Assessing B-Z DNA Transitions in Solutions via Infrared Spectroscopy

5Citations
Citations of this article
12Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Z-DNA refers to the left-handed double-helix DNA that has attracted much attention because of its association with some specific biological functions. However, because of its low content and unstable conformation, Z-DNA is normally difficult to observe or identify. Up to now, there has been a lack of unified or standard analytical methods among diverse techniques for probing Z-DNA and its transformation conveniently. In this work, NaCl, MgCl2, and ethanol were utilized to induce d(GC)8 from B-DNA to Z-DNA in vitro, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to monitor the transformation of Z-DNA under different induction conditions. The structural changes during the transformation process were carefully examined, and the DNA chirality alterations were validated by the circular dichroism (CD) measurements. The Z-DNA characteristic signals in the 1450 cm−1–900 cm−1 region of the d(GC)8 infrared (IR) spectrum were observed, which include the peaks at 1320 cm−1, 1125 cm−1 and 925 cm−1, respectively. The intensity ratios of A1320/A970, A1125/A970, and A925/A970 increased with Z-DNA content in the transition process. Furthermore, compared with the CD spectra, the IR spectra showed higher sensitivity to Z-DNA, providing more information about the molecular structure change of DNA. Therefore, this study has established a more reliable FTIR analytical approach to assess BZ DNA conformational changes in solutions, which may help the understanding of the Z-DNA transition mechanism and promote the study of Z-DNA functions in biological systems.

Author supplied keywords

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Duan, M., Li, Y., Zhang, F., & Huang, Q. (2023). Assessing B-Z DNA Transitions in Solutions via Infrared Spectroscopy. Biomolecules, 13(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13060964

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free