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He Q, Baranovskiy AG, Morstadt LM, Lisova AE, Babayeva ND, Lusk BL, Lim CJ, Tahirov TH. Structures of human primosome elongation complexes. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:579-583. [PMID: 37069376 PMCID: PMC10268227 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-00971-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
The synthesis of RNA-DNA primer by primosome requires coordination between primase and DNA polymerase α subunits, which is accompanied by unknown architectural rearrangements of multiple domains. Using cryogenic electron microscopy, we solved a 3.6 Å human primosome structure caught at an early stage of RNA primer elongation with deoxynucleotides. The structure confirms a long-standing role of primase large subunit and reveals new insights into how primosome is limited to synthesizing short RNA-DNA primers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixiang He
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Andrey G Baranovskiy
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Lucia M Morstadt
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Alisa E Lisova
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Nigar D Babayeva
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Benjamin L Lusk
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ci Ji Lim
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Tahir H Tahirov
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
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2
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Zaug AJ, Lim CJ, Olson CL, Carilli MT, Goodrich K, Wuttke D, Cech T. CST does not evict elongating telomerase but prevents initiation by ssDNA binding. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:11653-11665. [PMID: 34718732 PMCID: PMC8599947 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The CST complex (CTC1-STN1-TEN1) has been shown to inhibit telomerase extension of the G-strand of telomeres and facilitate the switch to C-strand synthesis by DNA polymerase alpha-primase (pol α-primase). Recently the structure of human CST was solved by cryo-EM, allowing the design of mutant proteins defective in telomeric ssDNA binding and prompting the reexamination of CST inhibition of telomerase. The previous proposal that human CST inhibits telomerase by sequestration of the DNA primer was tested with a series of DNA-binding mutants of CST and modeled by a competitive binding simulation. The DNA-binding mutants had substantially reduced ability to inhibit telomerase, as predicted from their reduced affinity for telomeric DNA. These results provide strong support for the previous primer sequestration model. We then tested whether addition of CST to an ongoing processive telomerase reaction would terminate DNA extension. Pulse-chase telomerase reactions with addition of either wild-type CST or DNA-binding mutants showed that CST has no detectable ability to terminate ongoing telomerase extension in vitro. The same lack of inhibition was observed with or without pol α-primase bound to CST. These results suggest how the switch from telomerase extension to C-strand synthesis may occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur J Zaug
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Ci Ji Lim
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Conner L Olson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Maria T Carilli
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Karen J Goodrich
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Deborah S Wuttke
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Thomas R Cech
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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3
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Structural and functional impact of non-synonymous SNPs in the CST complex subunit TEN1: structural genomics approach. Biosci Rep 2019; 39:BSR20190312. [PMID: 31028137 PMCID: PMC6522806 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20190312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
TEN1 protein is a key component of CST complex, implicated in maintaining the telomere homeostasis, and provides stability to the eukaryotic genome. Mutations in TEN1 gene have higher chances of deleterious impact; thus, interpreting the number of mutations and their consequential impact on the structure, stability, and function is essentially important. Here, we have investigated the structural and functional consequences of nsSNPs in the TEN1 gene. A wide array of sequence- and structure-based computational prediction tools were employed to identify the effects of 78 nsSNPs on the structure and function of TEN1 protein and to identify the deleterious nsSNPs. These deleterious or destabilizing nsSNPs are scattered throughout the structure of TEN1. However, major mutations were observed in the α1-helix (12–16 residues) and β5-strand (88–96 residues). We further observed that mutations at the C-terminal region were having higher tendency to form aggregate. In-depth structural analysis of these mutations reveals that the pathogenicity of these mutations are driven mainly through larger structural changes because of alterations in non-covalent interactions. This work provides a blueprint to pinpoint the possible consequences of pathogenic mutations in the CST complex subunit TEN1.
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4
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CTC1-STN1 terminates telomerase while STN1-TEN1 enables C-strand synthesis during telomere replication in colon cancer cells. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2827. [PMID: 30026550 PMCID: PMC6053418 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05154-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase elongates the telomeric G-strand to prevent telomere shortening through conventional DNA replication. However, synthesis of the complementary C-strand by DNA polymerase α is also required to maintain telomere length. Polymerase α cannot perform this role without the ssDNA binding complex CST (CTC1-STN1-TEN1). Here we describe the roles of individual CST subunits in telomerase regulation and G-overhang maturation in human colon cancer cells. We show that CTC1-STN1 limits telomerase action to prevent G-overhang overextension. CTC1-/- cells exhibit telomeric DNA damage and growth arrest due to overhang elongation whereas TEN1-/- cells do not. However, TEN1 is essential for C-strand synthesis and TEN1-/- cells exhibit progressive telomere shortening. DNA binding analysis indicates that CTC1-STN1 retains affinity for ssDNA but TEN1 stabilizes binding. We propose CTC1-STN1 binding is sufficient to terminate telomerase action but altered DNA binding dynamics renders CTC1-STN1 unable to properly engage polymerase α on the overhang for C-strand synthesis.
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5
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Rap1 and Cdc13 have complementary roles in preventing exonucleolytic degradation of telomere 5' ends. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8729. [PMID: 28821750 PMCID: PMC5562816 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08663-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere DNA ends with a single-stranded 3′ overhang. Long 3′ overhangs may cause aberrant DNA damage responses and accelerate telomere attrition, which is associated with cancer and aging, respectively. Genetic studies have indicated several important players in preventing 5′ end hyper-resection, yet detailed knowledge about the molecular mechanism in which they act is still lacking. Here, we use an in vitro DNA 5′ end protection assay, to study how N. castellii Cdc13 and Rap1 protect against 5′ exonucleolytic degradation by λ-exonuclease. The homogeneous telomeric repeat sequence of N. castellii allows us to study their protection ability at exact binding sites relative to the 5′ end. We find efficient protection by both Cdc13 and Rap1 when bound close to the 5′ end. Notably, Rap1 provides protection when binding dsDNA at a distance from the 5′ end. The DNA binding domain of Rap1 is sufficient for 5′ end protection, and its wrapping loop region is essential. Intriguingly, Rap1 facilitates protection also when its binding site contains 2 nt of ssDNA, thus spanning across the ds-ss junction. These results highlight a role of Rap1 in 5′ end protection and indicate that Cdc13 and Rap1 have complementary roles in maintaining proper 3′ overhang length.
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6
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Gopalakrishnan V, Tan CR, Li S. Sequential phosphorylation of CST subunits by different cyclin-Cdk1 complexes orchestrate telomere replication. Cell Cycle 2017. [PMID: 28650257 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2017.1312235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures that cap the ends of linear chromosomes. Telomere homeostasis is central to maintaining genomic integrity. In budding yeast, Cdk1 phosphorylates the telomere-specific binding protein, Cdc13, promoting the recruitment of telomerase to telomere and thereby telomere elongation. Cdc13 is also an integral part of the CST (Cdc13-Stn1-Ten1) complex that is essential for telomere capping and counteracting telomerase-dependent telomere elongation. Therefore, telomere length homeostasis is a balance between telomerase-extendable and CST-unextendable states. In our earlier work, we showed that Cdk1 also phosphorylates Stn1 which occurs sequentially following Cdc13 phosphorylation during cell cycle progression. This stabilizes the CST complex at the telomere and results in telomerase inhibition. Hence Cdk1-dependent phosphorylations of Stn1 acts like a molecular switch that drives Cdc13 to complex with Stn1-Ten1 rather than with telomerase. However, the underlying mechanism of how a single cyclin-dependent kinase phosphorylates Cdc13 and Stn1 in temporally distinct windows is largely unclear. Here, we show that S phase cyclins are necessary for telomere maintenance. The S phase and mitotic cyclins facilitate Cdc13 and Stn1 phosphorylation respectively, to exert opposing outcomes at the telomere. Thus, our results highlight a previously unappreciated role for cyclins in telomere replication.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cherylin Ruiling Tan
- b Department of Biological Sciences , National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Shang Li
- a Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology , Duke-NUS Medical School , Singapore.,c Department of Physiology , Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore , Singapore
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7
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Multiple DNA Interactions Contribute to the Initiation of Telomerase Elongation. J Mol Biol 2017; 429:2109-2123. [PMID: 28506636 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Telomerase maintains telomere length and chromosome integrity by adding short tandem repeats of single-stranded DNA to the 3' ends, via reverse transcription of a defined template region of its RNA subunit. To further understand the telomerase elongation mechanism, we studied the primer utilization and extension activity of the telomerase from the budding yeast Naumovozyma castellii (Saccharomyces castellii), which displays a processive nucleotide and repeat addition polymerization. For the efficient initiation of canonical elongation, telomerase required 4-nt primer 3' end complementarity to the template RNA. This DNA-RNA hybrid formation was highly important for the stabilization of an initiation-competent telomerase-DNA complex. Anchor site interactions with the DNA provided additional stabilization to the complex. Our studies indicate three additional separate interactions along the length of the DNA primer, each providing different and distinct contributions to the initiation event. A sequence-independent anchor site interaction acts immediately adjacent to the base-pairing 3' end, indicating a protein anchor site positioned very close to the catalytic site. Two additional anchor regions further 5' on the DNA provide sequence-specific contributions to the initiation of elongation. Remarkably, a non-telomeric sequence in the distal 25- to 32-nt region negatively influences the initiation of telomerase elongation, suggesting an anchor site with a regulatory role in the telomerase elongation decision.
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8
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Rice C, Skordalakes E. Structure and function of the telomeric CST complex. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2016; 14:161-7. [PMID: 27239262 PMCID: PMC4872678 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres comprise the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and are essential for cell proliferation and genome maintenance. Telomeres are replicated by telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) reverse transcriptase, and are maintained primarily by nucleoprotein complexes such as shelterin (TRF1, TRF2, TIN2, RAP1, POT1, TPP1) and CST (Cdc13/Ctc1, Stn1, Ten1). The focus of this review is on the CST complex and its role in telomere maintenance. Although initially thought to be unique to yeast, it is now evident that the CST complex is present in a diverse range of organisms where it contributes to genome maintenance. The CST accomplishes these tasks via telomere capping and by regulating telomerase and DNA polymerase alpha-primase (polα-primase) access to telomeres, a process closely coordinated with the shelterin complex in most organisms. The goal of this review is to provide a brief but comprehensive account of the diverse, and in some cases organism-dependent, functions of the CST complex and how it contributes to telomere maintenance and cell proliferation.
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9
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Abstract
Most human cells lack telomerase, the enzyme that elongates telomeres. The resulting telomere erosion eventually limits cell proliferation and tissue renewal, thereby impacting age-dependent pathologies. In this issue of Genes & Development, a technical tour-de-force by Chow and colleagues (pp. 1167-1178) reveals a highly choreographed sequence of events that processes newly replicated chromosome ends into mature telomeres. This sheds new light on an underappreciated contribution to telomere dynamics that may be as important as telomerase in dictating the correlation between life span and telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Lundblad
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
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10
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Gustafsson C, Rhodin Edsö J, Cohn M. Rap1 binds single-stranded DNA at telomeric double- and single-stranded junctions and competes with Cdc13 protein. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:45174-85. [PMID: 22075002 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.300517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ends of eukaryotic chromosomes are protected by specialized telomere chromatin structures. Rap1 and Cdc13 are essential for the formation of functional telomere chromatin in budding yeast by binding to the double-stranded part and the single-stranded 3' overhang, respectively. We analyzed the binding properties of Saccharomyces castellii Rap1 and Cdc13 to partially single-stranded oligonucleotides, mimicking the junction of the double- and single-stranded DNA (ds-ss junction) at telomeres. We determined the optimal and the minimal DNA setup for a simultaneous binding of Rap1 and Cdc13 at the ds-ss junction. Remarkably, Rap1 is able to bind to a partially single-stranded binding site spanning the ds-ss junction. The binding over the ds-ss junction is anchored in a single double-stranded hemi-site and is stabilized by a sequence-independent interaction of Rap1 with the single-stranded 3' overhang. Thus, Rap1 is able to switch between a sequence-specific and a nonspecific binding mode of one hemi-site. At a ds-ss junction configuration where the two binding sites partially overlap, Rap1 and Cdc13 are competing for the binding. These results shed light on the end protection mechanisms and suggest that Rap1 and Cdc13 act together to ensure the protection of both the 3' and the 5' DNA ends at telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Gustafsson
- Department of Biology, Genetics Group, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
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11
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Sampathi S, Chai W. Mapping the FEN1 interaction domain with hTERT. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 407:34-8. [PMID: 21345332 PMCID: PMC3070821 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.02.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2011] [Accepted: 02/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The activity of telomerase in cancer cells is tightly regulated by numerous proteins including DNA replication factors. However, it is unclear how replication proteins regulate telomerase action in higher eukaryotic cells. Previously we have demonstrated that the multifunctional DNA replication and repair protein flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is in complex with telomerase and may regulate telomerase activity in mammalian cells. In this study, we further analyzed the nature of this association. Our results show that FEN1 and telomerase association occurs throughout the S phase, with the maximum association in the mid S phase. We further mapped the physical domains in FEN1 required for this association and found that the C-terminus and the nuclease domain of FEN1 are involved in this interaction, whereas the PCNA binding ability of FEN1 is dispensable for the interaction. These results provide insights into the nature of possible protein-protein associations that telomerase participates in for maintaining functional telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpa Sampathi
- WWAMI Medical Education Program, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99210
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164
| | - Weihang Chai
- WWAMI Medical Education Program, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99210
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164
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12
