Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 15, Issue 19, 2015

Chromosomes in human cells are protected by telomeres. Telomere shortens during each round of cell division because of the DNA end-replication problem. Cancer cells maintain telomere length homeostasis by either telomerase or/and the alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) mechanism to sustain their division potential. Telomeric DNA tends to form G-quadruplex preferentially at the extreme 3’ end. This unique feature pr Read More

Roles of RNA on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations have raised more attention since the new era of genomics. One of the secondary structures of RNA, the RNA Gquadruplex structure, is demonstrated a relatively stable existence in human tumor cells, virus, or other species relating to diseases. G-quadruplexes are special secondary structures formed by G-rich DNA and RNA sequences that fold into a Read More

The G-quadruplex structure is a non-canonical secondary DNA motif that is built from planar tetrads of guanine residues stabilized by Hoogsteen-type hydrogen bonding. Bioinformatics studies indicate that sequences rich in guanine that are able to form G-quadruplexes are widely distributed throughout the human genome, particularly in telomere and promoter regions of genes. G-quadruplex sequences found in the promoter Read More

Compelling evidence suggests that formation of guanine-quadruplex (G4) can protect the integrity of chromosome ends in eukaryotes, and regulate the activity of some gene promoters. In addition, G4 may be a novel therapeutic target. Thus, a number of ligands have been synthesized to stabilize G4. However, skepticism lingers over the existence of G4 in cells, as well as its biological function. The molecule 3,6-bis(1-me Read More

G-quadruplexes are four-stranded DNA structures formed from G-rich sequences that are built around tetrads of hydrogen-bonded guanine bases. Accumulating studies have revealed that Gquadruplex structures are formed in vivo and play important roles in biological processes such as DNA replication, transcription, recombination, epigenetic regulation, meiosis, antigenic variation, and maintenance of telomeres stability. Mou Read More

The G-quadruplex is one of the most important DNA secondary structures and has elicited widespread interest in this field of scientific research. As Gquadruplex studies have progressed, its significant roles in a variety of biological process have been revealed, including telomerase activity, genome stability, DNA replication, and oncogene expression. In addition to its biological functions, as a special DNA quadruplex structure Read More