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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners
Published on: June 30, 2013
i-Motif-Binding Ligands and Their Effects on the Structure and Biological Functions of i-Motif
Shadi Sedghi Masoud1, Kazuo Nagasawa1
1Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.
Abstract:
The i-motif is a high-order DNA structure formed by hemiprotonated cytosine-cytosine base pairs under acidic conditions. It is less well studied than other high-order DNA structures, such as G-quadruplexes. However, increasing numbers of i-motif-binding ligands are being reported, and they are being used as tools to investigate the i-motif's structure and biological functions. It has become clear that the i-motif has a functional role in the regulation of gene expression. In this review, we provide an overview of i-motif ligands so far reported, and we summarize their effects on the structure and their use as tools to investigate its biological functions.
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