Chapter title |
Role of Alkali Metal Ions in G-Quadruplex Nucleic Acid Structure and Stability
|
---|---|
Chapter number | 7 |
Book title |
The Alkali Metal Ions: Their Role for Life
|
Published in |
Metal ions in life sciences, January 2016
|
DOI | 10.1007/978-3-319-21756-7_7 |
Pubmed ID | |
Book ISBNs |
978-3-31-921755-0, 978-3-31-921756-7
|
Authors |
Eric Largy, Jean-Louis Mergny, Valérie Gabelica, Largy, Eric, Mergny, Jean-Louis, Gabelica, Valérie |
Abstract |
G-quadruplexes are guanine-rich nucleic acids that fold by forming successive quartets of guanines (the G-tetrads), stabilized by intra-quartet hydrogen bonds, inter-quartet stacking, and cation coordination. This specific although highly polymorphic type of secondary structure deviates significantly from the classical B-DNA duplex. G-quadruplexes are detectable in human cells and are strongly suspected to be involved in a number of biological processes at the DNA and RNA levels. The vast structural polymorphism exhibited by G-quadruplexes, together with their putative biological relevance, makes them attractive therapeutic targets compared to canonical duplex DNA. This chapter focuses on the essential and specific coordination of alkali metal cations by G-quadruplex nucleic acids, and most notably on studies highlighting cation-dependent dissimilarities in their stability, structure, formation, and interconversion. Section 1 surveys G-quadruplex structures and their interactions with alkali metal ions while Section 2 presents analytical methods used to study G-quadruplexes. The influence of alkali cations on the stability, structure, and kinetics of formation of G-quadruplex structures of quadruplexes will be discussed in Sections 3 and 4. Section 5 focuses on the cation-induced interconversion of G-quadruplex structures. In Sections 3 to 5, we will particularly emphasize the comparisons between cations, most often K(+) and Na(+) because of their prevalence in the literature and in cells. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 148 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 29 | 20% |
Student > Bachelor | 19 | 13% |
Researcher | 17 | 11% |
Student > Master | 15 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 3% |
Other | 13 | 9% |
Unknown | 50 | 34% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Chemistry | 35 | 24% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 30 | 20% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 8 | 5% |
Physics and Astronomy | 4 | 3% |
Engineering | 4 | 3% |
Other | 9 | 6% |
Unknown | 58 | 39% |