IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/phsmap/v384y2007i2p733-738.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Z-DNA-induced super-transport of energy within genomes

Author

Listed:
  • Kulish, Vladimir V.
  • Heng, Li
  • Dröge, Peter

Abstract

Spontaneous transitions of genomic DNA segments from right-handed B-DNA into the left-handed, high-energy Z conformation are unstable within topologically relaxed DNA molecules, such as mammalian chromosomes. Here we show, from direct application of the principles of statistical physics with a promoter region in the mouse genome as a representative example, that the life span for this alternate DNA conformation may be much smaller than the characteristic time of thermal fluctuations that cause the B-to-Z transition. Surprisingly, such a short existence of Z-DNA is important because it can be responsible for super-transport of energy within a genome. This type of energy transport can be utilized by a cell to communicate information about the state of particular chromatin domains within chromosomes or as a buffer against genome instability.

Suggested Citation

  • Kulish, Vladimir V. & Heng, Li & Dröge, Peter, 2007. "Z-DNA-induced super-transport of energy within genomes," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 384(2), pages 733-738.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:384:y:2007:i:2:p:733-738
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2007.06.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378437107007121
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only. Journal offers the option of making the article available online on Science direct for a fee of $3,000

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.physa.2007.06.023?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:384:y:2007:i:2:p:733-738. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/physica-a-statistical-mechpplications/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.