The Fate of Secondary DNA/RNA structures in biological processes
Secondary DNA or RNA structures are a curse or a blessing for the cell. It is known that DNA and RNA can fold into alternative structures which influence positively and negatively biological processes. However it is not clear how these alternative structures are regulated in vivo and how they challenge the genome. Our lab studies how G-quadruplex structures form, which functions they bear and which proteins are involved. We use this knowledge to understand why these structures are "mis"-regulated in cancer cells and could lead to mutations and genome instability. The gained knowledge we will use to aid in diagnosis and prognosis of different types of cancers.
