![]() Albany 2013: Book of Abstracts![]() Conversation 18 June 11-15 2013 ©Adenine Press (2012) NMR study of the interaction between G-quadruplexes and small moleculesGuanine-rich oligonucleotides are able to adopt secondary DNA structures known as G-quadruplexes. Such G-rich sequences are found in the human telomeres, promoter regions of oncogenes, 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNAs and human intronic sequences. Studies have shown that small molecules can induce anti-cancer effect through stabilizing or promoting G-quadruplex formation. In order to design and develop a potent drug, structural details on the interaction between small molecules and G-quadruplexes are invaluable. In this study, we seek to understand the structural determinants involved in the interaction between G-quadruplexes and small molecules. NMR spectroscopy is employed to resolve the structures of two intramolecular G-quadruplexes bound to small molecules. These resolved complexes allow us to structurally design new potent drugs for the application in anti-cancer therapy.
Wan Jun Chung School of Physical |