Loading…

Role of Hfq in Genome Evolution: Instability of G-Quadruplex Sequences in E. coli

Certain G-rich DNA repeats can form quadruplex in bacterial chromatin that can present blocks to DNA replication and, if not properly resolved, may lead to mutations. To understand the participation of quadruplex DNA in genomic instability in ( ), mutation rates were measured for quadruplex-forming...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microorganisms (Basel) 2019-12, Vol.8 (1), p.28
Main Authors: Parekh, Virali J, Niccum, Brittany A, Shah, Rachna, Rivera, Marisa A, Novak, Mark J, Geinguenaud, Frederic, Wien, Frank, Arluison, Véronique, Sinden, Richard R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Certain G-rich DNA repeats can form quadruplex in bacterial chromatin that can present blocks to DNA replication and, if not properly resolved, may lead to mutations. To understand the participation of quadruplex DNA in genomic instability in ( ), mutation rates were measured for quadruplex-forming DNA repeats, including (G T) , (G T) , and a RET oncogene sequence, cloned as the template or nontemplate strand. We evidence that these alternative structures strongly influence mutagenesis rates. Precisely, our results suggest that G-quadruplexes form in cells, especially during transcription when the G-rich strand can be displaced by R-loop formation. Structure formation may then facilitate replication misalignment, presumably associated with replication fork blockage, promoting genomic instability. Furthermore, our results also evidence that the nucleoid-associated protein Hfq is involved in the genetic instability associated with these sequences. Hfq binds and stabilizes G-quadruplex structure in vitro and likely in cells. Collectively, our results thus implicate quadruplexes structures and Hfq nucleoid protein in the potential for genetic change that may drive evolution or alterations of bacterial gene expression.
ISSN:2076-2607
2076-2607
DOI:10.3390/microorganisms8010028