• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
ERN: Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM

ERN: Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM

  • About
    • About AAAS
    • About the NSF
    • About the Conference
    • Partners/Supporters
    • Project Team
  • Conference
  • Abstracts
    • Undergraduate Abstract Locator
    • Graduate Abstract Locator
    • Abstract Submission Process
    • Presentation Schedules
    • Abstract Submission Guidelines
    • Presentation Guidelines
  • Travel Awards
  • Resources
    • Award Winners
    • Code of Conduct-AAAS Meetings
    • Code of Conduct-ERN Conference
    • Conference Agenda
    • Conference Materials
    • Conference Program Books
    • ERN Photo Galleries
    • Events | Opportunities
    • Exhibitor Info
    • HBCU-UP/CREST PI/PD Meeting
    • In the News
    • NSF Harassment Policy
    • Plenary Session Videos
    • Professional Development
    • Science Careers Handbook
    • Additional Resources
    • Archives
  • Engage
    • Webinars
    • ERN 10-Year Anniversary Videos
    • Plenary Session Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Structural Determination of the MYC G-Quadruplex in Plasmid DNA

Undergraduate #155
Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Biochemistry (not Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics)

Corey Walters - Tougaloo College
Co-Author(s): Tracy A. Brooks, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS



MYC is responsible for a wide range of functions including transcription, angiogenesis, and metabolism. Up to 80% of all cancers overexpress MYC, which leads to enhanced cell growth, transcription, and metastatic potential. Within the DNA region controlling the expression of MYC, the promoter region, lies a region that controls the activation/silencing of transcription called the NHE III1. This is a region capable of forming unique secondary DNA structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s) and i-Motifs (iM), which function as transcriptional silencers and represent promising targets for drug development. This study focuses on the G4 found on the guanine rich DNA strand of the NHE III1; previous research shows that stabilization of the G4 can inhibit transcriptional activation, decrease expression, and facilitate anti-cancer activity. Specifically, we sought to examine the incorporation of particular guanines into the G4 structure in a supercoiled plasmid containing the myc promoter, under various conditions. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to optimize primers that amplify the plasmid, agarose and acrylamide gel electrophoresis to visualize the DNA with varying degrees of detail, and DMS footprinting to determine guanine base-pairing conditions. We successfully identified several sets of primers that are candidates for PCR, and optimized the time with DMS for complete reactivity, and future works include using these parameters to demonstrate a concrete myc promoter G4 in plasmid DNA under varying conditions. These works, ultimately, will be used to demonstrate G4 formation in chromosomal DNA, and to rationally design compounds to stabilize the structure in drug development efforts

Funder Acknowledgement(s): Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program

Faculty Advisor: Tracy A. Brooks, tabrooks@olemiss.edu

Role: I completed most of the experiment, with some guidance from my mentor, Dr. Brooks. Wrote most of the paper, with my mentor's editing.

Sidebar

Abstract Locators

  • Undergraduate Abstract Locator
  • Graduate Abstract Locator

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

AAAS

1200 New York Ave, NW
Washington,DC 20005
202-326-6400
Contact Us
About Us

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The World’s Largest General Scientific Society

Useful Links

  • Membership
  • Careers at AAAS
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Focus Areas

  • Science Education
  • Science Diplomacy
  • Public Engagement
  • Careers in STEM

Focus Areas

  • Shaping Science Policy
  • Advocacy for Evidence
  • R&D Budget Analysis
  • Human Rights, Ethics & Law

© 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science