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Mozgová I, Mokroš P, Fajkus J. Dysfunction of chromatin assembly factor 1 induces shortening of telomeres and loss of 45S rDNA in Arabidopsis thaliana. THE PLANT CELL 2010; 22:2768-80. [PMID: 20699390 PMCID: PMC2947181 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.110.076182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2010] [Revised: 07/13/2010] [Accepted: 07/21/2010] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin Assembly Factor 1 (CAF1) is a three-subunit H3/H4 histone chaperone responsible for replication-dependent nucleosome assembly. It is composed of CAC 1-3 in yeast; p155, p60, and p48 in humans; and FASCIATA1 (FAS1), FAS2, and MULTICOPY SUPPRESSOR OF IRA1 in Arabidopsis thaliana. We report that disruption of CAF1 function by fas mutations in Arabidopsis results in telomere shortening and loss of 45S rDNA, while other repetitive sequences (5S rDNA, centromeric 180-bp repeat, CACTA, and Athila) are unaffected. Substantial telomere shortening occurs immediately after the loss of functional CAF1 and slows down at telomeres shortened to median lengths around 1 to 1.5 kb. The 45S rDNA loss is progressive, leaving 10 to 15% of the original number of repeats in the 5th generation of mutants affecting CAF1, but the level of the 45S rRNA transcripts is not altered in these mutants. Increasing severity of the fas phenotype is accompanied by accumulation of anaphase bridges, reduced viability, and plant sterility. Our results show that appropriate replication-dependent chromatin assembly is specifically required for stable maintenance of telomeres and 45S rDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Mozgová
- Division of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Mokroš
- Division of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Division of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., CZ-61265 Brno, Czech Republic
- Address correspondence to
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13
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Abstract
Based on prior work, it was expected that telomerase would preferentially elongate the shortest telomeres in a cell, extending the telomeric G-rich strand through a process that is coupled to the synthesis of the complementary strand. Contrary to this view, Zhao et al. (2009) now show that telomerase in human cancer cells extends most telomeres during every S phase and that complementary strand synthesis does not immediately follow telomerase action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Wu
- The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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14
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Zhao Y, Sfeir AJ, Zou Y, Buseman CM, Chow TT, Shay JW, Wright WE. Telomere extension occurs at most chromosome ends and is uncoupled from fill-in in human cancer cells. Cell 2009; 138:463-75. [PMID: 19665970 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2008] [Revised: 02/21/2009] [Accepted: 05/08/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres are thought to be maintained by the preferential recruitment of telomerase to the shortest telomeres. The extension of the G-rich telomeric strand by telomerase is also believed to be coordinated with the complementary synthesis of the C strand by the conventional replication machinery. However, we show that under telomere length-maintenance conditions in cancer cells, human telomerase extends most chromosome ends during each S phase and is not preferentially recruited to the shortest telomeres. Telomerase rapidly extends the G-rich strand following telomere replication but fill-in of the C strand is delayed into late S phase. This late C-strand fill-in is not executed by conventional Okazaki fragment synthesis but by a mechanism using a series of small incremental steps. These findings highlight differences between telomerase actions during steady state versus nonequilibrium conditions and reveal steps in the human telomere maintenance pathway that may provide additional targets for the development of anti-telomerase therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhao
- Department of Cell Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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15
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Shore D, Bianchi A. Telomere length regulation: coupling DNA end processing to feedback regulation of telomerase. EMBO J 2009; 28:2309-22. [PMID: 19629031 PMCID: PMC2722252 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2009.195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2009] [Accepted: 06/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The conventional DNA polymerase machinery is unable to fully replicate the ends of linear chromosomes. To surmount this problem, nearly all eukaryotes use the telomerase enzyme, a specialized reverse transcriptase that utilizes its own RNA template to add short TG-rich repeats to chromosome ends, thus reversing their gradual erosion occurring at each round of replication. This unique, non-DNA templated mode of telomere replication requires a regulatory mechanism to ensure that telomerase acts at telomeres whose TG tracts are too short, but not at those with long tracts, thus maintaining the protective TG repeat 'cap' at an appropriate average length. The prevailing notion in the field is that telomere length regulation is brought about through a negative feedback mechanism that 'counts' TG repeat-bound protein complexes to generate a signal that regulates telomerase action. This review summarizes experiments leading up to this model and then focuses on more recent experiments, primarily from yeast, that begin to suggest how this 'counting' mechanism might work. The emerging picture is that of a complex interplay between the conventional DNA replication machinery, DNA damage response factors, and a specialized set of proteins that help to recruit and regulate the telomerase enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Shore
- Department of Molecular Biology and NCCR Program 'Frontiers in Genetics', University of Geneva, Sciences III, Geneva, Switzerland.
