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.