Higher-order structures

The spacial arrangement of nucleic acids is an attractive field of research, since the formation of higher-order structures of DNA and RNA is an essential prerequisite for the proper functioning of many cellular processes. Because double-stranded DNA constitutes a major target of various chemotherapeutic agents, its mass spectrometric characterization is of primary interest. Another focus lays on G-quadruplex structures, which can be found in the telomeric regions of DNA. They are believed to play a crucial role in cell regulation and chromosome reorganization, and are also thought to be involved in the proliferation of tumor cells. Besides the development of mass spectrometric procedures that give evidence for the formation of higher-order structures, we further aim at the elucidation of their interaction with cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs.