Four-stranded DNA structures were structurally characterized in vitro by NMR, X-ray and Circular Dichroism spectroscopy in detail. Among the different types of quadruplexes (i-Motifs, minor groove quadruplexes, G-quadruplexes, etc.), the best described are G-quadruplexes which are featured by Hoogsteen base-paring. Sequences with the potential to form quadruplexes are widely present in genome of all organisms. They are found often in repetitive sequences such as telomeric ones, and also in promoter regions and 5' non-coding sequences. Recently, many proteins with binding affinity to G-quadruplexes have been identified. One of the initially portrayed G-rich regions, the human telomeric sequence (TTAGGG)n, is recognized by many proteins which can modulate telomerase activity. Sequences with the potential to form G-quadruplexes are often located in promoter regions of various oncogenes. The NHE III1 region of the c-MYC promoter has been shown to interact with nucleolin protein as well as other G-quadruplex-binding proteins. A number of G-rich sequences are also present in promoter region of estrogen receptor alpha. In addition to DNA quadruplexes, RNA quadruplexes, which are critical in translational regulation, have also been predicted and observed. For example, the RNA quadruplex formation in telomere-repeat-containing RNA is involved in interaction with TRF2 (telomere repeat binding factor 2) and plays key role in telomere regulation. All these fundamental examples suggest the importance of quadruplex structures in cell processes and their understanding may provide better insight into aging and disease development.

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Asymmetric distribution of G-quadruplex forming sequences in genomes of retroviruses

The presence of a G-quadruplex prone sequence upstream of a minimal promoter increases transcriptional activity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Telomeres expand sphere of influence: emerging molecular impact of telomeres in non-telomeric functions

The Newly Sequenced Genome of Pisum sativum Is Replete with Potential G-Quadruplex-Forming Sequences-Implications for Evolution and Biological Regulation

Searching for New Z-DNA/Z-RNA Binding Proteins Based on Structural Similarity to Experimentally Validated Zα Domain

Searching for G-Quadruplex-Binding Proteins in Plants: New Insight into Possible G-Quadruplex Regulation

Tracing dsDNA Virus-Host Coevolution through Correlation of Their G-Quadruplex-Forming Sequences

SARS-CoV-2 hot-spot mutations are significantly enriched within inverted repeats and CpG island loci

Overlapping but distinct: a new model for G-quadruplex biochemical specificity

Evaluating the Influence of a G-Quadruplex Prone Sequence on the Transactivation Potential by Wild-Type and/or Mutant P53 Family Proteins through a Yeast-Based Functional Assay

Amino Acid Composition in Various Types of Nucleic Acid-Binding Proteins

G-Quadruplexes in the Archaea Domain

In-Depth Bioinformatic Analyses of Nidovirales Including Human SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV Viruses Suggest Important Roles of Non-canonical Nucleic Acid Structures in Their Lifecycles

Structures and stability of simple DNA repeats from bacteria

The Rich World of p53 DNA Binding Targets: The Role of DNA Structure

G4Hunter web application: a web server for G-quadruplex prediction

The Presence and Localization of G-Quadruplex Forming Sequences in the Domain of Bacteria

The Amino Acid Composition of Quadruplex Binding Proteins Reveals a Shared Motif and Predicts New Potential Quadruplex Interactors

Recognition of Local DNA Structures by p53 Protein

Altered biochemical specificity of G-quadruplexes with mutated tetrads