TY - JOUR
T1 - Above and beyond Watson and Crick
T2 - Guanine Quadruplex Structures and Microbes
AU - Seifert, Hank
PY - 2018/9/8
Y1 - 2018/9/8
N2 - Advances in understanding mechanisms of nucleic acids have revolutionized molecular biology and medicine, but understanding of nontraditional nucleic acid conformations is less developed. The guanine quadruplex (G4) alternative DNA structure was first described in the 1960s, but the existence of G4 structures (G4-S) and their participation in myriads of biological functions are still underappreciated. Despite many tools to study G4s and many examples of roles for G4s in eukaryotic molecular processes and issues with uncontrolled G4-S formation, there is relatively little knowledge about the roles of G4-S in viral or prokaryotic systems. This review summarizes the state of the art with regard to G4-S in eukaryotes and their potential roles in human disease before discussing the evidence that G4-S have equivalent importance in affecting viral and bacterial life.
AB - Advances in understanding mechanisms of nucleic acids have revolutionized molecular biology and medicine, but understanding of nontraditional nucleic acid conformations is less developed. The guanine quadruplex (G4) alternative DNA structure was first described in the 1960s, but the existence of G4 structures (G4-S) and their participation in myriads of biological functions are still underappreciated. Despite many tools to study G4s and many examples of roles for G4s in eukaryotic molecular processes and issues with uncontrolled G4-S formation, there is relatively little knowledge about the roles of G4-S in viral or prokaryotic systems. This review summarizes the state of the art with regard to G4-S in eukaryotes and their potential roles in human disease before discussing the evidence that G4-S have equivalent importance in affecting viral and bacterial life.
KW - DNA replication
KW - bacteria
KW - gene expression
KW - nucleic acid structures
KW - viruses
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U2 - 10.1146/annurev-micro-090817-062629
DO - 10.1146/annurev-micro-090817-062629
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29852085
AN - SCOPUS:85053110266
VL - 72
SP - 49
EP - 69
JO - Annual Review of Microbiology
JF - Annual Review of Microbiology
SN - 0066-4227
ER -