From straight to curved: A historical perspective of DNA shape

Abstract

DNA is the macromolecule responsible for storing the genetic information of a cell and it has intrinsic properties such as deformability, stability and curvature. DNA Curvature plays an important role in gene transcription and, consequently, in the subsequent production of proteins, a fundamental process of cells. With recent advances in bioinformatics and theoretical biology, it became possible to analyze and understand the involvement of DNA Curvature as a discriminatory characteristic of gene-promoting regions. These regions act as sites where RNAp (ribonucleic acid-polymerase) binds to initiate transcription. This review aims to describe the formation of Curvature, as well as highlight its importance in predicting promoters. Furthermore, this article provides the potential of DNA Curvature as a distinguishing feature for promoter prediction tools, as well as outlining the calculation procedures that have been described by other researchers. This work may support further studies directed towards the enhancement of promoter prediction software.