1
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Choudhury SD, Kumar P, Choudhury D. Bioactive nutraceuticals as G4 stabilizers: potential cancer prevention and therapy-a critical review. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 397:3585-3616. [PMID: 38019298 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02857-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4) are non-canonical, four-stranded, nucleic acid secondary structures formed in the guanine-rich sequences, where guanine nucleotides associate with each other via Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding. These structures are widely found near the functional regions of the mammalian genome, such as telomeres, oncogenic promoters, and replication origins, and play crucial regulatory roles in replication and transcription. Destabilization of G4 by various carcinogenic agents allows oncogene overexpression and extension of telomeric ends resulting in dysregulation of cellular growth-promoting oncogenesis. Therefore, targeting and stabilizing these G4 structures with potential ligands could aid cancer prevention and therapy. The field of G-quadruplex targeting is relatively nascent, although many articles have demonstrated the effect of G4 stabilization on oncogenic expressions; however, no previous study has provided a comprehensive analysis about the potency of a wide variety of nutraceuticals and some of their derivatives in targeting G4 and the lattice of oncogenic cell signaling cascade affected by them. In this review, we have discussed bioactive G4-stabilizing nutraceuticals, their sources, mode of action, and their influence on cellular signaling, and we believe our insight would bring new light to the current status of the field and motivate researchers to explore this relatively poorly studied arena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satabdi Datta Choudhury
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Punjab, 147004, India
| | - Prateek Kumar
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, 175005, India
| | - Diptiman Choudhury
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Punjab, 147004, India.
- Centre for Excellence in Emerging Materials, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Punjab, 147004, India.
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2
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Zhao Z, Wang J, Yu H, Wang X. Guide for phenotype-specific profiling of DNA G-quadruplex-regulated genes. STAR Protoc 2024; 5:102820. [PMID: 38198280 PMCID: PMC10820308 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA G-quadruplex (G4) is a non-canonical four-stranded secondary structure that has been shown to play a role in epigenetic modulation of gene expression. Here, we present a primer on phenotype-specific profiling of DNA G-quadruplex-regulated genes. We provide guidance on in silico exploration of G4-related genes and phenotypes, and in vitro and in vivo validation of the relationship between G4 and phenotype. We describe commonly utilized techniques and detail critical steps involved in determining the phenotype-specific G4-regulated genes for subsequent investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoyang Zhao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jianru Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Huichuan Yu
- Department of General Surgery (Colorectal Surgery), The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Biomedical Innovation Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microbiome and Chronic Diseases (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China.
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Department of General Surgery (Colorectal Surgery), The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Biomedical Innovation Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microbiome and Chronic Diseases (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China.
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3
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Romano F, Di Porzio A, Iaccarino N, Riccardi G, Di Lorenzo R, Laneri S, Pagano B, Amato J, Randazzo A. G-quadruplexes in cancer-related gene promoters: from identification to therapeutic targeting. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2023; 33:745-773. [PMID: 37855085 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2023.2271168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Guanine-rich DNA sequences can fold into four-stranded noncanonical secondary structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s) which are widely distributed in functional regions of the human genome, such as telomeres and gene promoter regions. Compelling evidence suggests their involvement in key genome functions such as gene expression and genome stability. Notably, the abundance of G4-forming sequences near transcription start sites suggests their potential involvement in regulating oncogenes. AREAS COVERED This review provides an overview of current knowledge on G4s in human oncogene promoters. The most representative G4-binding ligands have also been documented. The objective of this work is to present a comprehensive overview of the most promising targets for the development of novel and highly specific anticancer drugs capable of selectively impacting the expression of individual or a limited number of genes. EXPERT OPINION Modulation of G4 formation by specific ligands has been proposed as a powerful new tool to treat cancer through the control of oncogene expression. Actually, most of G4-binding small molecules seem to simultaneously target a range of gene promoter G4s, potentially influencing several critical driver genes in cancer, thus producing significant therapeutic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Romano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Di Porzio
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Nunzia Iaccarino
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Sonia Laneri
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Bruno Pagano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Jussara Amato
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Randazzo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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4
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Zhong HS, Dong MJ, Gao F. G4Bank: A database of experimentally identified DNA G-quadruplex sequences. Interdiscip Sci 2023; 15:515-523. [PMID: 37389723 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-023-00577-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
G-quadruplex (G4), a non-canonical nucleic acid structure, has been suggested to play a key role in important cellular processes including transcription, replication and cancer development. Recently, high-throughput sequencing approaches for G4 detection have provided a large amount of experimentally identified G4 data that reveal genome-wide G4 landscapes and enable the development of new methods for predicting potential G4s from sequences. Although several existing databases provide G4 experimental data and relevant biological information from different perspectives, there is no dedicated database to collect and analyze DNA G4 experimental data genome-widely. Here, we constructed G4Bank, a database of experimentally identified DNA G-quadruplex sequences. A total of 6,915,983 DNA G4s were collected from 13 organisms, and state-of-the-art prediction methods were performed to filter and analyze the G4 data. Therefore, G4Bank will facilitate users to access comprehensive G4 experimental data and enable sequence feature analysis of G4 for further investigation. The database of the experimentally identified DNA G-quadruplex sequences can be accessed at http://tubic.tju.edu.cn/g4bank/ .
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Sheng Zhong
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Mei-Jing Dong
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, China.
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5
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Liu M, Yu K, Lian W, Zhou N, Wu C, Bao J. G-Quadruplex Structures as a "Switch" Regulate ATF4 Expression in Ferroptotic HepG2 Cells. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:273-284. [PMID: 36722101 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
G-quadruplex (G4) is a noncanonical structure folded in a widespread manner by guanine-rich tandem repeated sequences. As a key response factor, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) has dual functions in managing iron-dependent ferroptosis by regulating amino acid synthesis and antioxidant-related gene expression. In our study, the activity of ATF4 expression was elevated in HepG2 cells induced by erastin. Based on preliminary bioinformatics analyses, the G-tract region, named WT, had high potential to form G4, and it was found that PDS could markedly weaken the increase of ATF4 expression by reducing the sensitivity of HepG2 cells toward erastin. In circular dichroism spectra, WT oligonucleotides showed characteristic molar ellipticity at specific wavelengths of parallel G4 structures, while corresponding single-base mutants possessed a weaker ability to form G4, which were consistent with immunostaining results. In addition, endogenous G4 formed by the WT motif was significantly destroyed in HepG2 cells treated with erastin. After being transfected with WT oligonucleotides, the levels of ATF4 mRNA decreased significantly regardless of being treated with erastin or not. Meanwhile, mutations of G-tracts could advantageously impact the luciferase expression downstream of an ATF4 promoter in reporter assays, manifesting that the decrease of endogenous G4 in the ATF4 promoter was positively associated with the expression enhanced by erastin in HepG2 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Kangkang Yu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Weishao Lian
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Nan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Chuanfang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Jinku Bao
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
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6
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Peng H, Dang L, Toghraie D. Molecular dynamics simulation of thermal characteristics of globulin protein dissolved in dilute salt solutions using equilibrium and non-equilibrium methods. J Therm Biol 2023; 113:103505. [PMID: 37055105 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
The aggregation of 7S globulin protein (7SGP) in mature soybean (Glycine max) seeds is an extracellular matrix protein. This atomic compound can be detected in various food products. So, this protein structure's thermal properties (TP) can be important for various food industry products. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations describe the atomic arrangement of this protein and forecast TP of them in various initial conditions. The present computational work estimates the 7SGP thermal behavior (TB) by equilibrium (E) and non-equilibrium (NE) methods. In these two methods, the 7SGP is represented using DREIDING interatomic potential. MD outputs predicted 0.59 and 0.58 W/mK values for thermal conductivity (TC) of 7SGP at T0 = 300 K and P0 = 1 bar using E and NE methods. Furthermore, computational results represented that the pressure (P) and temperature (T) are significant factors for the TB of 7SGP. Numerically, TC of 7SGP reaches 0.68 W/mK, 0.52 W/mK by T/P increasing. MD results predicted the interaction energy (IE) between 7SGP and aqueous media could fluctuate between -110.64 and 161.53 kcal/mol by the change in T/P after t = 10 ns?These results should be supposed to design new methods for various food industry purposes, such as producing and processing edible oils.
