The new year starts on a positive note: with a publication in the renowned journal Genomics, the first direct collaboration between two NanoPrecMed partner institutions goes to print. Researchers from Brno University of Technology and LBI Trauma jointly investigated the distribution and potential regulatory role of G-quadruplexes (G4s) in the genome of Sus scrofa – better known as the wild boar.
G-quadruplexes are specialized DNA structures that may play a role in gene regulation. They act like small bookmarks amid thousands of base pairs in our DNA. While they have been extensively studied in the human genome, systematic data on their role in pigs, which are an increasingly relevant model organism in translational medicine, remains scarce. The present study provides a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis and highlights a notable enrichment of G4s in specific functional genomic regions.
The research emerged from close collaboration between TU Brno and LBI Trauma. It combines in silico analyses with molecular biological context and reflects the interdisciplinary expertise of the NanoPrecMed consortium. According to the authors, their results provide a basis for further studies – for example on the role of G4s in cellular communication or in the context of extracellular vesicles – both of which are central topics within the consortium.