Spotlights on Recent JACS Publications

摘要

Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA located at the ends of chromosomes. Unlike other DNA in chromosomes that codes for proteins, telomeres serve to protect the ends of the chromosomes from deteriorating and have been implicated in various normal and pathological processes, including aging and cancer. Interestingly, telomeres are enriched in two of the four nucleotides that make up DNA-guanine and cytosine-and the very end is composed of just a single strand of guanine which can fold up into highly stable structures called G-quadruplexes. Most biochemical studies of G-quadruplexes have employed strands that are significantly shorter than those in cells. Studies of long telomeric DNA under more physiologically relevant conditions would give valuable insight into how telomeres function naturally.