Biological Function and Medicinal Research Significance of G-Quadruplex Interactive Proteins

Title:Biological Function and Medicinal Research Significance of G-Quadruplex Interactive Proteins

Volume: 15 Issue: 19

Author(s): Jun Qiu, Mingxue Wang, Yan Zhang, Ping Zeng, Tian-Miao Ou, Jia-Heng Tan, Shi-Liang Huang, Lin-Kun An, Honggen Wang, Lian-Quan Gu, Zhi-Shu Huang and Ding Li

Affiliation:

Keywords: Drug targets, G-quadruplex, G-quadruplex interactive protein, DNA, RNA.

Abstract: G-quadruplexes are four-stranded DNA structures formed from G-rich sequences that are built around tetrads of hydrogen-bonded guanine bases. Accumulating studies have revealed that Gquadruplex structures are formed in vivo and play important roles in biological processes such as DNA replication, transcription, recombination, epigenetic regulation, meiosis, antigenic variation, and maintenance of telomeres stability. Mounting evidence indicates that a variety of proteins are capable of binding selectively and tightly to G-quadruplex and play essential roles in G-quadruplex-mediated regulation processes. Some of these proteins promote the formation or/and stabilization of Gquadruplex, while some other proteins act to unwind G-quadruplex preferentially. From a drug discovery perspective, many of these G-quadruplex binding proteins and/or their complexes with G-quadruplexes are potential drug targets. Here, we present a general summary of reported G-quadruplex binding proteins and their biological functions, with focus on those of medicinal research significance. We elaborated the possibility for some of these G-quadruplex binding proteins and their complexes with G-quadruplexes as potential drug targets.

Cite this article as:

Qiu Jun, Wang Mingxue, Zhang Yan, Zeng Ping, Ou Tian-Miao, Tan Jia-Heng, Huang Shi-Liang, An Lin-Kun, Wang Honggen, Gu Lian-Quan, Huang Zhi-Shu and Li Ding, Biological Function and Medicinal Research Significance of G-Quadruplex Interactive Proteins, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2015; 15 (19) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568026615666150515150803