Nouveaux outils pour l’analyse des quadruplexes d’acides nucléiques – G4-TOOLBOX

We aim to develop new tools to evaluate the biological functions of a family of unusual nucleic acids structures called quadruplexes. These structures relie on the formation of guanine quartets and could be formed in guanine rich DNA or RNA regions. The biological relevance of these structures has been firmly established in ciliates, and several experiments suggest that they may also be important in human cells. We propose to develop new chemical (small ligands) or biotechnological (aptamers) tools to facilitate further studies of these structures in a biological context. In parallel we will analyze the effects of these compounds on human cells and study their binding sites at the genomic level. This multidisciplinary project involves chemists, biochemists, biophysicists and cell and molecular biologists as well as a group expert in aptamers.