Protection of DNA ends by telomeric 3′ G-tail sequences

Yuan Chin Tsai, Haiyan Qi, Leroy F. Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The extreme ends of eukaryotic chromosomes contain 3′ extensions in the form of single-stranded G-rich repeats, referred to as telomeric 3′ G-tails or overhangs. Increasing evidence has suggested that telomeric 3′ G-tails can adopt a G-quadruplex conformation both in vitro and in vivo. However, the role of G-quadruplexes on the structure and function of telomeric 3′ G-tails remains unclear. In the current study, we showed that the human telomeric 3′ G-tail sequence protected the duplex DNA ends in cis from being recognized as double strand breaks. This protection is dependent on the G-quadruplex conformation of the 3′ G-tail sequence. These results suggest that the ability of telomeric 3′ G-tails to adopt the end-protecting G-quadruplex conformation may be one of the reasons for the existence of the evolutionarily conserved G-stretch motifs in telomeric DNA sequences.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)18786-18792
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume282
Issue number26
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 29 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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