Abstract
DNA is a polymeric macromolecule that can display a variety of backbone conformations. While the classical B-DNA is a right-handed double helix, Z-DNA is a left-handed helix with a zig-zag orientation. The Z conformation depends upon the base sequence, base modification and supercoiling and is considered to be transient. To determine whether the presence of Z-DNA can be detected immunochemically, the binding of monoclonal and polyclonal anti-Z-DNA antibodies to a panel of natural DNA antigens was assessed by an ELISA using brominated poly(dG-dC) as a control for Z-DNA. As these studies showed, among natural DNA tested (Micrococcus luteus, calf thymus, Escherichia coli, salmon sperm, lambda phage), micrococcal (MC) DNA showed the highest binding with both anti-Z-DNA preparations, and E. coli DNA showed binding with the monoclonal anti-DNA preparation. The specificity for Z-DNA conformation in MC DNA was demonstrated by an inhibition binding assay. An algorithm to identify propensity to form Z-DNA indicated that DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis could form Z-DNA, a prediction confirmed by immunoassay. Together, these findings indicate that anti-Z-DNA antibodies can serve as probes for the presence of Z-DNA in DNA of various species origin and that the content of Z-DNA varies significantly among DNA sources.
Highlights
Among these DNA, Micrococcus luteus (MC) DNA is notable because of its high guanosine cytosine (GC) content; specific antibodies to MC DNA occur in the blood of otherwise healthy individuals
These antibodies differ from anti-DNA antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which are broadly reactive with DNA because of binding to the phosphodiester backbone [35,36]
These findings suggest that MC DNA bears sequences or conformations that can induce specific antibodies as part of infection or colonization
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. DNA is a polymeric macromolecule whose structural diversity is essential for its role in heredity and gene expression [1]. In solutions of DNA at physiological salt concentrations, the predominant structure is B-DNA. B-DNA is a right-handed double helix with classical
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