title: Mechanism of interaction of small transcription inhibitors with DNA in the context of chromatin and telomere.
abstract: Small molecules from natural and synthetic sources have long been employed as human drugs. The transcription inhibitory potential of one class of these molecules has paved their use as anticancer drugs. The principal mode of action of these molecules is via reversible interaction with genomic DNA, double and multiple stranded. In this article we have revisited the mechanism of the interaction in the context of chromatin and telomere. The established modes of association of these molecules with double helical DNA provide a preliminary mechanism of their transcription inhibitory potential, but the scenario assumes a different dimension when the genomic DNA is associated with proteins in the transcription apparatus of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. We have discussed this altered scenario as a prelude to understand the chemical biology of their action in the cell. For the telomeric quadruplex DNA, we have reviewed the mechanism of their association with the quadruplex and resultant cellular consequence.
authors.affiliation: Biophysics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Sector-I, Block-AF, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata Pin, 700064, India.
authors.forename: Saptaparni
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Parijat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Majumder
authors.forename: Suman Kalyan
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.forename: Dipak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002843:Chromatin; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D004247:DNA