title: G-quadruplex structures within the 3' UTR of LINE-1 elements stimulate retrotransposition.
abstract: Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) are ubiquitous transposable elements in higher eukaryotes that have a significant role in shaping genomes, owing to their abundance. Here we report that guanine-rich sequences in the 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of hominoid-specific LINE-1 elements are coupled with retrotransposon speciation and contribute to retrotransposition through the formation of G-quadruplex (G4) structures. We demonstrate that stabilization of the G4 motif of a human-specific LINE-1 element by small-molecule ligands stimulates retrotransposition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Aleksandr B
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8343-3594
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Sahakyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Murat
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Shankar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balasubramanian
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D054856:G-Quadruplexes; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D020084:Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D059372:Nucleotide Motifs / Q000235:genetics; D018626:Retroelements / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D008024:Ligands; D018626:Retroelements