Unusual DNA Conformations: Implications for Telomeres

Authors: Mills M.; Lacroix L.; Arimondo P.B.; Leroy J-L.; Francois J-C.; Klump H.; Mergny J-L.

Source: Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents, Volume 2, Number 5, September 2002 , pp. 627-644(18)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

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Abstract:

DNA is prone to structural polymorphism: its three-dimensional structure can differ markedly from the classical double helix. Nucleic acid structures composed of more than two strands have also been observed. The guanine-rich sequence of both the telomere and centromere can form a quadruplex based on G-quartets while the complementary cytosine-rich strand can fold into an intercalated tetramer called the i-motif. The G-quartet is a gold mine for structural biologists and the telomere has become a target for anti-cancer drug design since it was observed that deregulation of telomerase favors proliferation of certain tumors. Other DNA sequences may adopt unusual confor-mations. Polypurine-polypyrimidine sequences capable of forming a triple-stranded structure called H-DNA are found abundantly in the eukaryotic genome and may play a significant role in DNA metabolism, transcription and replication. Triplex-forming oligonucleotides are currently being developed as “anti-gene”agents. Unusual DNA structures may therefore be implicated in fundamental processes such as gene expression and represent unique targets for both structural-specific and sequence-specific agents. In this review, we present work characterizing some of these unusual conformations in terms of structure, stability and formation kinetics and discuss their biological implications.

Keywords: Telomeres; i-motif; Guanine Quadruplexes

Language: English

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568011023353877

Publication date: 2002-09-01