Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Estimation of Telomeric Repeat-containing RNA from DNA/RNA Hybrid Complexes
Published on: December 5, 2025
Methylene-linked bis-phenylbenzimidazoles - a new scaffold to target telomeric DNA/RNA hybrid duplex
M K Islam1, P J M Jackson, D E Thurston
1Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London SE1 9NH, UK. k.miraz.rahman@kcl.ac.uk david.thurston@kcl.ac.uk.
Abstract:
We report a series of novel methylene-linked bis-phenylbenzimidazoles intercalators that stabilize telomeric DNA/RNA hybrid (tDRH) structures by up to 7.2 °C at a 1 μM ligand concentration while having negligible affinity for DNA/DNA duplexes, although with a low affinity for quadruplex DNA. We have used molecular modelling studies to rationalize this selectivity, concluding that the methylene spacer between the terminal benzimidazole and phenylene moieties plays a key role in facilitating the bis-intercalating process. This scaffold may be used to develop chemical tools or new therapeutics to selectively target the telomeric DNA/RNA duplex without affecting normal genomic DNA.
More Related Videos
16:42Generation of RNA/DNA Hybrids in Genomic DNA by Transformation using RNA-containing Oligonucleotides
Published on: November 24, 2010
11:22High-Density DNA and RNA microarrays - Photolithographic Synthesis, Hybridization and Preparation of Large Nucleic Acid Libraries
Published on: August 12, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Telomeres and Telomerase
Telomeres and Telomerase
Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases
All three eukaryotic RNAPs require specific transcription factors, of which the...
Covalently Linked Protein Regulators
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....
RNA Structure
The basic structure of RNA consists of a five-carbon sugar and one of four nitrogenous bases. Although most RNA is single-stranded, it can form complex secondary and tertiary structures. Such structures play essential roles in the regulation of transcription and translation.
Different Types of RNA Have the Same Basic Structure
There are three main types of ribonucleic acid (RNA): messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). All three RNA types consist of a...
Hybrid Zones