NACDDB - The Web Server for DNA,RNA,and Hybrids Circular Dichroism Structure

G-register exchange dynamics in guanine quadruplexes

Overview of Harkness 5th RW et al.

AuthorsHarkness 5th RW  Mittermaier AK  
AffiliationMcGill University   Department of Chemistry   801 Sherbrooke St. West   Montreal   QC H3A 0B8   Canada anthony.mittermaier@mcgill.ca.  
JournalNucleic Acids Res
Year 2016

Abstract


G-quadruplexes (GQs) are 4-stranded DNA structures formed by tracts of stacked, Hoogsteen-hydrogen bonded guanosines. GQs are found in gene promoters and telomeres where they regulate gene transcription and telomere elongation. Though GQ structures are well-characterized, many aspects of their conformational dynamics are poorly understood. For example, when there are surplus guanosines in some of the tracts, they can slide with respect to one another, a process we term G-register (GR) exchange. These motions could in principle entropically stabilize the folded state, crucially benefitting GQs as their stabilities are closely tied to biological function. We have developed a method for characterizing GR exchange where each isomer in the wild-type conformational ensemble is trapped by mutation and thermal denaturation data for the set of trapped mutants and wild-type are analyzed simultaneously. This yields GR isomer populations as a function of temperature, quantifies conformational entropy and sheds light on correlated sliding motions of the G-tracts. We measured entropic stabilizations from GR exchange up to 14.3 ± 1.6 J mol(-1) K(-1), with melting temperature increases up to 7.3 ± 1.6°C. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis suggests a majority of putative human GQ sequences are capable of GR exchange, pointing to the generality of this phenomenon.