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16
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Sampathi S, Bhusari A, Shen B, Chai W. Human flap endonuclease I is in complex with telomerase and is required for telomerase-mediated telomere maintenance. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:3682-90. [PMID: 19068479 PMCID: PMC2635043 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m805362200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2008] [Revised: 12/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies from budding yeast and ciliates have suggested that telomerase extension of telomeres requires the conventional DNA replication machinery, yet little is known about how DNA replication proteins regulate telomerase action in higher eukaryotic cells. Here we investigate the role of one of the DNA replication factors, flap endonuclease I (FEN1), in regulating telomerase activity in mammalian cells. FEN1 is a nuclease that plays an important role in DNA replication, repair, and recombination. We show that FEN1 is in complex with telomerase in vivo via telomeric DNA. We further demonstrate that FEN1 deficiency in mouse embryonic fibroblasts leads to an increase in telomere end-to-end fusions. In cancer cells, FEN1 deficiency induces gradual shortening of telomeres but does not alter the single-stranded G-overhangs. This is, to our knowledge, the first evidence that FEN1 and telomerase physically co-exist as a complex and that FEN1 can regulate telomerase activity at telomeres in mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpa Sampathi
- Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho Medical Education Program, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington 99210, USA
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17
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Raices M, Verdun RE, Compton SA, Haggblom CI, Griffith JD, Dillin A, Karlseder J. C. elegans telomeres contain G-strand and C-strand overhangs that are bound by distinct proteins. Cell 2008; 132:745-57. [PMID: 18329362 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2007.12.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2007] [Revised: 11/21/2007] [Accepted: 12/15/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Single-strand extensions of the G strand of telomeres are known to be critical for chromosome-end protection and length regulation. Here, we report that in C. elegans, chromosome termini possess 3' G-strand overhangs as well as 5' C-strand overhangs. C tails are as abundant as G tails and are generated by a well-regulated process. These two classes of overhangs are bound by two single-stranded DNA binding proteins, CeOB1 and CeOB2, which exhibit specificity for G-rich or C-rich telomeric DNA. Strains of worms deleted for CeOB1 have elongated telomeres as well as extended G tails, whereas CeOB2 deficiency leads to telomere-length heterogeneity. Both CeOB1 and CeOB2 contain OB (oligo-saccharide/oligo-nucleotide binding) folds, which exhibit structural similarity to the second and first OB folds of the mammalian telomere binding protein hPOT1, respectively. Our results suggest that C. elegans telomere homeostasis relies on a novel mechanism that involves 5' and 3' single-stranded termini.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Raices
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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18
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Abstract
The replication of the ends of linear chromosomes, or telomeres, poses unique problems, which must be solved to maintain genome integrity and to allow cell division to occur. Here, we describe and compare the timing and specific mechanisms that are required to initiate, control and coordinate synthesis of the leading and lagging strands at telomeres in yeasts, ciliates and mammals. Overall, it emerges that telomere replication relies on a strong synergy between the conventional replication machinery, telomere protection systems, DNA-damage-response pathways and chromosomal organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Gilson
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UMR5239, IFR 128, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University Lyon 1, Faculty of Medicine Lyon-Sud, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon,France.
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19
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The role of Stn1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomere capping can be separated from its interaction with Cdc13p. Genetics 2007; 177:1459-74. [PMID: 17947422 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.107.078840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The function of telomeres is twofold: to facilitate complete chromosome replication and to protect chromosome ends against fusions and illegitimate recombination. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, interactions among Cdc13p, Stn1p, and Ten1p are thought to be critical for promoting these processes. We have identified distinct Stn1p domains that mediate interaction with either Ten1p or Cdc13p, allowing analysis of whether the interaction between Cdc13p and Stn1p is indeed essential for telomere capping or length regulation. Consistent with the model that the Stn1p essential function is to promote telomere end protection through Cdc13p, stn1 alleles that truncate the C-terminal 123 residues fail to interact with Cdc13p and do not support viability when expressed at endogenous levels. Remarkably, more extensive deletions that remove an additional 185 C-terminal residues from Stn1p now allow cell growth at endogenous expression levels. The viability of these stn1-t alleles improves with increasing expression level, indicating that increased stn1-t dosage can compensate for the loss of Cdc13p-Stn1p interaction. However, telomere length is misregulated at all expression levels. Thus, an amino-terminal region of Stn1p is sufficient for its essential function, while a central region of Stn1p either negatively regulates the STN1 essential function or destabilizes the mutant Stn1 protein.
