Chemistry and Biology of Noncanonical Nucleic Acid Structures: From Physicochemical Properties to Therapeutic Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Nucleic acids have the ability to form several different hydrogen bonding patterns. This enables them to attain a variety of structural and conformational polymorphic forms. Indeed, nucleic acids can exist in single-stranded form or fold into secondary structures, which include the canonical double helix as well as noncanonical structures such as the G-quadruplex and i-motif species. Noncanonical structures in turn encompass an ensemble of conformers depending on the sequence composition and/or environmental conditions.

In vivo, such noncanonical nucleic acid structures may form in important genomic regions and have key roles in several biological processes, including the modulation of oncogenes expression, and therefore represent potential anticancer drug targets. In addition, conformational equilibria of noncanonical structures may be finely modulated by specific proteins that recognize a given form.

Many nucleic acid aptamers, which typically have defined structures owing to their propensity to form certain base pairs, also fold into noncanonical structures, thus forming unique three-dimensional structures that are capable of specific molecular recognition of their cognate targets.

Furthermore, the nanoscale geometry and dynamic properties of noncanonical nucleic acid structures, along with their inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability, have made such structural motifs promising candidates for the development of functional nanostructures and nanodevices.

In this Special Issue, we aim to cover important and new aspects concerning the chemistry and biology of noncanonical nucleic acid structures, with emphasis on their structure, stability, conformational equilibria, as well as on the biological relevance of their interactions with proteins and drugs. We welcome contributions that involve biophysical, biochemical, molecular biology, as well as computational approaches to the analysis of these systems. Studies concerning functional noncanonical nucleic acids with potential applications in therapy, diagnostics, and analytics are also welcome.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, review, and commentaries that focus on but are not limited to the above topics.

Prof. Dr. Bruno Pagano
Prof. Dr. Antonio Randazzo
Prof. Dr. Jussara Amato
Guest Editors

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