DNA replication templates stabilized by guanine quartets
US6017709A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 25, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC12Q1/6869
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Guanine-rich oligonucleotide primers and short telomeric DNA oligonucleotides that serve as non-conventional templates for the synthesis of long, nascent DNA strands are used to screen for pharmaceutical agents. Using the methods of the invention, agents exhibiting antagonistic or agonistic effects on guanine quartet formation can be selected for further study. The invention also provides a predictive assay for cancer in which the level of DNA polymerase activity at a quartet stabilized template is measured. The invention also contributes a method for screening pharmaceutical agents that reduce or inhibit DNA polymerase activity at guanine quartet stabilized templates. The invention provides a method of creating extended DNA molecules from oligonucleotide templates. The invention also provides a method of inhibiting the ageing process in which an oligonucleotide capable of forming non-Watson-Crick structures is used to promote the elongation of telomeres by DNA polymerase.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.