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20
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Abstract
During the evolution of linear genomes, it became essential to protect the natural chromosome ends to prevent triggering of the DNA-damage repair machinery and enzymatic attack. Telomeres - tightly regulated complexes consisting of repetitive G-rich DNA and specialized proteins - accomplish this task. Telomeres not only conceal linear chromosome ends from detection and inappropriate repair but also provide a buffer to counteract replication-associated shortening. Lessons from many model organisms have taught us about the complications of maintaining these specialized structures. Here, we discuss how telomeres interact and cooperate with the DNA replication and DNA-damage repair machineries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramiro E Verdun
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037-1099, USA
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21
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Juranek SA, Lipps HJ. New Insights into the Macronuclear Development in Ciliates. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 2007; 262:219-51. [PMID: 17631190 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(07)62005-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
During macronuclear differentiation in ciliated protozoa, most amazing "DNA gymnastics" takes place, which includes DNA excision, DNA elimination, DNA reorganization, and DNA-specific amplification. Although the morphological events occurring during macronuclear development are well described, a detailed knowledge of the molecular mechanisms and the regulation of this differentiation process is still missing. However, recently several models have been proposed for the molecular regulation of macronuclear differentiation, but these models have yet to be verified experimentally. The scope of this review is to summarize recent discoveries in different ciliate species and to compare and discuss the different models proposed. Results obtained in these studies are not only relevant for our understanding of nuclear differentiation in ciliates, but also for cellular differentiation in eukaryotic organisms in general as well as for other disciplines such as bioinformatics and computational biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan A Juranek
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Laboratory of RNA Molecular Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021, USA
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22
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Verdun RE, Karlseder J. The DNA damage machinery and homologous recombination pathway act consecutively to protect human telomeres. Cell 2006; 127:709-20. [PMID: 17110331 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2006.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2006] [Revised: 07/26/2006] [Accepted: 09/29/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres protect chromosome ends from being detected as lesions and from triggering DNA damage checkpoints. Paradoxically, telomere function depends on checkpoint proteins such as ATM and ATR, but a molecular model explaining this seemingly contradictory relationship has been missing so far. Here we show that the DNA damage machinery acts on telomeres in at least two independent steps. First, the ATR-dependent machinery is recruited to telomeres before telomere replication is completed, likely in response to single-stranded DNA resulting from replication fork stalling. Second, after replication, telomeres attract ATM and the homologous recombination (HR) machinery. In vivo and in vitro results suggest that the HR machinery is required for formation of a telomere-specific structure at chromosome ends after replication. Our results suggest that telomere ends need to be recognized as DNA damage to complete end replication and to acquire a structure that is essential for function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramiro E Verdun
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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23
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Yamaguchi T, Saneyoshi M, Takahashi H, Hirokawa S, Amano R, Liu X, Inomata M, Maruyama T. Synthetic nucleosides and nucleotides. 43. Inhibition of vertebrate telomerases by carbocyclic oxetanocin g (C.OXT-G) triphosphate analogues and influence of C.OXT-G treatment on telomere length in human HL60 cells. NUCLEOSIDES NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2006; 25:539-51. [PMID: 16838844 DOI: 10.1080/15257770600684217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase, responsible for telomere synthesis, is expressed in approximately 90% of human tumor cells but seldom in normal somatic cells. In this study, inhibition by carbocyclic oxetanocin G triphosphate (C. OXT-GTP) and its analogues was investigated in order to clarify the susceptibility of telomerase to various nucleotide analogues. C. OXT-GTP competitively inhibited telomerase activity with respect to dGTP However, C. OXT-GTP had a potent inhibitory effect on DNA polymerase alpha. It was examined whether the nucleoside (C. OXT-G) was able to alter telomere length in cultured human HL60 cells. Contrary to expectation, long-term treatment with 10 microM C. OXT-G was found to cause telomere lengthening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toyofumi Yamaguchi
- Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology Research Center, Teikyo University of Science and Technology, Uenohara, Yamanashi, Japan.
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24
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Buczek P, Horvath MP. Thermodynamic characterization of binding Oxytricha nova single strand telomere DNA with the alpha protein N-terminal domain. J Mol Biol 2006; 359:1217-34. [PMID: 16678852 PMCID: PMC2953474 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.02.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2005] [Revised: 02/06/2006] [Accepted: 02/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Oxytricha nova telemere binding protein alpha subunit binds single strand DNA and participates in a nucleoprotein complex that protects the very ends of chromosomes. To understand how the N-terminal, DNA binding domain of alpha interacts with DNA we measured the stoichiometry, enthalpy (DeltaH), entropy (DeltaS), and dissociation constant (K(D-DNA)) for binding telomere DNA fragments at different temperatures and salt concentrations using native gel electrophoresis and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). About 85% of the total free energy of binding corresponded with non-electrostatic interactions for all DNAs. Telomere DNA fragments d(T(2)G(4)), d(T(4)G(4)), d(G(3)T(4)G(4)), and d(G(4)T(4)G(4)) each formed monovalent protein complexes. In the case of d(T(4)G(4)T(4)G(4)), which has two tandemly repeated d(TTTTTGGGG) telomere motifs, two binding sites were observed. The high-affinity "A site" has a dissociation constant, K(D-DNA(A)) = 13(+/-4) nM, while the low-affinity "B site" is characterized by K(D-DNA(B)) = 5600(+/-600) nM at 25 degrees C. Nucleotide substitution variants verified that the A site corresponds principally with the 3'-terminal portion of d(T(4)G(4)T(4)G(4)). The relative contributions of entropy (DeltaS) and enthalpy (DeltaH) for binding reactions were DNA length-dependent as was heat capacity (DeltaCp). These trends with respect to DNA length likely reflect structural transitions in the DNA molecule that are coupled with DNA-protein association. Results presented here are important for understanding early intermediates and subsequent stages in the assembly of the full telomere nucleoprotein complex and how binding events can prepare the telomere DNA for extension by telomerase, a critical event in telomere biology.