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7
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Wang X, Chen S, Zhao Z, Chen F, Huang Y, Guo X, Lei L, Wang W, Luo Y, Yu H, Wang J. Genomic G-quadruplex folding triggers a cytokine-mediated inflammatory feedback loop to aggravate inflammatory diseases. iScience 2022; 25:105312. [PMID: 36304116 PMCID: PMC9593248 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA G-quadruplex is a non-canonical secondary structure that could epigenetically regulate gene expression. To investigate the regulating role of G-quadruplex, we devised an integrating method to perform the algorithm profiling and genome-wide analysis for the dynamic change of genomic G-quadruplex and RNA profiles in rat nucleus pulposus cells by inducing G-quadruplex folding with multiple stabilizers. A group of genes potentially regulated by G-quadruplex and involved in the inflammation process has been identified. We found that G-quadruplex folding triggers inflammation response by upregulating inflammatory cytokines, which could promote G-quadruplex folding in a manner of positive feedback loop. Moreover, we confirmed that G-quadruplex is a marker indicating elevated inflammatory status and G-quadruplex folding facilitates the development of inflammatory diseases using in vivo intervertebral disc degeneration models. The crosstalk between G-quadruplex and inflammatory cytokines plays a vital role in regulating inflammation-derived diseases, which may provide new insights into the blocking target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Shunlun Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhuoyang Zhao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Fan Chen
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yuming Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xingyu Guo
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Linchuan Lei
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Wantao Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yanxin Luo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Huichuan Yu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jianru Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
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8
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Yu H, Qi Y, Yang B, Yang X, Ding Y. G4Atlas: a comprehensive transcriptome-wide G-quadruplex database. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D126-D134. [PMID: 36243987 PMCID: PMC9825586 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) is a vital RNA tertiary structure motif that involves the base pairs on both Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick faces of guanines. rG4 is of great importance in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Experimental technologies have advanced to identify in vitro and in vivo rG4s across diverse transcriptomes. Building on these recent advances, here we present G4Atlas, the first transcriptome-wide G-quadruplex database, in which we have collated, classified, and visualized transcriptome rG4 experimental data, generated from rG4-seq, chemical profiling and ligand-binding methods. Our comprehensive database includes transcriptome-wide rG4s generated from 82 experimental treatments and 238 samples across ten species. In addition, we have also included RNA secondary structure prediction information across both experimentally identified and unidentified rG4s to enable users to display any potential competitive folding between rG4 and RNA secondary structures. As such, G4Atlas will enable users to explore the general functions of rG4s in diverse biological processes. In addition, G4Atlas lays the foundation for further data-driven deep learning algorithms to examine rG4 structural features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haopeng Yu
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Haopeng Yu. Tel: +44 1603 450214;
| | | | - Bibo Yang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Xiaofei Yang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK,National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China,CAS-JIC Center of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Sciences (CEPAMS), Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiliang Ding
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +44 1603 450266; Fax: +44 1603 450045;
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9
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Vannutelli A, Schell L, Perreault JP, Ouangraoua A. GAIA: G-quadruplexes in alive creature database. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D135-D140. [PMID: 35971612 PMCID: PMC9825426 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4) are 3D structures that are found in both DNA and RNA. Interest in this structure has grown over the past few years due to both its implication in diverse biological mechanisms and its potential use as a therapeutic target, to name two examples. G4s in humans have been widely studied; however, the level of their study in other species remains relatively minimal. That said, progress in this field has resulted in the prediction of G4s structures in various species, ranging from bacteria to eukaryotes. These predictions were analysed in a previous study which revealed that G4s are present in all living kingdoms. To date, eleven different databases have grouped the various G4s depending on either their structures, on the proteins that might bind them, or on their location in the various genomes. However, none of these databases contains information on their location in the transcriptome of many of the implicated species. The GAIA database was designed so as to make this data available online in a user-friendly manner. Through its web interface, users can query GAIA to filter G4s, which, we hope, will help the research in this field. GAIA is available at: https://gaia.cobius.usherbrooke.ca.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Vannutelli
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, QC J1E 4K8, Canada,Department of Computer Science, Faculté des sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
| | | | - Jean-Pierre Perreault
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Jean-Pierre Perreault. Tel: +1 819 821 8000 (Ext 75310);
| | - Aïda Ouangraoua
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 819 821 8000 (Ext 62014);
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10
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Miskiewicz J, Sarzynska J, Szachniuk M. How bioinformatics resources work with G4 RNAs. Brief Bioinform 2020; 22:5902714. [PMID: 32898859 PMCID: PMC8138894 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbaa201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Quadruplexes (G4s) are of interest, which increases with the number of identified G4 structures and knowledge about their biomedical potential. These unique motifs form in many organisms, including humans, where their appearance correlates with various diseases. Scientists store and analyze quadruplexes using recently developed bioinformatic tools—many of them focused on DNA structures. With an expanding collection of G4 RNAs, we check how existing tools deal with them. We review all available bioinformatics resources dedicated to quadruplexes and examine their usefulness in G4 RNA analysis. We distinguish the following subsets of resources: databases, tools to predict putative quadruplex sequences, tools to predict secondary structure with quadruplexes and tools to analyze and visualize quadruplex structures. We share the results obtained from processing specially created RNA datasets with these tools. Contact: mszachniuk@cs.put.poznan.pl Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Briefings in Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Miskiewicz
- Institute of Computing Science and European Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 2, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
| | - Joanna Sarzynska
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Marta Szachniuk
- Institute of Computing Science and European Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 2, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
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11
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Kharel P, Balaratnam S, Beals N, Basu S. The role of RNA G-quadruplexes in human diseases and therapeutic strategies. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2019; 11:e1568. [PMID: 31514263 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (GQs) are four-stranded secondary structures formed by G-rich nucleic acid sequence(s). DNA GQs are present abundantly in the genome and affect a wide range of processes associated with DNA. Recent studies show that RNA GQs are present in different transcripts, including coding and noncoding areas of mRNA, telomeric RNA as well as in other premature and mature noncoding RNAs. When present at specific locations within the RNAs, GQs play important roles in key biological functions, including the regulation of gene expression and telomere homeostasis. RNA GQs regulate pre-mRNA processing, such as splicing and polyadenylation. Evidently, among other processes, RNA GQs also control mRNA translation, miRNA and piRNA biogenesis, and RNA localization. The regulatory mechanisms controlled by RNA GQs mainly involve binding to RNA binding protein that modulate GQ conformation or serve as an entity in recruiting additional protein regulators to act as a block element to the processing machinery. Here we provide an overview of the ever-increasing number of discoveries revealing the role of RNA GQs in biology and their relevance in human diseases and therapeutics. This article is categorized under: RNA Structure and Dynamics > Influence of RNA Structure in Biological Systems RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash Kharel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.,Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sumirtha Balaratnam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.,Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Nathan Beals
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Soumitra Basu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
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12
