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Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
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Mitochondria and G-quadruplex evolution: an intertwined relationship.

Vinodh J Sahayasheela1, Zutao Yu1, Takuya Hidaka1

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G-quadruplexes (G4s) are DNA structures found in the genome. Their prevalence in mitochondrial DNA increases with evolutionary complexity, suggesting a beneficial role in higher organisms.

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Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical DNA structures formed in guanine-rich regions via Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding.
  • G4s are known to exist in the human genome and play regulatory roles in cellular functions.
  • The presence and function of G4s in mitochondria remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and potential role of G-quadruplexes in mitochondrial genomes across different species.
  • To explore the function of G4s in mitochondrial DNA and long noncoding RNA.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of potential G4-forming sequences in mitochondrial genomes.
  • Literature review on G4s in mitochondrial (mt)DNA and long noncoding (lnc)RNA.

Main Results:

  • The number of potential G4-forming sequences in mitochondrial genomes correlates positively with evolutionary complexity.
  • This suggests a potentially beneficial role for G4s in more complex organisms.

Conclusions:

  • G-quadruplexes are present in mitochondrial genomes and their abundance increases with evolutionary complexity.
  • G4s may play significant roles in mitochondrial DNA and long noncoding RNA functions, impacting biological processes in higher organisms.