Z-DNA

1 topic · 2 sources

Food Biotechnology

A region of DNA that is "flipped" into a lefthanded helix, characterized by alternating purines and pyrimidines, and which may be the target of a DNA-binding protein.

Susan Allender-Hagedorn and Charles Hagedorn — An Agricultural and Environmental Biotechnology Annotated Dictionary

A form of DNA, in which the double helix is wound in a left-hand, instead of a right-hand, manner. DNA adopts the Z conformation when purines and pyrimidines alternate on each strand, e.g. 5'CGCGCGCG 3' or 3'GCGCGCGC5'. Synonym: zig-zag DNA.

UN Food and Agriculture Organization — Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture