As the rG4s in both hTERC and TERRA recruit specific sets of proteins to play important roles in telomere homeostasis and genome stability, future investigations may profit from rG4 mutation/deletion and protein knockdown/knockout experiments to establish the relationship of rG4s with telomere length and genomic instability, and to assess their impact on ageing and cancer development. The gene discussed is UNC119; the disease is cancer.