Abstract PL04-01: G-quadruplexes and DNA dynamics

Abstract

Abstract DNA is structurally dynamic in ways that have a consequence for biologic processes. A class of four-stranded DNA structure, called the G-quadruplexes, can be formed from G-rich single-stranded DNA. There is now a good level of understanding of the structural biophysics of G-quadruplexes along with a large body of work on the design and synthesis of small organic molecules that can target such structures. Some such molecules have been found to have antiproliferative effects on human cancer cells along with specific effects on the activity of certain genes, raising intriguing hypotheses about their existence and function in cells. Recent results from my laboratory provide new insights into when and where such non-Watson-Crick structures may exist in cellular DNA, together with a perspective on whether this structural motif in DNA presents new opportunities to think about intervention and future therapeutics. Citation Format: Shankar Balasubramanian. G-quadruplexes and DNA dynamics [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr PL04-01. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-PL04-01