Atomic-scale structures and interactions between the guanine quartet and potassium

摘要

The atomic-scale identification of the G_4K_1 structural motif is achieved using an interplay of STM imaging and DFT calculations. Its high stability is found to be caused by the delicate balance between hydrogen bonding and metal-ligand interaction, which is of utmost relevance to model interactions of the G-quadruplex with cations in vivo.