Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A human nuclease specific for G4 DNA.

H Sun1, A Yabuki, N Maizels

  • 1Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|October 25, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor-γ in the Kidneys of Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Journal of comparative pathology·2020
Same author

Renal Infiltration of Macrophages in Canine and Feline Chronic Kidney Disease.

Journal of comparative pathology·2019
Same author

Changes in Renal Peritubular Capillaries in Canine and Feline Chronic Kidney Disease.

Journal of comparative pathology·2018
Same author

Molecular prevalence of multiple genetic disorders in Border collies in Japan and recommendations for genetic counselling.

Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2016
Same author

A Practical Technique for Electron Microscopy of Buffy Coats in Dogs and Cats.

Anatomia, histologia, embryologia·2014
Same author

Investigation of parallel and simultaneous selection for collie eye anomaly and ivermectin toxicosis.

The Veterinary record·2014
Same journal

Chemotactic self-organization captures the dynamics of mammalian hair follicle patterning.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Tomographic imaging of superconducting order using particle-hole interference.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Inhibitory potential of autologous neutralizing antibodies sets quantitative limits on the rebound-competent HIV-1 reservoir.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Inferring epidemiological parameters under an infectious phylogeography model with visitor dynamics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Analytical modeling for suction cup designs for skin-interfaced wearable devices.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Improving cell-free metabolism through direct integration of artificial respiratory chains.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Researchers discovered GQN1, a human enzyme that precisely cuts G-quadruplex DNA (G4 DNA). This finding supports the in vivo existence and function of G4 DNA in genetic processes.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Four-stranded DNA structures, known as G-quadruplexes (G4 DNA), are increasingly recognized for their biological roles.
  • The existence and specific functions of enzymes that interact with G4 DNA in vivo remain areas of active investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize human nucleases capable of specifically cleaving G4 DNA.
  • To investigate the substrate specificity and potential biological relevance of such nucleases.

Main Methods:

  • Biochemical assays to test nuclease activity against various DNA and RNA structures.
  • Analysis of cleavage sites within the G4 DNA structure.
  • Assessment of nuclease activity in different cell types.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • A novel human nuclease, GQN1 (G quartet nuclease 1), was identified.
  • GQN1 specifically cleaves G4 DNA at the single-stranded region 5' to the G-quartet structure.
  • GQN1 does not cleave duplex DNA, single-stranded DNA, Holliday junctions, or G4 RNA.
  • Cleavage is dependent on the G4 DNA structure itself, irrespective of flanking sequences.
  • GQN1 activity is elevated in B cells, suggesting a role in immunoglobulin heavy chain class switch recombination.

Conclusions:

  • The discovery of GQN1 provides strong evidence for the in vivo formation and function of G4 DNA.
  • GQN1 is a key enzyme for processing G4 DNA structures, likely involved in critical genomic events like recombination.
  • This finding opens new avenues for understanding the role of non-canonical DNA structures in genome regulation and evolution.