G-quadruplexes in the human genome: organization, genomic roles, associated diseases and therapeutic potential
G4 are guanine-rich non-canonical nucleic acids conformations in eukaryotic genomes. The cellular, genomic and physiological significance of G4s was skeptical a decade ago. Computational and experimental methods have offered new perspectives into their roles. Biophysical research has demonstrated relationship between the G4 sequence content, topology, and thermodynamic stability. G4s are primarily located in genomic areas such as telomeres, enhancers, and gene promoters. G4s are involved in transcriptional regulation and chromatin mediated epigenetic genome changes.