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Updated: Aug 20, 2025

Single-Molecule Fluorescence Visualization of DNA Polymerase Dynamics at G-Quadruplexes
Published on: April 4, 2025
Mitochondria and G-quadruplex evolution: an intertwined relationship
Vinodh J Sahayasheela1, Zutao Yu1, Takuya Hidaka1
1Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
Abstract:
G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical structures formed in guanine (G)-rich sequences through stacked G tetrads by Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding. Several studies have demonstrated the existence of G4s in the genome of various organisms, including humans, and have proposed that G4s have a regulatory role in various cellular functions. However, little is known regarding the dissemination of G4s in mitochondria. In this review, we report the observation that the number of potential G4-forming sequences in the mitochondrial genome increases with the evolutionary complexity of different species, suggesting that G4s have a beneficial role in higher-order organisms. We also discuss the possible function of G4s in mitochondrial (mt)DNA and long noncoding (lnc)RNA and their role in various biological processes.
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