Structure of a left-handed DNA G-quadruplex

• Main Authors: Chung, Wan Jun, Heddi, Brahim, Schmitt, Emmanuelle, Lim, Kah Wai, Mechulam, Yves, Phan, Anh Tuân
• Other Authors: School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: G-quadruplex; left-handed helix; nucleic acid; NMR; X-ray crystallography
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/107059; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/25356
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Aside from the well-known double helix, DNA can also adopt an alternative four-stranded structure known as G-quadruplex. Implications of such a structure in cellular processes, as well as its therapeutic and diagnostic applications, have been reported. The G-quadruplex structure is highly polymorphic, but so far, only right-handed helical forms have been observed. Here we present the NMR solution and X-ray crystal structures of a left-handed DNA G-quadruplex. The structure displays unprecedented features that can be exploited as unique recognition elements.