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Ge F, Wang Y, Li H, Zhang R, Wang X, Li Q, Liang Z, Yang L. Plant-GQ: An Integrative Database of G-Quadruplex in Plant. J Comput Biol 2019; 26:1013-1019. [PMID: 30958698 DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2019.0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplex (G-Q) is advanced DNA or RNA secondary structures frequently found in plant and involved in important biological processes such as transcription, translation, and telomere maintenance. Although some databases and tools were developed for predicting and studying G-Q, none of them was for plant. With the development of next-generation sequencing technology, a large number of plant genomes have been assembled and annotated to provide opportunities for mining G-Q. Plant G-quadruplex database (Plant-GQ) was constructed for predicting G-Q in 195 plants. It has a total of 626,341,645 predicted G-Qs. The database contains four major parts: Search, Tools, JBrowse, and Download. Not only G-Q information but also online forecasting tool can be retrieved and obtained from Plant-GQ. It can also browse and analyze G-Q information by JBrowse in a graph visualization interface. Considering the key role of G-Q in plant, this database will play an important status in the study of the structure, function, and biological relevance of G-Q in plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Ge
- Agricultural Big-Data Research Center and College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Grape Science and Enology and Key Laboratory of Plant Resource, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huayang Li
- Agricultural Big-Data Research Center and College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Agricultural Big-Data Research Center and College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
| | - Xiaotong Wang
- Agricultural Big-Data Research Center and College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
| | - Qingyun Li
- Agricultural Big-Data Research Center and College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
| | - Zhenchang Liang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Grape Science and Enology and Key Laboratory of Plant Resource, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Long Yang
- Agricultural Big-Data Research Center and College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
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13
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Zidanloo SG, Colagar AH, Ayatollahi H, Bagheryan Z. G-quadruplex forming region within WT1 promoter is selectively targeted by daunorubicin and mitoxantrone: A possible mechanism for anti-leukemic effect of drugs. J Biosci 2019; 44:12. [PMID: 30837363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) has long been overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia and has a prognostic value in its diagnosis. Lately, the formation of G-quadruplexes in oncogenic promoters like (WT1) has been widely investigated since stabilization of these structures leads to transcriptional inhibition of the oncogene. Daunorubicin and mitoxantrone considered as crucial components of almost all standard acute myeloid leukemia induction regimens. Herein we have proposed a probable molecular mechanism of action through which the drugs may stabilize (WT1) promoter G-quadruplexes. Differential pulse voltammetry, circular dichroism, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, electrophoretic mobility shifts assay, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) stop assays, and quantitative RT-PCR were performed in order to better understanding the nature of interactions between the drugs and G-quadruplexes. Data revealed that both drugs had potential to stabilize G-quadruplexes and down-regulate WT1 transcription but daunorubicin exposed more silencing impact. The results illustrated the therapeutic association of these two commercial FDA-approved drugs in (WT1) transcriptional down-regulation. Since (WT1) has known as a transcriptional regulator of at least 137 target genes, so the new data are significant for the development of new approaches to regulating WT1 and other target genes by employing special drugs in cancer treatment.
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MESH Headings
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Circular Dichroism
- Daunorubicin/pharmacology
- Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
- Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay
- G-Quadruplexes/drug effects
- Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic/drug effects
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Mitoxantrone/pharmacology
- Promoter Regions, Genetic/drug effects
- WT1 Proteins/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeedeh Ghazaey Zidanloo
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar CP: 47416-95447, Iran
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14
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G-quadruplex forming region within WT1 promoter is selectively targeted by daunorubicin and mitoxantrone: A possible mechanism for anti-leukemic effect of drugs. J Biosci 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-018-9837-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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15
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Cammas A, Millevoi S. RNA G-quadruplexes: emerging mechanisms in disease. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:1584-1595. [PMID: 28013268 PMCID: PMC5389700 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) are formed by G-rich RNA sequences in protein-coding (mRNA) and non-coding (ncRNA) transcripts that fold into a four-stranded conformation. Experimental studies and bioinformatic predictions support the view that these structures are involved in different cellular functions associated to both DNA processes (telomere elongation, recombination and transcription) and RNA post-transcriptional mechanisms (including pre-mRNA processing, mRNA turnover, targeting and translation). An increasing number of different diseases have been associated with the inappropriate regulation of RNA G4s exemplifying the potential importance of these structures on human health. Here, we review the different molecular mechanisms underlying the link between RNA G4s and human diseases by proposing several overlapping models of deregulation emerging from recent research, including (i) sequestration of RNA-binding proteins, (ii) aberrant expression or localization of RNA G4-binding proteins, (iii) repeat associated non-AUG (RAN) translation, (iv) mRNA translational blockade and (v) disabling of protein–RNA G4 complexes. This review also provides a comprehensive survey of the functional RNA G4 and their mechanisms of action. Finally, we highlight future directions for research aimed at improving our understanding on RNA G4-mediated regulatory mechanisms linked to diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Cammas
- Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, Inserm, CRCT, Toulouse, France
| | - Stefania Millevoi
- Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, Inserm, CRCT, Toulouse, France
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16
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Fay MM, Lyons SM, Ivanov P. RNA G-Quadruplexes in Biology: Principles and Molecular Mechanisms. J Mol Biol 2017; 429:2127-2147. [PMID: 28554731 PMCID: PMC5603239 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 264] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4s) are extremely stable DNA or RNA secondary structures formed by sequences rich in guanine. These structures are implicated in many essential cellular processes, and the number of biological functions attributed to them continues to grow. While DNA G4s are well understood on structural and, to some extent, functional levels, RNA G4s and their functions have received less attention. The presence of bona fide RNA G4s in cells has long been a matter of debate. The development of G4-specific antibodies and ligands hinted on their presence in vivo, but recent advances in RNA sequencing coupled with chemical footprinting suggested the opposite. In this review, we will critically discuss the biology of RNA G4s focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying their proposed functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta M Fay
- Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shawn M Lyons
- Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Pavel Ivanov
- Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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17
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Berardinelli F, Coluzzi E, Sgura A, Antoccia A. Targeting telomerase and telomeres to enhance ionizing radiation effects in in vitro and in vivo cancer models. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2017; 773:204-219. [PMID: 28927529 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2017.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
One of the hallmarks of cancer consists in the ability of tumor cells to divide indefinitely, and to maintain stable telomere lengths throughout the activation of specific telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMM). Therefore in the last fifteen years, researchers proposed to target telomerase or telomeric structure in order to block limitless replicative potential of cancer cells providing a fascinating strategy for a broad-spectrum cancer therapy. In the present review, we report in vitro and in vivo evidence regarding the use of chemical agents targeting both telomerase or telomere structure and showing promising antitumor effects when used in combination with ionizing radiation (IR). RNA interference, antisense oligonucleotides (e.g., GRN163L), non-nucleoside inhibitors (e.g., BIBR1532) and nucleoside analogs (e.g., AZT) represent some of the most potent strategies to inhibit telomerase activity used in combination with IR. Furthermore, radiosensitizing effects were demonstrated also for agents acting directly on the telomeric structure such as G4-ligands (e.g., RHPS4 and Telomestatin) or telomeric-oligos (T-oligos). To date, some of these compounds are under clinical evaluation (e.g., GRN163L and KML001). Advantages of Telomere/Telomerase Targeting Compounds (T/TTCs) coupled with radiotherapy may be relevant in the treatment of radioresistant tumors and in the development of new optimized treatment plans with reduced dose adsorbed by patients and consequent attenuation of short- end long-term side effects. Pros and cons of possible future applications in cancer therapy based on the combination of T/TCCs and radiation treatment are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Berardinelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy.
