G4‐Ligand‐Directed PROTACs Unveil DR1 as a Novel Ligand‐Co‐Binding G4‐Protein and Reshape G4‐Dependent Transcription
G-quadruplexes (G4s) are dynamic nucleic acid structures whose biological impact is largely mediated by G4-binding proteins (G4BPs). While numerous G4BPs have been catalogued, the subset that specifically co-bind G4s in the presence of small-molecule ligands remains unexplored, limiting our understanding of ligand pharmacology. Here, we introduce G4-Ligand-Directed PROTACs (G4L-TACs), a chemical biology platform that couples high-affinity G4 ligands with E3 ubiquitin ligase recruiters to selectively degrade ligand-co-binding G4BPs. Using PDS-derived G4L-TACs, we identified the transcription factor DR1 as a previously unrecognized G4BP recruited to ligand-stabilized promoter G4s. G4L-TAC-mediated DR1 degradation relieved transcriptional repression at G4-rich oncogenic promoters, providing mechanistic insights into how G4 ligands influence gene expression beyond simple nucleic acid stabilization. These results establish G4L-TACs as a novel platform to discover ligand-co-binding G4BPs and reveal DR1 as a new regulatory node in G4-dependent transcription, offering a versatile tool for mechanistic dissection and therapeutic exploration.
Authors
- Jia‐Heng Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1612-7482)
- Z. Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7195-3189)
- Tao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9704-9545)
- Mao‐Lin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9028-7468)
- Ke Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2117-9786)
- Yutao Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9423-6940)
- Xin‐Chen Jiang
- Shu‐Min Xu
- Le‐Tian Dai
Institutions
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- China Pharmaceutical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-03-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202523819
- Primary Topic
- Protein Degradation and Inhibitors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00