Research Advance and NMR Studies of Anti-Cancer Small Molecules Targeting c-MYC G4-DNA

  • Xiao-dong HU ,
  • Wen-xian LAN ,
  • Chun-xi WANG ,
  • Chun-yang CAO
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  • State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China

Received date: 2021-06-29

  Online published: 2021-11-01

Abstract

MYC is a highly expressed oncogene in about 70% of human cancer cells and inhibition of its transcription serves as an effective tumor treatment. The P1 proximal nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) Ⅲ1 of c-MYC promoter region controls nearly 90% transcriptional activation of MYC gene. This region enriched with base G forms G-quadruplex (G4) structure, which regulates c-MYC gene transcription and is a target of anti-tumor drugs. However, the three-dimensional structures of G4-DNA and G4-RNA are highly similar. Non-specific interactions between small molecules and other G4s, such as telomere G4, mRNA G4, c-Kit G4, etc., yield "off-target" effects. Meanwhile, small molecules can induce the formation of other G4s, thus interfering with the function of normal cells. All of these hinder the design of anti-cancer drugs targeting c-MYC G4. In this paper, we summarize the recent research progress of small molecules targeting tumor factor c-MYC G4-DNA, and the role of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in determining G4-DNA and G4-RNA structure. This review provides a reference for designing drugs targeting c-MYC G4-DNA and other related research works.

Cite this article

Xiao-dong HU , Wen-xian LAN , Chun-xi WANG , Chun-yang CAO . Research Advance and NMR Studies of Anti-Cancer Small Molecules Targeting c-MYC G4-DNA[J]. Chinese Journal of Magnetic Resonance, 2021 , 38(4) : 503 -513 . DOI: 10.11938/cjmr20212928

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