Mitochondria and G-quadruplex evolution: an intertwined relationship

Vinodh J Sahayasheela; Zutao Yu; Takuya Hidaka; Ganesh N Pandian; Hiroshi Sugiyama

doi:10.1016/j.tig.2022.10.006

Mitochondria and G-quadruplex evolution: an intertwined relationship

Trends Genet. 2023 Jan;39(1):15-30. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2022.10.006. Epub 2022 Nov 19.

Authors

Vinodh J Sahayasheela¹, Zutao Yu¹, Takuya Hidaka¹, Ganesh N Pandian², Hiroshi Sugiyama³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
² Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Science (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
³ Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan; Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Science (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. Electronic address: hs@kuchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp.

Abstract

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical structures formed in guanine (G)-rich sequences through stacked G tetrads by Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding. Several studies have demonstrated the existence of G4s in the genome of various organisms, including humans, and have proposed that G4s have a regulatory role in various cellular functions. However, little is known regarding the dissemination of G4s in mitochondria. In this review, we report the observation that the number of potential G4-forming sequences in the mitochondrial genome increases with the evolutionary complexity of different species, suggesting that G4s have a beneficial role in higher-order organisms. We also discuss the possible function of G4s in mitochondrial (mt)DNA and long noncoding (lnc)RNA and their role in various biological processes.

Keywords: G-quadruplexes; evolution; long noncoding RNA; mitochondria.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

G-Quadruplexes*
Humans
Mitochondria / genetics

Grants and funding

R01 CA236350/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States