DNA Triplexes That Bind Several Cofactor Molecules.

Cofactors are critical for energy-consuming processes in the cell. Harnessing such processes for practical applications requires control over the concentration of cofactors. We have recently shown that DNA triplex motifs with a designed binding site can be used to capture and release nucleotides with low micromolar dissociation constants.

DNA Triplexes That Bind Several Cofactor Molecules.

Invited for the cover of this issue are Sven Vollmer and Clemens Richert of the University of Stuttgart. The cover image hints at the analogy between a honey comb, as a macroscopic storage device, and DNA triplexes with designed binding sites, as molecular storage motifs that can release ATP to fuel a bioluminescence reaction. Read the full text of the article at 10.

Endless: a purine-binding RNA motif that can be expressed in cells.

It is becoming increasingly clear that nature uses RNAs extensively for regulating vital functions of the cell, and short sequences are frequently used to suppress gene expression. However, controlling the concentration of small molecules intracellularly through designed RNA sequences that fold into ligand-binding structures is difficult. The development of "endless", a triplex-based folding motif that can be expressed in mammalian cells and binds the second messenger 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), is described.