| | - E Coluzzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy
| | - A Sgura
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - A Antoccia
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
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18
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A G-Rich Motif in the lncRNA Braveheart Interacts with a Zinc-Finger Transcription Factor to Specify the Cardiovascular Lineage. Mol Cell 2016; 64:37-50. [PMID: 27618485 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2016.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an emerging class of transcripts that can modulate gene expression; however, their mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Here, we experimentally determine the secondary structure of Braveheart (Bvht) using chemical probing methods and show that this ∼590 nt transcript has a modular fold. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of mouse embryonic stem cells, we find that deletion of 11 nt in a 5' asymmetric G-rich internal loop (AGIL) of Bvht (bvhtdAGIL) dramatically impairs cardiomyocyte differentiation. We demonstrate a specific interaction between AGIL and cellular nucleic acid binding protein (CNBP/ZNF9), a zinc-finger protein known to bind single-stranded G-rich sequences. We further show that CNBP deletion partially rescues the bvhtdAGIL mutant phenotype by restoring differentiation capacity. Together, our work shows that Bvht functions with CNBP through a well-defined RNA motif to regulate cardiovascular lineage commitment, opening the door for exploring broader roles of RNA structure in development and disease.
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19
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Accurate high-throughput identification of parallel G-quadruplex topology by a new tetraaryl-substituted imidazole. Biosens Bioelectron 2016; 83:77-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2016.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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20
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Subramanian N, Srimany A, Kanwar JR, Kanwar RK, Akilandeswari B, Rishi P, Khetan V, Vasudevan M, Pradeep T, Krishnakumar S. Nucleolin-aptamer therapy in retinoblastoma: molecular changes and mass spectrometry-based imaging. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 5:e358. [PMID: 27574784 PMCID: PMC5023409 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2016.70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Retinoblastoma (RB) is an intraocular childhood tumor which, if left untreated, leads to blindness and mortality. Nucleolin (NCL) protein which is differentially expressed on the tumor cell surface, binds ligands and regulates carcinogenesis and angiogenesis. We found that NCL is over expressed in RB tumor tissues and cell lines compared to normal retina. We studied the effect of nucleolin-aptamer (NCL-APT) to reduce proliferation in RB tumor cells. Aptamer treatment on the RB cell lines (Y79 and WERI-Rb1) led to significant inhibition of cell proliferation. Locked nucleic acid (LNA) modified NCL-APT administered subcutaneously (s.c.) near tumor or intraperitoneally (i.p.) in Y79 xenografted nude mice resulted in 26 and 65% of tumor growth inhibition, respectively. Downregulation of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, tumor miRNA-18a, altered serum cytokines, and serum miRNA-18a levels were observed upon NCL-APT treatment. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI MS)-based imaging of cell lines and tumor tissues revealed changes in phosphatidylcholines levels upon treatment. Thus, our study provides proof of concept illustrating NCL-APT-based targeted therapeutic strategy and use of DESI MS-based lipid imaging in monitoring therapeutic responses in RB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nithya Subramanian
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Vision Research Foundation, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Chennai, India.,Nanomedicine Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), School of Medicine (SoM), Centre for Molecular and Medical Research (C-MMR), Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Amitava Srimany
- DST Unit of Nanoscience and Thematic Unit of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Jagat R Kanwar
- Nanomedicine Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), School of Medicine (SoM), Centre for Molecular and Medical Research (C-MMR), Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Rupinder K Kanwar
- Nanomedicine Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), School of Medicine (SoM), Centre for Molecular and Medical Research (C-MMR), Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Balachandran Akilandeswari
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Vision Research Foundation, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Chennai, India
| | - Pukhraj Rishi
- Department of Ocular Oncology and Vitreo Retina, Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
| | - Vikas Khetan
- Department of Ocular Oncology and Vitreo Retina, Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
| | | | - Thalappil Pradeep
- DST Unit of Nanoscience and Thematic Unit of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Subramanian Krishnakumar
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Vision Research Foundation, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Chennai, India.,L&T Ocular Pathology Department, Vision Research Foundation, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Chennai, India
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21
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Fongang B, Kudlicki A. Comparison between Timelines of Transcriptional Regulation in Mammals, Birds, and Teleost Fish Somitogenesis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155802. [PMID: 27192554 PMCID: PMC4871587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Metameric segmentation of the vertebrate body is established during somitogenesis, when a cyclic spatial pattern of gene expression is created within the mesoderm of the developing embryo. The process involves transcriptional regulation of genes associated with the Wnt, Notch, and Fgf signaling pathways, each gene is expressed at a specific time during the somite cycle. Comparative genomics, including analysis of expression timelines may reveal the underlying regulatory modules and their causal relations, explaining the nature and origin of the segmentation mechanism. Using a deconvolution approach, we computationally reconstruct and compare the precise timelines of expression during somitogenesis in chicken and zebrafish. The result constitutes a resource that may be used for inferring possible causal relations between genes and subsequent pathways. While the sets of regulated genes and expression profiles vary between different species, notable similarities exist between the temporal organization of the pathways involved in the somite clock in chick and mouse, with certain aspects (as the phase of expression of Notch genes) conserved also in the zebrafish. The regulated genes have sequence motifs that are conserved in mouse and chicken but not zebrafish. Promoter sequence analysis suggests involvement of several transcription factors that may bind these regulatory elements, including E2F, EGR and PLAG, as well as a possible role of G-quadruplex DNA structure in regulation of the cyclic genes. Our research lays the groundwork for further studies that will probe the evolution of the regulatory mechanism of segmentation across all vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Fongang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine, Institute for Translational Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Andrzej Kudlicki
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine, Institute for Translational Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, Texas, USA
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22
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Downregulation of the WT1 gene expression via TMPyP4 stabilization of promoter G-quadruplexes in leukemia cells. Tumour Biol 2016; 37:9967-77. [PMID: 26815508 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-016-4881-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The WT1 gene is an important oncogene, and its overexpression is considered as an effective target for anticancer therapy. Regulation of its gene transcription is one way for WT1-targeting drug design. Recently, in silico analysis of some oncogene promoters like WT1 showed some guanine-rich regions with the ability to form G-quadruplex structures. Ligands like 5,10,15,20-tetra(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)-porphine (TMPyP4) have predominant effect on G-quadruplex stabilization. The aim of this study was to understand the effect of TMPyP4 on WT1 gene transcription via stabilization of promoter G-quadruplexes. We examined the formation of new G-quadruplex motifs in WT1 promoter in the presence of TMPyP4. In order to understand the nature of its interaction with WT1 promoter quadruplexes, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), circular dichroism (CD), polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) stop assays, and quantitative RT-PCR were performed. According to the results, the WT1 promoter can form stable intramolecular parallel G-quadruplexes. In addition, after 48 and 96 h of incubation, 100 μM TMPyP4 reduced the WT1 transcription to 9 and 0.4 %, respectively, compare to control. We report that ligand-mediated stabilization of G-quadruplexes within the WT1 promoter can silence WT1 expression. This study might offer the basis for the reasonable design and improvement of new porphyrin derivatives as effective anti-leukemia agents for cancer therapy.
