability, and its implications in human diseases.
Z-脱氧核糖核酸（Z-DNA）是一种另类的左手螺旋DNA结构，其主链呈锯齿状，不同于右手螺旋的经典B-DNA。Z-DNA参与了包括转录、复制和DNA修复在内的多种生物学过程，并可导致遗传不稳定。嘌呤和嘧啶交替出现的重复序列有可能形成Z-DNA结构。ZSeeker是一种新开发的计算工具，用于准确检测基因组中潜在的Z-DNA形成序列，解决了先前方法的关键局限性，如计算效率低、难以解释和使用，以及缺乏实验生成的数据。通过引入一种由实验数据提供信息并验证的新方法，ZSeeker能够精确检测潜在的Z-DNA形成序列。ZSeeker既作为一个独立的Python包构建，也作为一个易于访问的网络界面，允许用户输入基因组序列、调整检测参数，并通过可下载的可视化结果查看潜在的Z-DNA序列分布和Z分数。我们的网络平台为Z-DNA识别提供了一种无需编码的解决方案，重点在于可访问性、用户友好性、速度和可定制性。通过提供高效、高通量的分析以及更高的检测准确性，ZSeeker有潜力支持在理解Z-DNA在正常细胞功能、遗传不稳定中的作用及其对人类疾病的影响方面取得重大进展。
