Is relaxed DNA considered supercoiled?

Relaxed DNA refers to DNA that is in a state where it has no supercoils. This means that the DNA is not twisted or coiled beyond its naturally unwound state. In this relaxed form, the DNA double helix is at its fundamental structure without additional tension or twist. In contrast, supercoiling occurs when the DNA is either overwound (positive supercoiling) or underwound (negative supercoiling).

Supercoiling is a way to compact DNA, which is particularly important for processes like DNA replication and transcription. However, relaxed DNA is simply the baseline state of DNA, indicating that it is not under any form of additional twisting. This highlights why it is accurate to state that relaxed DNA is not considered supercoiled, as it represents the absence of the supercoiling characteristics that are present in both positive and negative supercoiled DNA.