G- quadruplexes

Patent Pending In molecular biology, G-quadruplexes (also known as G-tetrads or G4-DNA) are nucleic acid sequences that are rich in guanine and are capable of forming a four-stranded structure. Four guanine bases can associate through Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding to form a square planar structure called a guanine tetrad, and two or more guanine tetrads can stack on top of each other to form a G-quadruplex. The quadruplex structure is further stabilized by the presence of a cation, especially potassium, which sits in a central channel between each pair of tetrads.