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25
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Nakamura M, Nabetani A, Mizuno T, Hanaoka F, Ishikawa F. Alterations of DNA and chromatin structures at telomeres and genetic instability in mouse cells defective in DNA polymerase alpha. Mol Cell Biol 2006; 25:11073-88. [PMID: 16314528 PMCID: PMC1316980 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.25.24.11073-11088.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere length is controlled by a homeostatic mechanism that involves telomerase, telomere-associated proteins, and conventional replication machinery. Specifically, the coordinated actions of the lagging strand synthesis and telomerase have been argued. Although DNA polymerase alpha, an enzyme important for the lagging strand synthesis, has been indicated to function in telomere metabolism in yeasts and ciliates, it has not been characterized in higher eukaryotes. Here, we investigated the impact of compromised polymerase alpha activity on telomeres, using tsFT20 mouse mutant cells harboring a temperature-sensitive polymerase alpha mutant allele. When polymerase alpha was temperature-inducibly inactivated, we observed sequential events that included an initial extension of the G-tail followed by a marked increase in the overall telomere length occurring in telomerase-independent and -dependent manners, respectively. These alterations of telomeric DNA were accompanied by alterations of telomeric chromatin structures as revealed by quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence analyses of TRF1 and POT1. Unexpectedly, polymerase alpha inhibition resulted in a significantly high incidence of Robertsonian chromosome fusions without noticeable increases in other types of chromosomal aberrations. These results indicate that although DNA polymerase alpha is essential for genome-wide DNA replication, hypomorphic activity leads to a rather specific spectrum of chromosomal abnormality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirai Nakamura
- Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Department of Gene Mechanisms, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Japan
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26
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Sfeir AJ, Chai W, Shay JW, Wright WE. Telomere-end processing the terminal nucleotides of human chromosomes. Mol Cell 2005; 18:131-8. [PMID: 15808515 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2005.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2004] [Revised: 02/17/2005] [Accepted: 02/28/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian telomeres end in single-stranded, G-rich 3' overhangs resulting from both the "end-replication problem" (the inability of DNA polymerase to replicate the very end of the telomeres) and postreplication processing. Telomeric G-rich overhangs are precisely defined in ciliates; the length and the terminal nucleotides are fixed. Human telomeres have very long overhangs that are heterogeneous in size (35-600 nt), indicating that their processing must differ in some respects from model organisms. We developed telomere-end ligation protocols that allowed us to identify the terminal nucleotides of both the C-rich and the G-rich telomere strands. Up to approximately 80% of the C-rich strands terminate in CCAATC-5', suggesting that after replication a nuclease with high specificity or constrained action acts on the C strand. In contrast, the G-terminal nucleotide was less precise than Tetrahymena and Euplotes but still had a bias that changed as a function of telomerase expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnel J Sfeir
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
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27
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Williams DR, McIntosh JR. Mcl1p is a polymerase alpha replication accessory factor important for S-phase DNA damage survival. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2005; 4:166-77. [PMID: 15643072 PMCID: PMC544150 DOI: 10.1128/ec.4.1.166-177.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2004] [Accepted: 10/26/2004] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Mcl1p is an essential fission yeast chromatin-binding protein that belongs to a family of highly conserved eukaryotic proteins important for sister chromatid cohesion. The essential function is believed to result from its role as a Pol1p (polymerase alpha) accessory protein, a conclusion based primarily on analogy to Ctf4p's interaction with Pol1p. In this study, we show that Mcl1p also binds to Pol1p with high affinity for the N terminus of Pol1p during S phase and DNA damage. Characterization of an inducible allele of mcl1+, (nmt41)mcl1-MH, shows that altered expression levels of Mcl1p lead to sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and synthetic lethality with the replication checkpoint mutations rad3Delta, rqh1Delta, and hsk1-1312. Further, we find that the overexpression of the S-phase checkpoint kinase, Cds1, or the loss of Hsk1 kinase activity can disrupt Mcl1p's interaction with chromatin and Pol1p during replication arrest with hydroxyurea. We take these data to mean that Mcl1p is a dynamic component of the polymerase alpha complex during replication and is important for the replication stress response in fission yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dewight R Williams
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
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28
