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G-quadruplex structures within the 3' UTR of LINE-1 elements stimulate retrotransposition

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Sahakyan, AB 
Murat, P 
Mayer, C 
Balasubramanian, Shankar  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0281-5815

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.

Description

Keywords

3' Untranslated Regions, Base Sequence, G-Quadruplexes, HeLa Cells, Humans, Ligands, Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements, Mutation, Nucleotide Motifs, Retroelements

Journal Title

Nature Structural and Molecular Biology

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1545-9993
1545-9985

Volume Title

24

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (099232/Z/12/Z)
European Research Council (339778)
Cancer Research UK (18618)
S.B. is a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator (grant 099232/z/12/z). The Balasubramanian group is supported by European Research Council Advanced Grant 339778, and receives core (C14303/A17197) and program (C9681/A18618) funding from Cancer Research UK.