Single-molecule analysis of thymine dimer-containing G-quadruplexes formed from the human telomere sequence.

ABSTRACT: The human telomere plays crucial roles in maintaining genome stability. In the presence of suitable cations, the repetitive 5'-TTAGGG-3' human telomere sequence can fold into G-quadruplexes that adopt the hybrid, basket, or propeller fold. The telomere sequence is hypersensitive to UV-induced thymine dimer (T=T) formation, yet it does not cause telomere shortening. In this work, the potential structural disruption and thermodynamic stability of the T=T-containing natural telomere sequences were studied to understand why this damage is tolerated in telomeres. First, established methods, such as thermal melting measurements, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and circular dichroism spectroscopy, were utilized to determine the effects of the damage on these structures. Second, a single-mo

SUBMITTER: Wolna AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4263424 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature