DNA secondary structure at chromosomal fragile sites in human disease.
DNA has the ability to form a variety of secondary structures that can interfere with normal cellular processes, and many of these structures have been associated with neurological diseases and cancer. Secondary structure-forming sequences are often found at chromosomal fragile sites, which are hotspots for sister chromatid exchange, chromosomal translocations, and deletions. Structures formed at fragile sites can lead to instability by disrupting normal cellular processes such as DNA replication and transcription. The instability caused by disruption of replication and transcription can lead to DNA breakage, resulting in gene rearrangements and deletions that cause disease. In this review, we discuss the role of DNA secondary structure at fragile sites in human disease.
Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
Ryan G
RG
Thys
Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
Christine E
CE
Lehman
Human Longevity, Inc., San Diego, California 92121, USA.
Levi C T
LC
Pierce
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA.
Yuh-Hwa
YH
Wang
Cancer; DNA fragility; DNA secondary structure; Fragile site; Genome instability; Neurological disease.