Nucleic Acid i-Motif Structures in Analytical Chemistry. (2nd September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Alba, Joan Josep; Sadurní, Anna; Gargallo, Raimundo
• Is Part Of: Critical reviews in analytical chemistry. Volume 46:Number 5(2016)
• Page Start: 443
• Page End: 454
• Publication Date: 2016-09-02
• Subjects: Bioanalytical -- DNA -- electrochemistry -- i-motif -- spectroscopy; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; 543
• DOI: 10.1080/10408347.2016.1143347
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1040-8347

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Under the appropriate experimental conditions of pH and temperature, cytosine-rich segments in DNA or RNA sequences may produce a characteristic folded structure known as an i- motif. Besides its potential role in vivo, which is still under investigation, this structure has attracted increasing interest in other fields due to its sharp, fast and reversible pH-driven conformational changes. This "on/off" switch at molecular level is being used in nanotechnology and analytical chemistry to develop nanomachines and sensors, respectively. This paper presents a review of the latest applications of this structure in the field of chemical analysis.