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23
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G-Quadruplexes Involving Both Strands of Genomic DNA Are Highly Abundant and Colocalize with Functional Sites in the Human Genome. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146174. [PMID: 26727593 PMCID: PMC4699641 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The G-quadruplex is a non-canonical DNA structure biologically significant in DNA replication, transcription and telomere stability. To date, only G4s with all guanines originating from the same strand of DNA have been considered in the context of the human nuclear genome. Here, I discuss interstrand topological configurations of G-quadruplex DNA, consisting of guanines from both strands of genomic DNA; an algorithm is presented for predicting such structures. I have identified over 550,000 non-overlapping interstrand G-quadruplex forming sequences in the human genome—significantly more than intrastrand configurations. Functional analysis of interstrand G-quadruplex sites shows strong association with transcription initiation, the results are consistent with the XPB and XPD transcriptional helicases binding only to G-quadruplex DNA with interstrand topology. Interstrand quadruplexes are also enriched in origin of replication sites. Several topology classes of interstrand quadruplex-forming sequences are possible, and different topologies are enriched in different types of structural elements. The list of interstrand quadruplex forming sequences, and the computer program used for their prediction are available at the web address http://moment.utmb.edu/allquads.
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24
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Kim IS, Seo YJ. TT Dimerization and Its Effect on Human Telomere G-Quadruplex Formation. B KOREAN CHEM SOC 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.10316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- In Sun Kim
- Department of Chemistry; Chonbuk National University; Jeonju 561-756 South Korea
| | - Young Jun Seo
- Department of Chemistry; Chonbuk National University; Jeonju 561-756 South Korea
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences; Chonbuk National University; Jeonju 561-756 South Korea
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25
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Simone R, Fratta P, Neidle S, Parkinson GN, Isaacs AM. G-quadruplexes: Emerging roles in neurodegenerative diseases and the non-coding transcriptome. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:1653-68. [PMID: 25979174 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Revised: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
G-rich sequences in DNA and RNA have a propensity to fold into stable secondary structures termed G-quadruplexes. G-quadruplex forming sequences are widespread throughout the human genome, within both, protein coding and non-coding genes, and regulatory regions. G-quadruplexes have been implicated in multiple cellular functions including chromatin epigenetic regulation, DNA recombination, transcriptional regulation of gene promoters and enhancers, and translation. Here we will review the evidence for the occurrence of G-quadruplexes both in vitro and in vivo; their role in neurological diseases including G-quadruplex-forming repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and loss of the G-quadruplex binding protein FMRP in the intellectual disability fragile X syndrome. We also review mounting evidence that supports a role for G-quadruplexes in regulating the processing or function of a range of non-coding RNAs. Finally we will highlight current perspectives for therapeutic interventions that target G-quadruplexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Simone
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | - Pietro Fratta
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Stephen Neidle
- UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Gary N Parkinson
- UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Adrian M Isaacs
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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26
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A G-quadruplex DNA structure resolvase, RHAU, is essential for spermatogonia differentiation. Cell Death Dis 2015; 6:e1610. [PMID: 25611385 PMCID: PMC4669769 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2014.571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Revised: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
G-quadruplex (G4) DNA and G4 DNA resolvase are involved in a variety of biological processes. To understand the biological function of G4 DNA structures and their resolvases in spermatogenesis, we investigated the distribution of G4 structures in mouse testis and identified their alterations during spermatogenesis. Meanwhile, we studied the function of RNA helicase associated with AU-rich element (RHAU), a G4 DNA resolvase, in spermatogenesis with a germ-cell-specific knockout mouse model. The results showed that the ablation of RHAU in germ cells caused the increase of G4 structures and thus resulted in the decrease of spermatogonial differentiation. c-kit, a spermatogonia differentiation-related gene, contains two G4 DNA motifs on its promoter. We found its expression was significantly downregulated in RHAU conditional knockout testis. A further analysis demonstrated that RHAU directly bound to the G4 structures to activate c-kit expression. We concluded that RHAU regulates spermatogonia differentiation by promoting c-kit expression via directly binding to the G4 DNA motifs c-kit promoter.
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27
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Frees S, Menendez C, Crum M, Bagga PS. QGRS-Conserve: a computational method for discovering evolutionarily conserved G-quadruplex motifs. Hum Genomics 2014; 8:8. [PMID: 24885782 PMCID: PMC4017754 DOI: 10.1186/1479-7364-8-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nucleic acids containing guanine tracts can form quadruplex structures via non-Watson-Crick base pairing. Formation of G-quadruplexes is associated with the regulation of important biological functions such as transcription, genetic instability, DNA repair, DNA replication, epigenetic mechanisms, regulation of translation, and alternative splicing. G-quadruplexes play important roles in human diseases and are being considered as targets for a variety of therapies. Identification of functional G-quadruplexes and the study of their overall distribution in genomes and transcriptomes is an important pursuit. Traditional computational methods map sequence motifs capable of forming G-quadruplexes but have difficulty in distinguishing motifs that occur by chance from ones which fold into G-quadruplexes. RESULTS We present Quadruplex forming 'G'-rich sequences (QGRS)-Conserve, a computational method for calculating motif conservation across exomes and supports filtering to provide researchers with more precise methods of studying G-quadruplex distribution patterns. Our method quantitatively evaluates conservation between quadruplexes found in homologous nucleotide sequences based on several motif structural characteristics. QGRS-Conserve also efficiently manages overlapping G-quadruplex sequences such that the resulting datasets can be analyzed effectively. CONCLUSIONS We have applied QGRS-Conserve to identify a large number of G-quadruplex motifs in the human exome conserved across several mammalian and non-mammalian species. We have successfully identified multiple homologs of many previously published G-quadruplexes that play post-transcriptional regulatory roles in human genes. Preliminary large-scale analysis identified many homologous G-quadruplexes in the 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions of mammalian species. An expectedly smaller set of G-quadruplex motifs was found to be conserved across larger phylogenetic distances. QGRS-Conserve provides means to build datasets that can be filtered and categorized in a variety of biological dimensions for more targeted studies in order to better understand the roles that G-quadruplexes play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Frees
- Department of Computer Science, Ramapo College of New Jersey, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ 08807, USA
| | - Camille Menendez
- Department of Bioinformatics, Ramapo College of New Jersey, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ 08807, USA
| | - Matt Crum
- Department of Bioinformatics, Ramapo College of New Jersey, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ 08807, USA
| | - Paramjeet S Bagga
- Department of Bioinformatics, Ramapo College of New Jersey, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ 08807, USA
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Yoshida W, Saito T, Yokoyama T, Ferri S, Ikebukuro K. Aptamer selection based on G4-forming promoter region. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65497. [PMID: 23750264 PMCID: PMC3672139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 04/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We developed a method for aptamer identification without in vitro selection. We have previously obtained several aptamers, which may fold into the G-quadruplex (G4) structure, against target proteins; therefore, we hypothesized that the G4 structure would be an excellent scaffold for aptamers to recognize the target protein. Moreover, the G4-forming sequence contained in the promoter region of insulin can reportedly bind to insulin. We thus expected that G4 DNAs, which are contained in promoter regions, could act as DNA aptamers against their gene products. We designated this aptamer identification method as “G4 promoter-derived aptamer selection (G4PAS).” Using G4PAS, we identified vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165, platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF)-AA, and RB1 DNA aptamers. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis revealed that the dissociation constant (Kd) values of VEGF165, PDGF-AA, and RB1 DNA aptamers were 1.7 × 10−7 M, 6.3 × 10−9 M, and 4.4 × 10−7 M, respectively. G4PAS is a simple and rapid method of aptamer identification because it involves only binding analysis of G4 DNAs to the target protein. In the human genome, over 40% of promoters contain one or more potential G4 DNAs. G4PAS could therefore be applied to identify aptamers against target proteins that contain G4 DNAs on their promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Yoshida
