Your browser version may not work well with NCBI's Web applications. More information here...
1: Nat Chem Biol. 2007 Apr;3(4):218-21. Epub 2007 Feb 25.
Related Articles, Links
Click here to read Click here to read
Comment in:
An RNA G-quadruplex in the 5' UTR of the NRAS proto-oncogene modulates translation.

Kumari S, Bugaut A, Huppert JL, Balasubramanian S.

University Chemical Laboratory, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.

Guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences can adopt noncanonical four-stranded secondary structures called guanine (G)-quadruplexes. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that G-quadruplex motifs are prevalent in genomes, which raises the need to elucidate their function. There is now evidence for the existence of DNA G-quadruplexes at telomeres with associated biological function. A recent hypothesis supports the notion that gene promoter elements contain DNA G-quadruplex motifs that control gene expression at the transcriptional level. We discovered a highly conserved, thermodynamically stable RNA G-quadruplex in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of the gene transcript of the human NRAS proto-oncogene. Using a cell-free translation system coupled to a reporter gene assay, we have demonstrated that this NRAS RNA G-quadruplex modulates translation. This is the first example of translational repression by an RNA G-quadruplex. Bioinformatics analysis has revealed 2,922 other 5' UTR RNA G-quadruplex elements in the human genome. We propose that RNA G-quadruplexes in the 5' UTR modulate gene expression at the translational level.

Publication Types:
PMID: 17322877 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC2206252