The Z curve (or Z-curve) method is a bioinformatics algorithm for genome analysis. The Z-curve is a three-dimensional curve that constitutes a unique representation of a DNA sequence, i.e., for the Z-curve and the given DNA sequence each can be uniquely reconstructed from the other. The resulting curve has a zigzag shape, hence the name Z-curve. The Z-curve method has been used in many different areas of genome research, such as replication origin identification, ab initio gene prediction, isochore identification, genomic island identification and comparative genomics.
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“In philosophical inquiry, the human spirit, imitating the movement of the stars, must follow a curve which brings it back to its point of departure. To conclude is to close a circle.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)