G-quadruplexes within the SVA retrotransposon modulate TAF1 gene expression in X-linked Dystonia Parkinsonism [RNA-Seq]

X-linked dystonia parkinsonism (XDP) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease characterized by the antisense insertion of an SVA retrotransposon into the TAF1 gene, encoding for the largest subunit of the basal transcription factor TFIID, which is essential for RNA polymerase II activity. This SVA insertion has been associated with altered TAF1 expression levels, but the cause of this outcome and its link to the development of XDP remain unknown. Unique to the XDP SVA compared to other SVA retrotransposons in the human genome is the amplification of the (GGGAGA)n repeat domain, creating a unique G4-prone region, whose length correlates with age at onset and disease severity. By ChIP-seq and ChIP-qPCR with the anti-G4 antibody BG4, we assessed that G4s are present in the folded state in the XDP SVA of these cells. Using available G4 ligands, we demonstrated that stabilization of the XDP SVA G4s reduces TAF1 transcripts in the exons around and downstream of the SVA, while increasing the transcription of the upstream exons, possibly through a positive feedback loop.