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taiki Saito
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomomi Yokoyama
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazunori Ikebukuro
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Li Q, Xiang JF, Yang QF, Sun HX, Guan AJ, Tang YL. G4LDB: a database for discovering and studying G-quadruplex ligands. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 41:D1115-23. [PMID: 23161677 PMCID: PMC3531060 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks1101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The G-quadruplex ligands database (G4LDB, http://www.g4ldb.org) provides a unique collection of reported G-quadruplex ligands to streamline ligand/drug discovery targeting G-quadruplexes. G-quadruplexes are guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences in human telomeres and gene promoter regions. There is a growing recognition for their profound roles in a wide spectrum of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Ligands that affect the structure and activity of G-quadruplexes can shed light on the search for G-quadruplex-targeting drugs. Therefore, we built the G4LDB to (i) compile a data set covering various physical properties and 3D structure of G-quadruplex ligands; (ii) provide Web-based tools for G-quadruplex ligand design; and (iii) to facilitate the discovery of novel therapeutic and diagnostic agents targeting G-quadruplexes. G4LDB currently contains >800 G-quadruplex ligands with ∼4000 activity records, which, to our knowledge, is the most extensive collection of its kind. It offers a user friendly interface that can meet a variety of data inquiries from researchers. For example, ligands can be searched for by name, molecular properties, structures, ligand activities and so on. Building on the reported data, the database also provides an online ligand design module that can predict ligand binding affinity in real time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Center for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
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Cer RZ, Bruce KH, Donohue DE, Temiz NA, Mudunuri US, Yi M, Volfovsky N, Bacolla A, Luke BT, Collins JR, Stephens RM. Searching for non-B DNA-forming motifs using nBMST (non-B DNA motif search tool). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; Chapter 18:Unit 18.7.1-22. [PMID: 22470144 DOI: 10.1002/0471142905.hg1807s73] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
This unit describes basic protocols on using the non-B DNA Motif Search Tool (nBMST) to search for sequence motifs predicted to form alternative DNA conformations that differ from the canonical right-handed Watson-Crick double-helix, collectively known as non-B DNA, and on using the associated PolyBrowse, a GBrowse-based genomic browser. The nBMST is a Web-based resource that allows users to submit one or more DNA sequences to search for inverted repeats (cruciform DNA), mirror repeats (triplex DNA), direct/tandem repeats (slipped/hairpin structures), G4 motifs (tetraplex, G-quadruplex DNA), alternating purine-pyrimidine tracts (left-handed Z-DNA), and A-phased repeats (static bending). The nBMST is versatile, simple to use, does not require bioinformatics skills, and can be applied to any type of DNA sequences, including viral and bacterial genomes, up to an aggregate of 20 megabasepairs (Mbp).
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Affiliation(s)
- R Z Cer
- Advanced Biomedical Computing Center, Information Systems Program, SAIC-Frederick, Inc, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
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Clark DW, Phang T, Edwards MG, Geraci MW, Gillespie MN. Promoter G-quadruplex sequences are targets for base oxidation and strand cleavage during hypoxia-induced transcription. Free Radic Biol Med 2012; 53:51-9. [PMID: 22583700 PMCID: PMC3377816 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2012.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2012] [Revised: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 04/18/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The G-quadruplex, a non-B DNA motif that forms in certain G-rich sequences, is often located near transcription start sites in growth regulatory genes. Multiple lines of evidence show that reactive oxygen species generated as second messengers during physiologic signaling target specific DNA sequences for oxidative base modifications. Because guanine repeats are uniquely sensitive to oxidative damage, and G4 sequences are known "hot spots" for genetic mutation and DNA translocation, we hypothesized that G4 sequences are targeted for oxidative base modifications in hypoxic signaling. Approximately 25% of hypoxia-regulated genes in pulmonary artery endothelial cells harbored G4 sequences within their promoters. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that common base oxidation product 8-oxoguanine was selectively introduced into G4s, in promoters of hypoxia up-, down-, and nonregulated genes. Additionally, base excision DNA repair (BER) enzymes were recruited, and transient strand breaks formed in these sequences. Transcription factor Sp1, constitutively bound to G4 sequences in normoxia, was evicted as 8-oxoguanine accumulated during hypoxic exposure. Blocking hypoxia-induced oxidant production prevented both base modifications and decreased Sp1 binding. These findings suggest that oxidant stress in hypoxia causes oxidative base modifications, recruitment of BER enzymes, and transient strand breaks in G4 promoter sequences potentially altering G4 integrity and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Clark
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA
| | - Tzu Phang
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Michael G. Edwards
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Mark W. Geraci
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Mark N. Gillespie
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: (251) 460-6497; Fax: (251) 460-6798;
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Marusic M, Sket P, Bauer L, Viglasky V, Plavec J. Solution-state structure of an intramolecular G-quadruplex with propeller, diagonal and edgewise loops. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:6946-56. [PMID: 22532609 PMCID: PMC3413137 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We herein report on the formation and high-resolution NMR solution-state structure determination of a G-quadruplex adopted by d[G3ATG3ACACAG4ACG3] comprised of four G-tracts with the third one consisting of four guanines that are intervened with non-G streches of different lengths. A single intramolecular antiparallel (3+1) G-quadruplex exhibits three stacked G-quartets connected with propeller, diagonal and edgewise loops of different lengths. The propeller and edgewise loops are well structured, whereas the longer diagonal loop is more flexible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first high-resolution G-quadruplex structure where all of the three main loop types are present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Marusic
- Slovenian NMR Center, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Slovenia
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Abstract
The DEAH helicase RHAU (alias DHX36, G4R1) is the only helicase shown to have G-quadruplex (G4)-RNA resolvase activity and the major source of G4-DNA resolvase activity. Previous report showed RHAU mRNA expression to be elevated in human lymphoid and CD34(+) BM cells, suggesting a potential role in hematopoiesis. Here, we generated a conditional knockout of the RHAU gene in mice. Germ line deletion of RHAU led to embryonic lethality. We then targeted the RHAU gene specifically in the hematopoiesis system, using a Cre-inducible system in which an optimized variant of Cre recombinase was expressed under the control of the Vav1 promoter. RHAU deletion in hematopoietic system caused hemolytic anemia and differentiation defect at the proerythroblast stage. The partial differentiation block of proerythroblasts was because of a proliferation defect. Transcriptome analysis of RHAU knockout proerythroblasts showed that a statistically significant portion of the deregulated genes contain G4 motifs in their promoters. This suggests that RHAU may play a role in the regulation of gene expression that relies on its G4 resolvase activity.
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Abstract
G-quadruplexes are four-stranded DNA structures that are over-represented in gene promoter regions and are viewed as emerging therapeutic targets in oncology, as transcriptional repression of oncogenes through stabilization of these structures could be a novel anticancer strategy. Many gene promoter G-quadruplexes have physicochemical properties and structural characteristics that might make them druggable, and their structural diversity suggests that a high degree of selectivity might be possible. Here, we describe the evidence for G-quadruplexes in gene promoters and discuss their potential as therapeutic targets, as well as progress in the development of strategies to harness this potential through intervention with small-molecule ligands.
