title: Genome-wide analysis of G-quadruplexes in herpesvirus genomes.
abstract: G-quadruplexes are increasingly recognized as regulatory elements in human, animal, bacterial and plant genomes. The presence and function of G-quadruplexes are not well studied among herpesviruses; in particular, there are no systematic genome-wide analysis of these important secondary structures in herpesvirus genomes.
  
  
  
  We performed genome-wide analysis of putative quadruplex sequences (PQS) in human herpesviruses. We found unusually high PQS densities among human herpesviruses. PQS are enriched in the repeat regions and regulatory regions of human herpesviruses. Interestingly, PQS densities are higher in regulatory regions of immediate early genes compared to early and late genes in most herpesviruses. In addition, the majority of genes functionally conserved across human herpesviruses contain one or more PQS within the regulatory regions. We also describe the existence of unique intramolecular PQS repeats or repetitive G-quadruplex motifs in herpesviruses. Functional studies confirm a role for G-quadruplexes in regulating the gene expression of human herpesviruses.
  
  
  
  The pervasiveness of PQS, their enrichment and conservation at specific genomic locations suggest that these structural entities may represent a novel class of functional elements in herpesviruses. Our findings provide the necessary framework for studies on the biological role of G-quadruplexes in herpesviruses.
authors.affiliation: Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, 110016, India.
authors.forename: Banhi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.affiliation: Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, 110016, India.
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kandpal
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, 110016, India.
authors.forename: Utkarsh Kumar
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Jauhari
authors.affiliation: Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, 110016, India. vperumal@bioschool.iitd.ac.in.
authors.forename: Perumal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vivekanandan
mesh_terms: D018138:Alphaherpesvirinae / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D054856:G-Quadruplexes; D017781:Genes, Immediate-Early; D016679:Genome, Viral; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: G-quadruplexes; Herpesviruses; Regulatory regions; Repeat region; Temporal regulation