Promoter G-quadruplex Folding Precedes Transcription and is Controlled by Chromatin

Overview

Journal Genome Biol

Specialties Biology
Genetics

Date 2021 May 8

PMID 33962653

Citations 46

Authors

Jiazhen Shen

Dhaval Varshney

Angela Simeone

Xiaoyun Zhang

Santosh Adhikari

David Tannahill

Shankar Balasubramanian

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Four-stranded G-quadruplexes (G4s) are DNA secondary structures in the human genome that are primarily found in active promoters associated with elevated transcription. Here, we explore the relationship between the folding of promoter G4s, transcription and chromatin state.

Results: Transcriptional inhibition by DRB or by triptolide reveals that promoter G4 formation, as assessed by G4 ChIP-seq, does not depend on transcriptional activity. We then show that chromatin compaction can lead to loss of promoter G4s and is accompanied by a corresponding loss of RNA polymerase II (Pol II), thus establishing a link between G4 formation and chromatin accessibility. Furthermore, pre-treatment of cells with a G4-stabilising ligand mitigates the loss of Pol II at promoters induced by chromatin compaction.

Conclusions: Overall, our findings show that G4 folding is coupled to the establishment of accessible chromatin and does not require active transcription.

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