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Abstract
The knowledge that potential guanine quadruplex sequences (PQs) are non-randomly distributed in relation to genomic features is now well established. However, this is for a general potential quadruplex motif which is characterized by short runs of guanine separated by loop regions, regardless of the nature of the loop sequence. There have been no studies to date which map the distribution of PQs in terms of primary sequence or which categorize PQs. To this end, we have generated clusters of PQ sequence groups of various sizes and various degrees of similarity for the non-template strand of introns in the human genome. We started with 86 697 sequences, and successively merged them into groups based on sequence similarity, carrying out 66 clustering cycles before convergence. We have demonstrated here that by using complete linkage hierarchical agglomerative clustering such PQ sequence categorization can be achieved. Our results give an insight into sequence diversity and categories of PQ sequences which occur in human intronic regions. We also highlight a number of clusters for which interesting relationships among their members were immediately evident and other clusters whose members seem unrelated, illustrating, we believe, a distinct role for different sequence types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan K Todd
- CRUK Biomolecular Structure Group, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK
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36
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Zheng KW, Zhang D, Zhang LX, Hao YH, Zhou X, Tan Z. Dissecting the strand folding orientation and formation of G-quadruplexes in single- and double-stranded nucleic acids by ligand-induced photocleavage footprinting. J Am Chem Soc 2011; 133:1475-83. [PMID: 21207997 DOI: 10.1021/ja108972e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The widespread of G-quadruplex-forming sequences in genomic DNA and their role in regulating gene expression has made G-quadruplex structures attractive therapeutic targets against a variety of diseases, such as cancer. Information on the structure of G-quadruplexes is crucial for understanding their physiological roles and designing effective drugs against them. Resolving the structures of G-quadruplexes, however, remains a challenge especially for those in double-stranded DNA. In this work, we developed a photocleavage footprinting technique to determine the folding orientation of each individual G-tract in intramolecular G-quadruplex formed in both single- and double-stranded nucleic acids. Based on the differential photocleavage induced by a ligand tetrakis(2-trimethylaminoethylethanol) phthalocyaninato zinc tetraiodine (Zn-TTAPc) to the guanines between the two terminal G-quartets in a G-quadruplex, this method identifies the guanines hosted in each terminal G-quartets to reveal G-tract orientation. The method is extremely intuitive, straightforward, and requires little expertise. Besides, it also detects G-quadruplex formation in long single- and double-stranded nucleic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-wei Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
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Wang Q, Ma L, Hao YH, Tan Z. Folding equilibrium constants of telomere G-quadruplexes in free state or associated with proteins determined by isothermal differential hybridization. Anal Chem 2010; 82:9469-75. [PMID: 21028832 DOI: 10.1021/ac102168m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Guanine rich (G-rich) nucleic acids form G-quadruplex structures that are implicated in many biological processes, pharmaceutical applications, and molecular machinery. The folding equilibrium constant (K(F)) of the G-quadruplex not only determines its stability and competition against duplex formation in genomic DNA but also defines its recognition by proteins and drugs and technical specifications. The K(F) is most conveniently derived from thermal melting analysis that has so far yielded extremely diversified results for the human telomere G-quadruplex. Melting analysis cannot be used for nucleic acids associated with proteins, thus has difficulty to study how protein association affects the folding equilibrium of G-quadruplex structure. In this work, we established an isothermal differential hybridization (IDH) method that is able to determine the K(F) of G-quadruplex, either alone or associated with proteins. Using this method, we studied the folding equilibrium of the core sequence G(3)(T(2)AG(3))(3) from vertebrate telomere in K(+) and Na(+) solutions and how it is affected by proteins associated at its adjacent regions. Our results show that the K(F) obtained for the free G-quadruplex is within 1 order of magnitude of most of those obtained by melting analysis and protein binding beside a G-quadruplex can dramatically destabilize the G-quadruplex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
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Saxena S, Miyoshi D, Sugimoto N. Sole and stable RNA duplexes of G-rich sequences located in the 5'-untranslated region of protooncogenes. Biochemistry 2010; 49:7190-201. [PMID: 20672842 DOI: 10.1021/bi101093a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Guanine- (G-) rich nucleic acid sequences can form four-stranded structures called G-quadruplexes. It is widely held that the formation of a G-quadruplex in RNA is more feasible than in DNA because of the lack of a complementary strand in mRNA. Here, we analyzed sequences of 5'-untranslated regions of protooncogenes and surprisingly found that these regions showed an enrichment of not only guanine (G) but also cytosine (C) nucleotides. Since neighboring cytosine- (C-) rich regions can affect the formation and stability of a G-quadruplex structure, we further investigated the properties of DNA and RNA structures of G-rich and GC-rich regions. We selected typical GC-rich RNA sequences from protooncogenes and corresponding DNA sequences and investigated their structures. It was found that the GC-rich RNA sequences formed stable A-form duplexes as their major structure independent of the surrounding conditions, including the presence of different cations (Na(+), K(+), or Li(+)) or molecular crowding with 40 wt % poly(ethylene glycol) with an average molecular mass of 200 Da although there are a few exceptions in which only a combination of K(+) and molecular crowding induced a G-quadruplex structure of an extremely G-rich RNA sequence. In contrast, structural polymorphisms involving duplexes, G-quadruplexes, and i-motifs were observed for GC-rich DNA sequences depending on the surrounding factors. These results demonstrate the considerable structural and functional differences in GC-rich sequences of the genome (DNA) and transcriptosome (mRNA) with respect to the nucleic acid backbone. Moreover, it was suggested that structural study for a G-rich RNA sequence should be carried out under cell-mimicking condition where K(+) and crowding cosolutes exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarika Saxena
- Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), 7-1-20 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
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Liu JQ, Chen CY, Xue Y, Hao YH, Tan Z. G-Quadruplex Hinders Translocation of BLM Helicase on DNA: A Real-Time Fluorescence Spectroscopic Unwinding Study and Comparison with Duplex Substrates. J Am Chem Soc 2010; 132:10521-7. [DOI: 10.1021/ja1038165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jia-quan Liu
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China, and State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P. R. China
| | - Chang-yue Chen
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China, and State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P. R. China
| | - Yong Xue
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China, and State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P. R. China
| | - Yu-hua Hao
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China, and State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P. R. China
| | - Zheng Tan
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China, and State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P. R. China
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Wong HM, Stegle O, Rodgers S, Huppert JL. A toolbox for predicting g-quadruplex formation and stability. J Nucleic Acids 2010; 2010. [PMID: 20725630 PMCID: PMC2915886 DOI: 10.4061/2010/564946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2010] [Accepted: 03/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplexes are four stranded nucleic acid structures formed around a core of guanines, arranged in squares with mutual hydrogen bonding. Many of these structures are highly thermally stable, especially in the presence of monovalent cations, such as those found under physiological conditions. Understanding of their physiological roles is expanding rapidly, and they have been implicated in regulating gene transcription and translation among other functions. We have built a community-focused website to act as a repository for the information that is now being developed. At its core, this site has a detailed database (QuadDB) of predicted G-quadruplexes in the human and other genomes, together with the predictive algorithm used to identify them. We also provide a QuadPredict server, which predicts thermal stability and acts as a repository for experimental data from all researchers. There are also a number of other data sources with computational predictions. We anticipate that the wide availability of this information will be of use both to researchers already active in this exciting field and to those who wish to investigate a particular gene hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Min Wong
