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The Structure and Function of DNA G-Quadruplexes
Open accessAbstract
Guanine-rich DNA sequences can fold into four-stranded, noncanonical secondary structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s). G4s were initially considered a structural curiosity, but recent evidence suggests their involvement in key genome functions such as transcription, replication, genome stability, and epigenetic regulation, together with numerous connections to cancer biology. Collectively, these advances have stimulated research probing G4 mechanisms and consequent opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Here, we provide a perspective on the structure and function of G4s with an emphasis on key molecules and methodological advances that enable the study of G4 structures in human cells. We also critically examine recent mechanistic insights into G4 biology and protein interaction partners and highlight opportunities for drug discovery.
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“Lastly, more serious DNA damages, such as double-strand breaks associated with non-B DNA structures like G4s, and the subsequent DNA repair can be mutagenic (7,27).”
From G-quadruplex-mediated genomic instability drives SNVs in cancer (2024) · cites this paper as [7]
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G4Boost: a machine learning-based tool for quadruplex identification and stability prediction
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“Guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences have the potential to fold into functional secondary structures known as G-quadruplex (G4) structures [1].”
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“The replisome helicase complex (CDC45, MCM2-7 and GINS), or more often replicative polymerases, slow or stall at unusual structures such as G-rich sequences that form G-quadraplexes, common fragile sites, and hairpins at inverted repeats and CAG/CTG triplet repeats (Bochman et al., 2012; Barlow et al., 2013; Zeman and…”
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“G-quadruplexes (G4s) are four-stranded, non-canonical secondary structures that tend to form in DNA sequences rich in guanine [65].”
BackgroundEnzyme-mimetic Catalyst Architectures: The Role of Second Coordination Sphere in Catalytic Activity
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Affinity-Selected Bicyclic Peptide G-Quadruplex Ligands Mimic a Protein-like Binding Mechanism
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“6 However, endogenous G4-binding proteins appear to achieve G4 recognition in a more complex fashion and utilize a greater number of di ff erent interactions.”
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“This interaction controls the transcriptional activation of key oncogenes and other regulatory genes, often making G-quadruplex structures essential nodes in transcriptional regulation [69].”
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“6,7 Indeed, it has been widely speculated that G4s could be biologically functional given the high abundance of G-rich sequences at functional genomic sites.”
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“grooves of very different sizes (wide, medium or narrow) in the G-quadruplex backbone [1,3,5,7].”
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Pozza, M. D., Abdullrahman, A., Cardin, C. J., Gasser, G., & Hall, J. P. (2022) · Chemical Science · doi:10.1039/d2sc01793h · Cited by 67
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“In agreement with this, some G-quadruplex binders induced telomere shortening across population doublings [79,80].”
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“G-quadruplex folding and unfolding are regulated by G-quadruplex binding proteins that include several RNA-binding proteins containing RGG domains such as FUS, heterogenous ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), and others [34, 89].”
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DNA G-Quadruplexes as Targets for Natural Product Drug Discovery
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G-Quadruplex Structures Are Key Modulators of Somatic Structural Variants in Cancers
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“1A ) are one of the most studied non-canonical secondary structures that typically form in G-rich regions (15, 16).”
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“Since individual eG4s were typically 100 bp, and a peak region could contain eG4s and flanking regions ( 61 ), direct analysis of G4s using peaks would unavoidably overestimate the coverage of eG4s.”
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Delineation of the DNA Structural Features of Eukaryotic Core Promoter Classes
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An Updated Focus on Quadruplex Structures as Potential Therapeutic Targets in Cancer
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“Altogether, the cancer-related functions of quadruplexes offer an alternative therapeutic approach in cancer [9,28] (Figure 2).”
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“The G4 distribution at these regions is consistent with the demonstrated role of G4 in a variety of cellular processes, including gene transcription, DNA replication and repair, and telomere function [17, 18].”
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Structural overview of DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes in their interaction with proteins
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RPA engages telomeric G-quadruplexes more effectively than CST
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“based on DNA strand concentration using Equation (3),”
MethodInfluentialG-Quadruplexes in Nuclear Biomolecular Condensates
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“Within genomic DNA, intramolecular G4 folding is favored by a low nucleosome density and negative supercoiling [2,3].”
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“Scores above 1.2 correspond to sequences having a higher guanine content and likely to form stable G4s.”
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“Telomeric DNA sequences containing 4–24 G-Tracts (24–144 nt), which can form 1–6 tandem GQs, were examined at the single molecule level using the FRET-PAINT technique (49,50) that combines DNA-PAINT (51) (Point Accumulation for Imaging in Nanoscale Topography) with single molecule F¨orster…”
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“The existence of G4 structures in cells and in vivo is supported by orthogonal studies in a variety of organisms (4).”
Metadata
- Authors
- Spiegel, J., Adhikari, S., & Balasubramanian, S.
- Affiliations
- Cancer Research UK (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Balasubramanian, Shankar
- Venue
- Trends in Chemistry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-02
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 123-136
- ISSN
- 2589-5974 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7472594
- OpenAlex
- W2966334511
- Cited by
- 920
- References
- 121
- Citations by year
- 2026: 111 · 2025: 157 · 2024: 158 · 2023: 144 · 2022: 151 · 2021: 122 · 2020: 74
- FWCI
- 7.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Trends in Chemistry (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Apollo
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Cancer Research UK
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Metal complexes synthesis and properties
- Keywords
- G-quadruplex, guanine-rich DNA, genome stability, transcription, DNA replication, epigenetic regulation, cancer, G-quadruplex-binding proteins
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