Telomeres and telomerase have become the focus of a growing branch of research because of their involvement in the ability of tumor cells to replicate indefinitely. One area of this research is the study of the structure and function of G-quadruplexes. It has been previously shown that the telomeric DNA sequence \"chosen\" by evolution possesses the ability to fold into quartets under intracellular conditions, which could be the reason that evolution selected for that sequence. Nonetheless, the direct evidence of quadruplexes in vivo is scarce. In order to enhance the understanding of the presence and role of quadruplexes in cellular function, I investigate the selectivity of two carbocyanine dyes in their binding to several different quadruplex structures through the absorption of the dye molecule. Finding quadruplex ligands that bind selectively among the many different quadruplexes is paramount to this area of research. Binding modes appear to differ between the dyes and among t
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"2008