Detection of sequences with Z-DNA forming potential in higher plants.

Sequences of alternating purine-pyrimidine residues with Z-DNA forming potential have been detected in the nuclear DNA of two higher plant species: wheat and radish. Poly (dG-dT) and poly (dG-dC) stretches have been detected by hybridization of the corresponding nick-translated probes to Southern blots. These stretches are scattered throughout the genome and some of them belong to moderately repeated sequence families interspersed with other DNA sequences.