Cited 79 times since 2019 (14.1 per year) source: EuropePMC Nature communications, Volume 10, Issue 1, 22 4 2019, Pages 3274 Involvement of G-quadruplex regions in mammalian replication origin activity. Prorok P, Artufel M, Aze A, Coulombe P, Peiffer I, Lacroix L, Guédin A, Mergny JL, Damaschke J, Schepers A, Cayrou C, Teulade-Fichou MP, Ballester B, Méchali M
Genome-wide studies of DNA replication origins revealed that origins preferentially associate with an Origin G-rich Repeated Element (OGRE), potentially forming G-quadruplexes (G4). Here, we functionally address their requirements for DNA replication initiation in a series of independent approaches. Deletion of the OGRE/G4 sequence strongly decreased the corresponding origin activity. Conversely, the insertion of an OGRE/G4 element created a new replication origin. This element also promoted replication of episomal EBV vectors lacking the viral origin, but not if the OGRE/G4 sequence was deleted. A potent G4 ligand, PhenDC3, stabilized G4s but did not alter the global origin activity. However, a set of new, G4-associated origins was created, whereas suppressed origins were largely G4-free. In vitro Xenopus laevis replication systems showed that OGRE/G4 sequences are involved in the activation of DNA replication, but not in the pre-replication complex formation. Altogether, these results converge to the functional importance of OGRE/G4 elements in DNA replication initiation.
