Detecting polynucleotide motifs: Pentads, hexads, and beyond.

ABSTRACT: The structural diversity of nucleic acids extends far beyond the canonical Watson-Crick base pairing, encompassing higher-order motifs, such as triads, tetrads, pentads, hexads, heptads, and octads, which play critical roles in genome regulation and stability. Among these, tetrads - forming the core of G-quadruplexes - and their polyadic extensions have emerged as key determinants in fundamental processes ranging from replication and transcription to telomere maintenance. However, the detection and characterization of these complex motifs in experimental structures remain challenging. To address this, we present LinkTetrado, a computational tool for the automated identification and classification of polyadic motifs in nucleic acid 3D structures. Applied to a curated dataset of 529 nucleic

SUBMITTER: Zurkowski M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12582501 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature