Epigenetic modification, dehydration, and molecular crowding effects on the thermodynamics of i-motif structure formation from C-rich DNA.

ABSTRACT: DNA sequences with the potential to form secondary structures such as i-motifs (iMs) and G-quadruplexes (G4s) are abundant in the promoters of several oncogenes and, in some instances, are known to regulate gene expression. Recently, iM-forming DNA strands have also been employed as functional units in nanodevices, ranging from drug delivery systems to nanocircuitry. To understand both the mechanism of gene regulation by iMs and how to use them more efficiently in nanotechnological applications, it is essential to have a thorough knowledge of factors that govern their conformational states and stabilities. Most of the prior work to characterize the conformational dynamics of iMs have been done with iM-forming synthetic constructs like tandem (CCT)n repeats and in standard dilute buffer sys

SUBMITTER: Bhavsar-Jog YP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3985701 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature