G-Quadruplexes: More Than Just a Kink in Microbial Genomes.
G-quadruplexes (G4s) are noncanonical nucleic acid secondary structures formed by guanine-rich DNA and RNA sequences. In this review we aim to provide an overview of the biological roles of G4s in microbial genomes with emphasis on recent discoveries. G4s are enriched and conserved in the regulatory regions of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Importantly, G4s in hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) genomes modulate genes crucial for virus replication. Recent studies on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) shed light on the role of G4s within the microbial transcripts as cis-acting regulatory signals that modulate translation and facilitate immune evasion. Furthermore, G4s in microbial genomes have been linked to radioresistance, antigenic variation, recombination, and latency. G4s in microbial genomes represent novel therapeutic targets for antimicrobial therapy.
['Saranathan|Nandhini|N|', 'Vivekanandan|Perumal|P|']
D000940:Antigenic Variation D001419:Bacteria D001483:Base Sequence D002352:Carrier Proteins D005658:Fungi D054856:G-Quadruplexes D005786:Gene Expression Regulation D064349:Genome, Microbial D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human D006801:Humans D017393:RNA Editing D011836:Radiation Tolerance D011995:Recombination, Genetic D014771:Virion D014774:Virulence D019065:Virus Assembly D017735:Virus Latency D014779:Virus Replication D014780:Viruses
G-quadruplexes G4s microbes bacteria viruses biological functions