The Polymorphic World of G-Quadruplexes: From Structural Insights to Functional Activity

Dear Colleagues,

G-quadruplex structures are secondary conformations of nucleic acids, whose constitutive unit is the G-tetrad or G-quartet. This building block consists of a square planar arrangement of four guanosines, in which each base is associated to the adjacent ones through four hydrogen bonds. The stacking of two or more G-tetrad units can form larger and more stable structures. The occurrance of monovalent cations, between two adjacent G-tetrads or also in the center of a G-tetrad, further contributes to the structural stability of the G-quadruplex complexes. The biological significance of these DNA or RNA structures is witnessed by their occurrence or potential formation in several regions of the human genome, such as telomeres, genes promoters, and transcription start sites. Furthermore, they can be involved in the regulation of gene expression and telomere maintenance. However, the importance of the G-quadruplex structures is not confined to genetics and molecular biological research. In fact, thanks to their remarkable stability and outstanding variability, these structures constitute the scaffolds of several DNA or RNA aptamers, with important applications in pharmaceutics, analytics, and diagnostics. Furthermore, suitable G-quadruplexes are also endowed with catalytic properties. Moreover, considering their self-assembly properties, G-quadruplexes are often exploited in building nanostructures and in developing nanodevices.

This Special Issue will concern a selection of original research, review articles, and commentaries focused on diverse topics, with particular attention on the relationship between the structural features of the G-quadruplexes and their functional role.

Dr. Aldo Galeone
Prof. Veronica Esposito
Prof. Antonella Virgilio
Guest Editors

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