Published in

Oxford University Press, Nucleic Acids Research, 17(51), p. 9369-9384, 2023

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad613

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BLM helicase protein negatively regulates stress granule formation through unwinding RNA G-quadruplex structures

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Abstract Bloom's syndrome (BLM) protein is a known nuclear helicase that is able to unwind DNA secondary structures such as G-quadruplexes (G4s). However, its role in the regulation of cytoplasmic processes that involve RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s) has not been previously studied. Here, we demonstrate that BLM is recruited to stress granules (SGs), which are cytoplasmic biomolecular condensates composed of RNAs and RNA-binding proteins. BLM is enriched in SGs upon different stress conditions and in an rG4-dependent manner. Also, we show that BLM unwinds rG4s and acts as a negative regulator of SG formation. Altogether, our data expand the cellular activity of BLM and shed light on the function that helicases play in the dynamics of biomolecular condensates.