Biochemistry. Biokhimii︠a︡
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Review
G-quadruplex structure: a target for anticancer therapy and a probe for detection of potassium.
G-Quadruplexes are four-stranded DNA structures that play important regulatory roles in the maintenance of telomere length by inhibiting telomerase activity. Telomeres are specialized functional DNA-protein structures consisting of a variable number of tandem G-rich repeats together with a group of specific proteins. ⋯ In addition, due to the potassium preference to the other cations, especially sodium ions, quadruplexes have been suggested for developing potassium detection probes with higher sensitivity and selectivity. This review will illustrate these two aspects to provide further understanding of G-quadruplex structures.
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Glucocorticoids contribute fundamentally to the maintenance of basal and stress-related homeostasis in all higher organisms. The major roles of these steroids in physiology are amply matched by their remarkable contributions to pathology. ⋯ Glucocorticoids are crucial for life, and therefore complete glucocorticoid resistance is uncommon. The purpose of this review is to discuss the many structural and functional features of the glucocorticoid receptor and also to evaluate the main clinical and laboratory characteristics of cortisol resistance.