title: Sequence, stability, and structure of G-quadruplexes and their interactions with drugs.
abstract: Although DNA is most widely known for its ability to store and pass along genetic information, the discovery of G-quadruplex structures has illuminated a new role for DNA in biology. DNA G-quadruplexes are four-stranded globular nucleic acid secondary structures formed in specific G-rich sequences with biological significance, such as human telomeres and oncogene promoters. This review focuses on the unimolecular DNA G-quadruplexes, which can readily form in solution under physiological conditions and are considered to be the most biologically relevant. Available structural data show a great conformational diversity of unimolecular G-quadruplexes, which are amenable to small-molecule drug targeting. The relationships between sequence, structure, and stability of unimolecular DNA G-quadruplexes, as well as the recent progress on interactions with small-molecule compounds and insights into rational design of G-quadruplex-interactive molecules, will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
authors.forename: Yuwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Danzhou
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D020029:Base Pairing; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D054856:G-Quadruplexes / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D007211:Indoles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011804:Quinolines / Q000737:chemistry*; D016615:Telomere / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D007211:Indoles; D011804:Quinolines; C016712:quindoline; D004247:DNA