Characterization of G-Quadruplex Motifs in espB, espK, and cyp51 Genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as Potential Drug Targets

Mishra, Subodh Kumar; Shankar, Uma; Jain, Neha; Sikri, Kriti; Tyagi, Jaya Sivaswami; Sharma, Tarun Kumar; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Kumar, Amit

Currently, there are very few effective drugs available for the treatment of the M. tuberculosis infection, and the emergence of extremely drug-resistant strains and latent infections ring a global alarm for investigating novel conserved drug targets and drug regimens. 27, 28 Depending on nucleotide base composition, nucleic acids can adopt several distinct secondary structures such as duplex, triplex, hairpin, and quadruplex structures. 29 Among these secondary structures, the G-quadruplex structure has been represented as the most studied evolutionarily conserved drug target, and several small molecules have been developed that modulate (stabilize or destabilize) these G-quadruplex structures and have potential to be used as a promising drug target in the battle against human pathogens.