Figure 5.

The schematic diagram for G-quadruplex-binding proteins as drug targets. The first step is target identification. After analyzing G4–protein interactions, G4BPs involved in disease-related pathways are chosen as potential drug targets. Secondly, three methods could be exploited for drug design. According to the G4–protein recognition mechanism, G4-based aptamers are designed to target specific proteins and form a synthetic G4–protein complex. Meanwhile, ligands would be used to inhibit G4BPs for synthetic lethality in cells with genetic defections. In addition, E3 ligase could be recruited for ubiquitin-mediated degradation of target proteins.