G-QUADRUPLEX MOTIFS IN C MYC PROMOTER REGION AND THE ROLE OF VARIOUS SMALL MOLECULE LIGANDS/PROTEINS IN STABILIZING THIS PROMOTER REGION

One of the essential scientific research concluded that DNA / RNA forms the hereditary or the genomic material in all life forms. The double-helical model given by Watson and Crick further added to the biological findings, and since then, various other DNA structures have been established viz., triple-stranded structures, quadruplexes, higher-order structures such as G-wires, polyads, etc. This review article takes into account the various aspects of the guanine rich called the G-quadruplex structure of the DNA, which are formed in the promoter region of a regulator gene called c-myc. Various ligands and proteins help in stabilizing/destabilizing the G-quadruplex structure present in the regulator gene, but a mutated version of the c-myc is seen during cancer, which leads to altered functions and expression of transcription protein leading to unregulated cell growth and proliferation. Thus, G-quadruplexes help in the regulation of the telomerase enzyme activity and can pave the way for the anticancer drugs, which are the need of the hour.