The configurational behaviour of flexible helices of right handed B- and left handed Z-types have been analysed using statistical mechanical procedures. The configuration-dependent parameter, most importantly, the persistence length has been computed, using the heminucleotide scheme of treating polynucleotide chains under the approximation that perturbations in the backbone torsions produce sufficient flexibility in these helices. The values of persistence lengths obtained for Z-helices are very much higher than that of B-helices indicating that former is less flexible compared to the latter. These are in accordance with the results obtained recently on B- and Z-forms of poly(dG-dC). (dG-dC) using light scattering studies. Also the persistence lengths of B_II-DNA helices characterised by a skew 3'-hemiucleotide (ε-270°), and also when they coexist with B-DNA have been computed and the values lie within the range of experimentally reported values on B-helices. It is argued that the decrease in the persistence length values of B-DNA at higher salt concentration is due to additional small fluctuations in sugar residue torsions induced due to neutralisation of electrostatic repulsions between adjacent phosphates of the nucleotide. Noteworthy is that these are correlated to winding angle variations and the consequent bending of the helix.

In recent decades studies on RNA structure and function have gained significance due to discoveries on diversified functions of RNA. A common element for RNA secondary structure formed by series of non-Watson/Watson Crick base pairs, internal loops and pseudoknots have been the highlighting feature of recent structural determination of RNAs. The recent crystal structure of group-I introns has demonstrated that these might constitute RNA structural motifs in ribozymes, playing a crucial role in their enzymatic activity. To understand the functional significance of these non-canonical base pairs in catalytic RNA, we analysed the sequences of group-I introns from nuclear genes. The results suggest that they might form the building blocks of folded RNA motifs which are crucial to the catalytic activity of the ribozyme. The conservation of these, as observed from divergent organisms, argues for the presence of non-canonical base pairs as an important requisite for the structure and enzymatic property of ribozymes by enabling them to carry out functions such as replication, polymerase activity etc. in primordial conditions in the absence of proteins.