Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
Commun Biol. 2021 Jan 22;4(1):98. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-01643-4.
G-quadruplex (G4) structures have been predicted in the genomes of many organisms and proven to play regulatory roles in diverse cellular activities. However, there is little information on the evolutionary history and distribution characteristics of G4s. Here, whole-genome characteristics of potential G4s were studied in 37 evolutionarily representative species. During evolution, the number, length, and density of G4s generally increased. Immunofluorescence in seven species confirmed G4s' presence and evolutionary pattern. G4s tended to cluster in chromosomes and were enriched in genetic regions. Short-loop G4s were conserved in most species, while loop-length diversity also existed, especially in mammals. The proportion of G4-bearing genes and orthologue genes, which appeared to be increasingly enriched in transcription factors, gradually increased. The antagonistic relationship between G4s and DNA methylation sites was detected. These findings imply that organisms may have evolutionarily developed G4 into a novel reversible and elaborate transcriptional regulatory mechanism benefiting multiple physiological activities of higher organisms.
四链体（G4）结构已在许多生物体的基因组中被预测，并被证明在多种细胞活动中发挥着调节作用。然而，关于 G4 的进化历史和分布特征的信息却很少。在这里，在 37 个具有代表性的进化物种中研究了全基因组潜在 G4 的特征。在进化过程中，G4 的数量、长度和密度普遍增加。在七个物种中的免疫荧光证实了 G4 的存在和进化模式。G4 倾向于在染色体中聚集，并在遗传区域中富集。大多数物种中都保守存在短环 G4，而环长的多样性也存在，尤其是在哺乳动物中。含有 G4 的基因和直系同源基因的比例，似乎越来越多地富集在转录因子中，逐渐增加。还检测到 G4 与 DNA 甲基化位点之间的拮抗关系。这些发现表明，生物体可能已经将 G4 进化为一种新的、可逆的、精细的转录调控机制，有利于高等生物的多种生理活动。
