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Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Single-molecule Manipulation of G-quadruplexes by Magnetic Tweezers
Published on: September 19, 2017
In silico identification of novel ligands for G-quadruplex in the c-MYC promoter
1School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 440-746, South Korea.
Abstract:
G-quadruplex DNA formed in NHEIII1 region of oncogene promoter inhibits transcription of the genes. In this study, virtual screening combining pharmacophore-based search and structure-based docking screening was conducted to discover ligands binding to G-quadruplex in promoter region of c-MYC. Several hit ligands showed the selective PCR-arresting effects for oligonucleotide containing c-MYC G-quadruplex forming sequence. Among them, three hits selectively inhibited cell proliferation and decreased c-MYC mRNA level in Ramos cells, where NHEIII1 is included in translocated c-MYC gene for overexpression. Promoter assay using two kinds of constructs with wild-type and mutant sequences showed that interaction of these ligands with the G-quadruplex resulted in turning-off of the reporter gene. In conclusion, combined virtual screening methods were successfully used for discovery of selective c-MYC promoter G-quadruplex binders with anticancer activity.
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