The c-MYC gene is one of the crucial members of the MYC gene family. It is a type of gene that can make cells proliferate infinitely and promote cell division. It is connected to the occurrence and development of various tumors. According to reports, the G-quadruplex (G4) structure in the c-MYC promoter played a key role in regulating c-MYC transcription. In order to further elucidate the structure-function relationship of G4 DNA and its potential application in the diagnosis and treatment of c-MYC cancer, there is an urgent need to develop visual and quantitative detection methods for c-MYC G4 DNA. However, due to the structural polymorphism of G4 DNA and other factors, real-time quantitative detection of specific G4 DNA structure is still challenging.

Recently, Ming-qi Wang 's research group successfully constructed a small organic molecule dye MRY-3 with disaggregation-induced emission (DIE). Interestingly, MRY-3 can selectively bind c-MYC G4 DNA to turn on fluorescence, while other DNA sequences did not respond to MRY-3. The research team further elucidated the mechanism of action of the complex between MRY-3 and c-MYC G4 DNA and explored their potential application in living cell imaging, providing a new way to design sequence-selective supramolecular G4 DNA probes with desirable optical properties. The relevant results were published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry B (IF = 7.571), a prestigious journal owned by the Royal Society of Chemistry, under the topic " Selective c-MYC G4 DNA recognition based on a fluorescent light-up probe with disaggregation-induced emission characteristics ". Hong-yao Li was the first author. The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.