Targeting DNA

摘要

The drug discovery world is protein-centric, and largely neglects nucleic acids as viable targets for new therapeutics. Nucleic acids, and especially DNA, are often perceived as being structurally monotonous, and lacking the structural diversity to offer novel "druggable" targets. This special issue of Biochimie was assembled, in part, to dispel these myths. As written before "DNA comes in many forms" [1], or, in line with a Biochimie special issue on topoisomerases published last year, DNA is "more than just a ladder" [2]. Small molecules can and do recognize DNA sequences and structures with high selectivity. Non-canonical DNA structures are emerging as important functional elements in gene expression and in telomere biology, and offer new avenues for the development of novel types of small molecule therapeutics. This issue features reviews and original research articles that highlight unique aspects of nucleic acids that make them suitable drug targets.