G-quadruplex structures within the 3' UTR of LINE-1 elements stimulate retrotransposition.
Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs) are ubiquitous transposable elements in higher eukaryotes that play a significant role in shaping genomes due to their abundance. Here, we report that guanine-rich sequences in the 3’-UTR of hominoid-specific LINE-1 elements are coupled with retrotransposon...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Publishing Group
2017
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| Summary: | Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs) are ubiquitous transposable elements in higher eukaryotes that play a significant role in shaping genomes due to their abundance. Here, we report that guanine-rich sequences in the 3’-UTR of hominoid-specific LINE-1 elements are coupled with retrotransposon speciation and contribute to retrotransposition through the formation of G-quadruplex (G4) structures. We demonstrate that stabilising the G4 motif of a human-specific LINE-1 element with small-molecule ligands stimulates retrotransposition. |
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