The effects of a neutral cosolute on the B to Z transition for DNA duplexes incorporating both CG and CA steps

In the cell, nearly 40% of the volume is occupied by macromolecular crowding agents and smaller osmolytes accumulate in response to environmental stresses. Of particular interest is the influence of osmolytes on the transition of the right-handed B-DNA to the left-handed Z-DNA. Due to the correlation between Z-DNA formation potential and regions of active transcription, Z-DNA is believed to serve a vital role in the transcription process, and changes in osmolyte concentration may influence transcription as a part of the stress response. We utilized circular dichroism spectroscopy to monitor changes in conformation of DNA duplexes containing a full-turn of Z-DNA in the presence and absence of PEG 200. We used PEG 200 as a model neutral cosolute. Sodium ion titrations revealed that PEG 200 influenced the folding of Z-DNA compared to dilute solution conditions by decreasing the free energy of folding, increasing folding cooperativity, and decreasing the in vitro [Na⁺] and Δn required for folding for all sequences tested, even those that included 40% CA steps instead of the classic CG repeats. Moreover, the presence of 40% PEG 200 induced the Z-form conformation in sequences that would not fully adopt the Z-form structure even in 5 M NaCl. These results suggest that osmolytes may play a significant role in supporting the transient formation of Z-DNA in vivo, and that sequences containing a significant amounts of CA instead of CG repeats may more favorably adopt the Z-conformation as a part of binding and regulatory processes than had been previously considered.