Proteome analysis of i-motif DNA binding proteins

Non-canonical DNA structures such as G-quadruplex (G4) and i-motif (iM) are formed at the guanine- and cytosine-rich sequences, respectively, and prohibit DNA replication and transcription. The formation and resolution of these non-canonical structures are therefore required to be dynamically regulated by either physiological conditions or factors able to bind the G4 and iM structures. Although many G4 binding proteins responsible for tuning of the G4 structure have been discovered, understanding of structural regulation of the iM structure by iM binding proteins is far less behind. Here, we developed a protein-labeling DNA probe bearing an alkyne moiety through a reactive tosylate linker for proximity labeling of nucleic acid-binding proteins and searched for iM binding proteins. The proteome analyses of the captured proteins suggested new candidates that potentially bind the iM structure, in addition to the known iM binders.