Highly Specific Inhibition of <i>c-Myc</i> Oncogene Expression through Shifting the G-Quadruplex toward a Triplex Structure
G-quadruplexes act as transcriptional triggers in oncogenes, and small molecules targeting them show anticancer potential but lack sequence specificity, risking off-target effects. Here, we introduce original fold-back triplex-forming oligonucleotides (FTFOs) as precise alternatives. Physicochemical and biological analyses revealed that FTFOs unfold the <i>c-Myc</i> G-quadruplex and repress oncogene regulatory element by forming noncanonical triplexes that block G-quadruplex DNA from interacting with transcription factors. Derived design rules enabled the identification of FTFOs that reduce <i>c-Myc</i> expression in the Del4 plasmid by up to 80%, significantly impairing cancer cell growth, confluence, mobility, and endogenous <i>c-Myc</i> expression. This work presents FTFOs as an innovative sequence-specific strategy for arresting G-quadruplex structures via triplex formation and suppressing oncogene activity, offering a promising avenue for targeted anticancer therapy.
Authors
- Jolanta Lisowiec‐Wąchnicka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3910-9682)
- Karolina Zielińska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0013-4634)
- Anna Pasternak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9666-4148)
Institutions
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Published
- 2025-11-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c02386
- Primary Topic
- DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00