Abstract
The mechanism by which trinucleotide expansion occurs in human genes is not understood. However, it has been hypothesized that DNA secondary structure may actively participate by preventing FEN-1 cleavage of displaced Okazaki fragments. We show here that secondary structure can, indeed, play a role in expansion by a FEN-1-dependent mechanism. Secondary structure inhibits flap processing at CAG, CGG, or CTG repeats in a length-dependent manner by concealing the 5' end of the flap that is necessary for both binding and cleavage by FEN-1. Thus, secondary structure can defeat the protective function of FEN-1, leading to site-specific expansions. However, when FEN-1 is absent from the cell, alternative pathways to simple inhibition of flap processing contribute to expansion.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1079-1085 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Molecular Cell |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 1999 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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