Structure of a left-handed DNA G-quadruplex
Wan Jun Chung a, Brahim Heddi a, Emmanuelle Schmitt b, Kah Wai Lim a, Yves Mechulam b, and Anh Tuân Phan a,1
a School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371, Singapore; and b Laboratoire de Biochimie, UMR 7654,
CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau 91128, France
Edited by Stephen Neidle, University College London, London, United Kingdom, and accepted by the Editorial Board January 19, 2015 (received for review September 29, 2014)
Abstract
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.
G-quadruplex | left-handed helix | nucleic acid | NMR | X-ray crystallography
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