title: Reevaluation of the stability of G-quadruplex structures under crowding conditions.
abstract: To evaluate the stability of G-quadruplex structures comprehensively, parallel (type I), antiparallel (type II), and hybrid (type III) G-quadruplexes in the presence of monovalent and divalent cations were assessed by UV-melting technique under dilute and crowded conditions. In the presence of monovalent cations, the stability of G-quadruplexes was increased by the presence of molecular crowding agents. Surprisingly, crowding agents stabilized parallel G-quadruplex, but had no effect on stability or destabilized antiparallel or hybrid G-quadruplex structures in the presence of divalent cations. A hydration study of the antiparallel G-quadruplex revealed that more water molecules are bound in the presence of divalent cations than with monovalent ions. These analyses under conditions that mimic those in cells further our understanding of how G-quadruplex structures are involved in biological processes.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China; State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: jun.zhou@nju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), and Graduate School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisae
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tateishi-Karimata
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U869, IECB, F-33600, Pessac, and Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux F-33000, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Mergny
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China.
authors.forename: Mingpan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China.
authors.forename: Zhaochi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), and Graduate School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.affiliation: Department Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), and Graduate School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China. Electronic address: canli@dicp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D054856:G-Quadruplexes; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D055550:Protein Stability; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: Divalent cations; G-quadruplex; Hydration; Molecular crowding; Stability