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Recent evidence indicates that controlled generation of DNA breaks, accompanied by activation of DNA damage repair pathways, can regulate transcription through promoter and enhancer activation and the relief of DNA torsional stress.
DNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) are guanine-rich sequences that fold into four-stranded structures. Recent progress in the detection and mapping of genomic G4 structures has provided new insights into their functions in regulating transcription and genome stability, and has revealed their potential relevance for cancer therapy.
