title: A sodium-potassium switch in the formation of four-stranded G4-DNA.
abstract: Single-stranded complex guanine-rich DNA sequences from chromosomal telomeres and elsewhere can associate to form stable parallel four-stranded structures termed G4-DNA by a process that is anomalously dependent on the particular alkali metal cation that is present. The anomaly, which is not found in the formation of G4-DNA by oligonucleotides containing short, single runs of three or more guanines, is caused by potassium cations excessively stabilizing fold-back intermediate structures, or pathway by-products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Development Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002414:Cations, Monovalent; D002875:Chromosomes; D004247:DNA; D004586:Electrophoresis; D006147:Guanine; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012964:Sodium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013768:Tetrahymena / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002414:Cations, Monovalent; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D006147:Guanine; D004247:DNA; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium