Type of Document Dissertation Author White, Elizabeth W. URN etd-12012006-155253 Title Selective Recognition of Quadruplex DNA by Small Molecules Degree Ph.D. Department Chemistry Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Dr. W. David Wilson Committee Chair Dr. Bruce Armitage Committee Member Dr. David W. Boykin Committee Member Keywords
- circular dichroism
- quadruplex DNA
- surface plasmon resonance
- telomerase
- telomeres
Date of Defense 2006-11-27 Availability unrestricted Abstract Structure-specific recognition of nucleic acids is a promising method to reduce the size of the recognition unit required to achieve the necessary selectivity and binding affinity for small molecules. It has been demonstrated recently that G-quadruplex DNA structures can be targeted by organic cations in a structure-specific manner. Structural targets of quadruplexes include the planar end surfaces of the G-tetrad stacked columns as well as four grooves. The significant structural differences between quadruplex DNA and duplex DNA make quadruplex DNA a very attractive target for highly selective, structure-specific drug design. We have used a variety of biophysical techniques including circular dichroism, surface plasmon resonance, thermal melting and absorbance spectroscopy to investigate small molecules that can selectively bind to the ends of human telomeric DNA as well as the ends of the G-quadruplex structure formed by the purine-rich promoter region of the c-MYC oncogene. We have also screened a library of heterocyclic diamidines, and identified one that binds selectively in the grooves of human telomeric quadruplex DNA. This compound is an excellent starting point for the design of new anti-cancer and anti-parasitic compounds with high affinity and selectivity for human telomeric DNA.Files
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