title: Mass spectrometry of G-quadruplex DNA: formation, recognition, property, conversion, and conformation.
abstract: G-quadruplexes are special secondary structures formed from G-rich sequences of DNA, and have proven to play important roles in a number of biological systems, including the regulation of gene transcription and translation. The highly distinctive nature of G-quadruplex structures and their functions suggest that G-quadruplexes can act as novel targets for drug development. As a highly sensitive analytical tool, mass spectrometry has been widely used for the analysis of G-quadruplex structures. Electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry, in particular, has found captivating applications to probe interactions between small molecules and G-quadruplex DNA. In this review, we will discuss: (1) mass spectrometry probing of the formation, binding affinity, and stoichiometry between G-quadruplexes and small molecules; (2) stabilization and collision-dissociation behavior of G-quadruplex DNA; (3) the exploration of the equilibrium transfer between a G-quadruplex and duplex DNA; and (4) the ESI-MS analysis of the conversion of intramolecular and intermolecular G-quadruplexes. Finally, we will also introduce the application of new techniques in the analysis of G-quadruplex conformation, such as ion-mobility and infrared multiphoton-dissociation mass spectrometry. We believe that, with the new technical developments, mass spectrometry will play an unparalleled role in the analysis of the G-quadruplex structures.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. guyuan@pku.edu.cn
authors.forename: Gu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Huihui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D054856:G-Quadruplexes; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D004247:DNA