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
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Alzeer J, Luedtke NW. pH-Mediated Fluorescence and G-Quadruplex Binding of Amido Phthalocyanines. Biochemistry 2010; 49:4339-48. [DOI: 10.1021/bi9020583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jawad Alzeer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Switzerland 8057
| | - Nathan W. Luedtke
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Switzerland 8057
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Tera M, Iida K, Ikebukuro K, Seimiya H, Shin-Ya K, Nagasawa K. Visualization of G-quadruplexes by using a BODIPY-labeled macrocyclic heptaoxazole. Org Biomol Chem 2010; 8:2749-55. [PMID: 20414484 DOI: 10.1039/c002117b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A BODIPY-labeled macrocyclic heptaoxazole, L1BOD-7OTD, was developed as a fluorescent ligand for G-quadruplexes. The results of the study show that L1BOD-7OTD both selectively induces the formation of intramolecular G-quadruplexes from some G-quadruplex forming oligonucleotides (GFOs). In addition, the labelled macrocyclic heptaozaxole strongly binds to and stabilizes intramolecular G-quadruplexes. Moreover, this substance can be used to directly visualize the G-quadruplexes in the form of green fluorescence. Finally, the possibility that G-quadruplexes form in the cells was demonstrated by using of L1BOD-7OTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Tera
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science Faculty of Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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Zheng KW, Chen Z, Hao YH, Tan Z. Molecular crowding creates an essential environment for the formation of stable G-quadruplexes in long double-stranded DNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 38:327-38. [PMID: 19858105 PMCID: PMC2800236 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Large numbers of guanine-rich sequences with potential to form G-quadruplexes have been identified in genomes of various organisms. Such sequences are constrained at both ends by long DNA duplex with a complementary strand in close proximity to compete for duplex formation. G-quadruplex/duplex competition in long double-stranded DNA has rarely been studied. In this work, we used DMS footprinting and gel electrophoresis to study G-quadruplex formation in long double-stranded DNA derived from human genome under both dilute and molecular crowding condition created by PEG. G-quadruplex formation was observed in the process of RNA transcription and after heat denaturation/renaturation under molecular crowding condition. Our results showed that the heat denaturation/renaturation treatment followed by gel electrophoresis could provide a simple method to quantitatively access the ability of G-quadruplex formation in long double-stranded DNA. The effect of K+ and PEG concentration was investigated and we found that stable G-quadruplexes could only form under the crowding condition with PEG at concentrations near the physiological concentration of biomass in living cells. This observation reveals a physical basis for the formation of stable G-quadruplexes in genome and supports its presence under the in vivo molecular crowding condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-wei Zheng
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, PR China
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Fogolari F, Haridas H, Corazza A, Viglino P, Corà D, Caselle M, Esposito G, Xodo LE. Molecular models for intrastrand DNA G-quadruplexes. BMC STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2009; 9:64. [PMID: 19811654 PMCID: PMC2768733 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6807-9-64] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2009] [Accepted: 10/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Independent surveys of human gene promoter regions have demonstrated an overrepresentation of G(3)X(n1)G3X(n2)G(3)X(n3)G(3) motifs which are known to be capable of forming intrastrand quadruple helix structures. In spite of the widely recognized importance of G-quadruplex structures in gene regulation and growing interest around this unusual DNA structure, there are at present only few such structures available in the Nucleic Acid Database. In the present work we generate by molecular modeling feasible G-quadruplex structures which may be useful for interpretation of experimental data. RESULTS We have used all quadruplex DNA structures deposited in the Nucleic Acid Database in order to select a list of fragments entailing a strand of three adjacent G's paired with another strand of three adjacent G's separated by a loop of one to four residues. These fragments were further clustered and representative fragments were finally selected. Further fragments were generated by assemblying the two strands of each fragment with loops from different fragments whenever the anchor G's were superimposable. The fragments were used to assemble G quadruplex based on a superimposability criterion. CONCLUSION Molecular models have been generated for a large number of G(3)X(n1)G(3)X(n2)G3X(n3)G(3) sequences. For a given sequence not all topologies are possible with the available repertoire of fragments due to steric hindrance and low superimposability. Since all molecular models are generated by fragments coming from observed quadruplex structures, molecular models are in principle reliable and may be used for interpretation of experimental data. Some examples of applications are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Fogolari
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biomediche, Università di Udine, Piazzale Kolbe 4 - 33100 Udine, Italy.
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Amrane S, Ang RWL, Tan ZM, Li C, Lim JKC, Lim JMW, Lim KW, Phan AT. A novel chair-type G-quadruplex formed by a Bombyx mori telomeric sequence. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 37:931-8. [PMID: 19103662 PMCID: PMC2647293 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, the human telomeric d[TAGGG(TTAGGG)3] sequence has been shown to form in K+ solution an intramolecular (3+1) G-quadruplex structure, whose G-tetrad core contains three strands oriented in one direction and the fourth in the opposite direction. Here we present a study on the structure of the Bombyx mori telomeric d[TAGG(TTAGG)3] sequence, which differs from the human counterpart only by one G deletion in each repeat. We found that this sequence adopted multiple G-quadruplex structures in K+ solution. We have favored a major G-quadruplex form by a judicious U-for-T substitution in the sequence and determined the folding topology of this form. We showed by NMR that this was a new chair-type intramolecular G-quadruplex which involved a two-layer antiparallel G-tetrad core and three edgewise loops. Our result highlights the effect of G-tract length on the folding topology of G-quadruplexes, but also poses the question of whether a similar chair-type G-quadruplex fold exists in the human telomeric sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Amrane
- Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371
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Qin Y, Hurley LH. Structures, folding patterns, and functions of intramolecular DNA G-quadruplexes found in eukaryotic promoter regions. Biochimie 2008; 90:1149-71. [PMID: 18355457 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2008.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 373] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2008] [Accepted: 02/22/2008] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In its simplest form, a DNA G-quadruplex is a four-stranded DNA structure that is composed of stacked guanine tetrads. G-quadruplex-forming sequences have been identified in eukaryotic telomeres, as well as in non-telomeric genomic regions, such as gene promoters, recombination sites, and DNA tandem repeats. Of particular interest are the G-quadruplex structures that form in gene promoter regions, which have emerged as potential targets for anticancer drug development. Evidence for the formation of G-quadruplex structures in living cells continues to grow. In this review, we examine recent studies on intramolecular G-quadruplex structures that form in the promoter regions of some human genes in living cells and discuss the biological implications of these structures. The identification of G-quadruplex structures in promoter regions provides us with new insights into the fundamental aspects of G-quadruplex topology and DNA sequence-structure relationships. Progress in G-quadruplex structural studies and the validation of the biological role of these structures in cells will further encourage the development of small molecules that target these structures to specifically modulate gene transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Qin
- College of Pharmacy, 1703 E. Mabel, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Abstract
The Nucleic Acids Research online Molecular Biology Database Collection is a public repository that lists more than 1000 databases described in this and previous Nucleic Acids Research annual database issues, as well as a selection of molecular biology databases described in other journals. All databases included in this Collection are freely available to the public. The 2008 update includes 1078 databases, 110 more than the previous one. The links to more than 80 databases have been updated and 25 obsolete databases have been removed from the list. The complete database list and summaries are available online at the Nucleic Acids Research web site, http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Y Galperin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MA 20894, USA
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