title: DNA G-quadruplex formation in response to remote downstream transcription activity: long-range sensing and signal transducing in DNA double helix.
abstract: G-quadruplexes, four-stranded structures formed by Guanine-rich nucleic acids, are implicated in many physiological and pathological processes. G-quadruplex-forming sequences are abundant in genomic DNA, and G-quadruplexes have recently been shown to exist in the genome of mammalian cells. However, how G-quadruplexes are formed in the genomes remains largely unclear. Here, we show that G-quadruplex formation can be remotely induced by downstream transcription events that are thousands of base pairs away. The induced G-quadruplexes alter protein recognition and cause transcription termination at the local region. These results suggest that a G-quadruplex-forming sequence can serve as a sensor or receiver to sense remote DNA tracking activity in response to the propagation of mechanical torsion in a DNA double helix. We propose that the G-quadruplex formation may provide a mean for long-range sensing and communication between distal genomic locations to coordinate regulatory transactions in genomic DNA.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hong-He
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ke-Wei
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Yu-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004278:DNA, Superhelical / Q000378:metabolism; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D003854:Deoxyribonucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D054856:G-Quadruplexes; D015398:Signal Transduction; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004278:DNA, Superhelical; D003854:Deoxyribonucleotides; D004247:DNA; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases