The parallel G-quadruplex structure of vertebrate telomeric repeat sequences is not the preferred folding topology under physiological conditions

Robert Hänsel; Frank Löhr; Silvie Foldynová-Trantírková; Ernst Bamberg; Lukás Trantírek; Volker Dötsch

doi:10.1093/nar/gkr174

The parallel G-quadruplex structure of vertebrate telomeric repeat sequences is not the preferred folding topology under physiological conditions

Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jul;39(13):5768-75. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkr174. Epub 2011 Mar 30.

Authors

Robert Hänsel¹, Frank Löhr, Silvie Foldynová-Trantírková, Ernst Bamberg, Lukás Trantírek, Volker Dötsch

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Biophysical Chemistry and Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

Abstract

G-quadruplex topologies of telomeric repeat sequences from vertebrates were investigated in the presence of molecular crowding (MC) mimetics, namely polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG), Ficoll 70 as well as Xenopus laevis egg extract by CD and NMR spectroscopy and native PAGE. Here, we show that the conformational behavior of the telomeric repeats in X. laevis egg extract or in Ficoll is notably different from that observed in the presence of PEG. While the behavior of the telomeric repeat in X. laevis egg extract or in Ficoll resembles results obtained under dilute conditions, PEG promotes the formation of high-order parallel topologies. Our data suggest that PEG should not be used as a MC mimetic.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
G-Quadruplexes* / drug effects
Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
Porphyrins / pharmacology
Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid*
Telomere / chemistry*
Xenopus laevis

Substances

Porphyrins
tetra(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphine
Polyethylene Glycols