Identification of G-Quadruplex Inducers Usinga Simple, Inexpensiveand Rapid High Throughput Assay, and TheirInhibition of Human Telomerase.

Telomeres are protein and DNA complexes located atchromosome ends. Telomeric DNA is composed of a double stranded region of repetitive DNA followed by single-stranded 3' extension of aG-rich sequence. Single-stranded G-rich sequencescan fold into G-quadruplex structures,and molecules that stabilize G-quadruplexes are known to inhibit the enzyme telomerase and disrupt telomere maintenance.