Pressure is one of the important physical parameters of the cell in addition to temperature. Thus, pressure can influence the structures and functions of biomolecules. However, the effect of pressure on nucleic acids has been scarcely investigated to date. We found that the non-canonical structures of nucleic acids, such as quadruplexes, become highly destabilized with an increase in pressure. The pressure effects on nucleic acids can be potentially applied to regulate gene expression, cellular function, and cell division, which are biological reactions related to DNA and RNA.
Reference
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S. Takahashi and N. Sugimoto
Pressure-dependent formation of i-motif and G-quadruplex DNA structures
Phys Chem Chem Phys, 17, 31004–31010 (2015) -
S. Takahashi and N. Sugimoto
Effect of pressure on the stability of G-quadruplex DNA: thermodynamics under crowding conditions
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 52, 13774-13778 (2013) [Selected as an Inside Back Cover]
Reviews and books
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S. Takahashi and N. Sugimoto
Effect of molecular environment and high pressure on the thermodynamic stability of nucleic acid structures
Rev. High Pres. Sci. Tech., 25, 116-125 (2015) -
杉本直己, 高橋俊太郎
高圧下での核酸の挙動
CSJカレントレビュー 極限環境の生命化学（化学同人）, 17, 110-118 (2014) -
S. Takahashi and N. Sugimoto
Effect of pressure on thermal stability of g-quadruplex DNA and double-stranded DNA structures
Molecules 18, 13297-13319 (2013)