The DOI matches its Crossref record; 117 of the 121 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Structure and Function of DNA G-Quadruplexes
Open accessAbstract
Guanine-rich DNA sequences can fold into four-stranded, noncanonical secondary structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s). G4s were initially considered a structural curiosity, but recent evidence suggests their involvement in key genome functions such as transcription, replication, genome stability, and epigenetic regulation, together with numerous connections to cancer biology. Collectively, these advances have stimulated research probing G4 mechanisms and consequent opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Here, we provide a perspective on the structure and function of G4s with an emphasis on key molecules and methodological advances that enable the study of G4 structures in human cells. We also critically examine recent mechanistic insights into G4 biology and protein interaction partners and highlight opportunities for drug discovery.
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“Lastly, more serious DNA damages, such as double-strand breaks associated with non-B DNA structures like G4s, and the subsequent DNA repair can be mutagenic (7,27).”
From G-quadruplex-mediated genomic instability drives SNVs in cancer (2024) · cites this paper as [7]
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1 retracted
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BackgroundMolecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
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“The most widely recognised DNA structure is that of the classical DNA double helix [1], which defines a structural basis for the genetic code via defined base-pairing.”
BackgroundQuadruplex DNA: sequence, topology and structure
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“ogies arising from different combinations of strand direction (Figure 1D–F), as well as length and loop composition [9,10].”
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“A cocrystal structure of bos taurus DHX36 helicase bound to the MYC promoter G4 revealed a mode of binding in which the G4 makes contacts with a DHX36-specificmotif (DSM) and the C terminal OB-fold domain (Figure 4) [73].”
BackgroundInfluentialQuantitative visualization of DNA G-quadruplex structures in human cells
Biffi, G., Tannahill, D., McCafferty, J., & Balasubramanian, S. (2013) · Nature Chemistry · doi:10.1038/nchem.1548 · Cited by 2,173 · cited 3×
“structures in human cell lines upon ligand treatment together with depletion of the G4 resolving helicase FANCJ [41,42], to reveal increased numbers of G4 foci staining in nuclei after pyridostatin [41] or telomestatin ligand treatment and FANCJ depletion in chicken DT40 cells [42].”
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“The finding that G4-rich telomeric repeats form G4 structures [6] suggested a mechanistic link with telomerase-mediated extension of telomeres, prompting an exploration of G4 stabilising ligands that may inhibit the growth of cancer cells by interfering with telomere maintenance (reviewed in [89]).”
BackgroundCrystal structure of parallel quadruplexes from human telomeric DNA
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“Structural studies using X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy have provided detailed insights into the structure of DNA G4s primarily based on the human telomeric repeat (Figure 1B,C) [11] or sequences derived from the promoter regions of certain human genes such as MYC or KIT [12,13].”
BackgroundPrevalence of quadruplexes in the human genome
Huppert, J. L., & Balasubramanian, S. (2005) · Nucleic Acids Research · doi:10.1093/nar/gki609 · Cited by 1,795 · cited 2×
“Based on biophysical studies on different G4 structures, algorithms using sequence motifs such as GR3NxGR3NxGR3NxGR3 were developed and deployed to predict putative G4 structures in genomic DNA [14,15].”
BackgroundMethodSelf-citationHelix formation by guanylic acid.
Gellert, M., Lipsett, M., & Davies, D. R. (1962) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · doi:10.1073/pnas.48.12.2013 · Cited by 1,430
Flagged first, then by citations
4 of the 121 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 4
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Items 701–706 of 706
Kostina, V. G., Alexeeva, I., Lysenko, N. A., Negrutska, V. V., & Dubey, I. (2020) · Ukr. Bioorg. Acta 2020, Vol. 15, N1 · doi:10.15407/bioorganica2020.01.034
“Their effect is usually associated with interaction with DNA (duplex and quadruplex structures) via intercalation or groove binding, or with DNA-enzyme complexes [26-31].”
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“Individual G-quartets interact with each other via π-π stacking, and the final G4 structure is further stabilised by the presence of cations in its central cavity [1, 2].”
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“Through molecular docking, TD-DFT, and MD simulations we present an exhaustive SAR of berberine and its C-8, C-12, and C-13 analogs with respect to their free energy of binding to both dsDNA and G4DNA.”
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Modulating TDP-43 Protein Aggregation Directly and Indirectly in C. Elegans
Elshaalia, E. (2026) · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · doi:10.56902/etdcrp.2026.150
Direct and Indirect Modulators of TDP-43 Aggregation in vitro
Caicedo, K. M. R. (2026) · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · doi:10.56902/etdcrp.2026.187
Metadata
- Authors
- Spiegel, J., Adhikari, S., & Balasubramanian, S.
- Affiliations
- Cancer Research UK (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Balasubramanian, Shankar
- Venue
- Trends in Chemistry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-02
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 123-136
- ISSN
- 2589-5974 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7472594
- OpenAlex
- W2966334511
- Cited by
- 920
- References
- 121
- Citations by year
- 2026: 111 · 2025: 157 · 2024: 158 · 2023: 144 · 2022: 151 · 2021: 122 · 2020: 74
- FWCI
- 7.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Trends in Chemistry (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Apollo
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Cancer Research UK
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Metal complexes synthesis and properties
- Keywords
- G-quadruplex, guanine-rich DNA, genome stability, transcription, DNA replication, epigenetic regulation, cancer, G-quadruplex-binding proteins
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