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Z-DNA in the genome: from structure to disease

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Abstract

The scope of studies investigating the architecture of genomic DNA has progressed steadily since the elucidation of the structure of B-DNA. In recent years, several non-canonical DNA structures including Z-DNA, G-quadruplexes, H-DNA, cruciform DNA, and i-motifs have been reported to form in genomic DNA and are closely related to the evolution and development of disease. The ability of these structures to form in genomic DNA indicates that they might have important cellular roles and are therefore retained during evolution. Understanding the impact of the formation of these secondary structures on cellular processes can enable identification of new targets for therapeutics. In this review, we report the state of understanding of Z-DNA structure and formation and their implication in disease. Finally, we state our perspective on the potential of Z-DNA as a therapeutic target.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Samsung Science & Technology Foundation (SSTF-BA1301-01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, South Korea

    Subramaniyam Ravichandran, Vinod Kumar Subramani & Kyeong Kyu Kim

  2. Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, 06351, South Korea

    Kyeong Kyu Kim

Authors
  1. Subramaniyam Ravichandran
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  2. Vinod Kumar Subramani
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  3. Kyeong Kyu Kim
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Correspondence to Kyeong Kyu Kim.

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Subramaniyam Ravichandran declares that he has no conflict of interest. Vinod Kumar Subramani declares that he has no conflict of interest. Kyeong Kyu Kim declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of a Special Issue dedicated to the ‘2018 Joint Conference of the Asian Biophysics Association and Australian Society for Biophysics’ edited by Kuniaki Nagayama, Raymond Norton, Kyeong Kyu Kim, Hiroyuki Noji, Till Böcking, and Andrew Battle

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Ravichandran, S., Subramani, V.K. & Kim, K.K. Z-DNA in the genome: from structure to disease. Biophys Rev 11, 383–387 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12551-019-00534-1

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