Zoë A. E. Waller

RNA i-Motif Formation at Neutral pH

This study investigates RNA i-motif stability at neutral pH, finding that while ensemble experiments show global unfolding, single-molecule experiments reveal a small fraction remains folded.

Chemically modified CRISPR-Cas9 enables targeting of individual G-quadruplex and i-motif structures, revealing ligand-dependent transcriptional perturbation.

This paper introduces ATENA, a method using chemically modified CRISPR-Cas9 to target specific G-quadruplexes and i-motifs, showing ligand-dependent transcriptional changes in c-MYC.

Affinity-selected peptide ligands specifically bind i-motif DNA and modulate c-Myc gene expression

The paper identifies peptide ligands that bind i-motif DNA structures and modulate c-Myc gene expression in HEK293 cells.

G-Quadruplexes Act as an On/Off Switch While i-Motifs Regulate Insulin Expression in Reporter Gene Assays

This study shows that both G-quadruplexes and i-motifs are required for glucose-induced transcriptional activation of the insulin gene, with i-motif stability positively correlating with promoter activity.

G-quadruplexes represent promising new targets to overcome multidrug-resistant fungal infections

This study demonstrates that G-quadruplexes are a promising antifungal target, as ligands like PhenDC3 inhibit fungal pathogens and show synergistic effects with existing antifungals.

Prediction of DNA i-Motifs Via Machine Learning

The paper introduces a machine learning tool, iM-Seeker, to predict DNA i-Motif folding status and strength using CUT&Tag data and biophysical experiments.

Replication-induced DNA secondary structures drive fork uncoupling and breakage

This study shows that DNA secondary structures like G4s and iMs cause replication fork arrest and breakage, and that Pif1 helicase is required to resolve stalled forks.