About quadruplexes
Quadruplexes refer to four-stranded nucleic acids, especially those formed by the association of four guanine bases to form a G-tetrad as shown below. These tetrads can stack on each other, forming a G-quadruplex structure. These may be tetramolecular, bimolecular or unimolecular, as in the example below.
They are of interest for their biological relevance, where, for example, they have been found to be important components of human telomeres, and play a role in regulation of transcription and translation. They are also interesting as nanotechnological devices.
Further information on G-quadruplexes may be found on wikipedia here. There is a book entitled Quadruplex Nucleic Acids, available here, which includes a free introductory chapter here (Warning - large file).
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