Consequences of age-related G-quadruplex formation for the fidelity of mammalian transcription (A04)

• Subject Area: General Genetics and Functional Genome Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 520471345

Sirtuins regulate helicase activity in resolving G-quadruplex and R-loop DNA-RNA structures. Failure in helicase function leads to genome instability and polymerase stalling. We hypothesize that reduced sirtuin activity may elevate G4 and R-loop levels by inactivating helicases, impacting transcription and protein homeostasis. To explore this, we'll investigate their system-wide changes to establish causal links and understand the role of G4 and R-loop structures.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1678: Systems-level consequences of fidelity changes in mRNA and protein biosynthesis
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Project Head: Dr. Robert Hänsel-Hertsch, Ph.D.