Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42457705›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Cryo-EM structures of human FANCJ reveal the mechanism of G-quadruplex unwinding and disease-associated mutations.

Qinglong You, Naoko Kakusho, Hiroyuki Sasanuma, Hisao Masai, Huilin Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Qinglong YouDepartment of Structural Biology, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5160-6198
Naoko KakushoDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-2957-3930
Hiroyuki SasanumaDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Hisao MasaiDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1268-5302
Huilin LiDepartment of Structural Biology, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. Huilin.Li@vai.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8085-8928

Funding

Structural mechanism of DNA replicationR35GM131754 · NIGMS · VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · PI Huilin Li · 2019 to 2026
$6.0M
MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 20KK0157NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM131754U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) GM131754Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) N/A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences can fold into G-quadruplex (G4) structures that regulate DNA replication, transcription, and translation. Fanconi anemia group J helicase (FANCJ) resolves G4 structures at stalled replication forks. Despite its central role in genome maintenance, the molecular basis of G4 recognition and unwinding by FANCJ has remained unclear. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of human FANCJ bound to a G4-containing DNA substrate and ATPγS. The structures reveal direct engagement of the G4 by the Fe-S domain. Structure-guided mutagenesis demonstrates that this interface is essential for G4 binding and unwinding. The structures further capture open and closed conformational states linked to ATP hydrolysis, providing a mechanism for directional translocation along 5' ssDNA and progressive G4 unwinding. Together, these findings establish the structural basis of G4 recognition by FANCJ and provide mechanistic insights into how disease-associated mutations linked to Fanconi anemia and breast cancer impair helicase function.

Indexed as

Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription FactorsDNA HelicasesFanconi Anemia Complementation Group ProteinsG-QuadruplexesAdenosine TriphosphateCryoelectron MicroscopyDNA, Single-StrandedFanconi AnemiaHumansModels, MolecularMutationProtein Bindingadenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate)Adenosine TriphosphateBasic-Leucine Zipper Transcription FactorsDNA HelicasesDNA, Single-StrandedFanconi Anemia Complementation Group Proteins

Identifiers

PMID42457705
PMCPMC13490418

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.