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Taking control of G-quadruplexes

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Telomeres are crucial for maintaining the integrity of the genome. Several alternative structures have been proposed for these caps, and understanding their biological significance is a matter of great interest. Probing of native telomeres now reveals that telomere end-binding proteins may control the formation of G-quadruplex DNA in vivo.

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Figure 1: Structures formed by G-rich DNA.
Figure 2: Schematic showing a model mechanism wherein TEBPα-β tethers telomeres to the nuclear matrix and stabilizes G-quadruplex DNA.

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Baumann, P. Taking control of G-quadruplexes. Nat Struct Mol Biol 12, 832–833 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb1005-832

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