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Tanaka SI, Taniguchi M, Uchiyama S, Fukui K, Kawai T. Synthesis of long Poly(dG).Poly(dC) DNA using enzymatic reaction. Chem Commun (Camb) 2004:2388-9. [PMID: 15514779 DOI: 10.1039/b410753e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Non-defect Poly(dG).Poly(dC) of 500 bp (170 nm) has been synthesized by using enzymatic reactions and was characterized by its UV spectrum, showing that conjugated pi-electrons between base pairs are spread over the DNA molecule suggesting the absence of structural defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-ichi Tanaka
- Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0074, Japan
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29
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Grossi S, Puglisi A, Dmitriev PV, Lopes M, Shore D. Pol12, the B subunit of DNA polymerase alpha, functions in both telomere capping and length regulation. Genes Dev 2004; 18:992-1006. [PMID: 15132993 PMCID: PMC406290 DOI: 10.1101/gad.300004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The regulation of telomerase action, and its coordination with conventional DNA replication and chromosome end "capping," are still poorly understood. Here we describe a genetic screen in yeast for mutants with relaxed telomere length regulation, and the identification of Pol12, the B subunit of the DNA polymerase alpha (Pol1)-primase complex, as a new factor involved in this process. Unlike many POL1 and POL12 mutations, which also cause telomere elongation, the pol12-216 mutation described here does not lead to either reduced Pol1 function, increased telomeric single-stranded DNA, or a reduction in telomeric gene silencing. Instead, and again unlike mutations affecting POL1, pol12-216 is lethal in combination with a mutation in the telomere end-binding and capping protein Stn1. Significantly, Pol12 and Stn1 interact in both two-hybrid and biochemical assays, and their synthetic-lethal interaction appears to be caused, at least in part, by a loss of telomere capping. These data reveal a novel function for Pol12 and a new connection between DNA polymerase alpha and Stn1. We propose that Pol12, together with Stn1, plays a key role in linking telomerase action with the completion of lagging strand synthesis, and in a regulatory step required for telomere capping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Grossi
- Department of Molecular Biology and NCCR program "Frontiers in Genetics," University of Geneva, Geneva 4, CH-1211 Switzerland
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30
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Chakhparonian M, Wellinger RJ. Telomere maintenance and DNA replication: how closely are these two connected? Trends Genet 2003; 19:439-46. [PMID: 12902162 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-9525(03)00135-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The maintenance of the DNA at chromosome ends, the telomeres, depends on conventional semiconservative replication and on the action of telomerase, a specialized reverse transcriptase. Current research strongly suggests a regulatory interplay between this conventional semiconservative replication and telomerase, thus ensuring that no sequences are lost at the very ends of the telomeres during replication. Here, we describe recent findings on the interactions between the conventional replication machinery and telomere replication, and we discuss how DNA-integrity checkpoints might impinge on both the processing of the telomeric DNA ends and the establishment of the DNA end structure required for end protection and genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Chakhparonian
- Department of Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12th Ave N., Sherbrooke (QC), Canada J1H 5N4
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31
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Abstract
Arthur Kornberg "never met a dull enzyme" (For the Love of Enzymes: The Odyssey of a Biochemist, Harvard University Press, 1989) and telomerase is no exception. Telomerase is a remarkable polymerase that uses an internal RNA template to reverse-transcribe telomere DNA, one nucleotide at a time, onto telomeric, G-rich single-stranded DNA. In the 17 years since its discovery, the characterization of telomerase enzyme components has uncovered a highly conserved family of telomerase reverse transcriptases that, together with the telomerase RNA, appear to comprise the enzymatic core of telomerase. While not as comprehensively understood as yet, some telomerase-associated proteins also serve crucial roles in telomerase function in vivo, such as telomerase ribonudeoprotein (RNP) assembly, recruitment to the telomere, and the coordination of DNA replication at the telomere. A selected overview of the biochemical properties of this unique enzyme, in vitro and in vivo, will be presented.
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32
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Dahlén M, Sunnerhagen P, Wang TSF. Replication proteins influence the maintenance of telomere length and telomerase protein stability. Mol Cell Biol 2003; 23:3031-42. [PMID: 12697806 PMCID: PMC153188 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.23.9.3031-3042.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2002] [Revised: 09/09/2002] [Accepted: 02/09/2003] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effects of fission yeast replication genes on telomere length maintenance and identified 20 mutant alleles that confer lengthening or shortening of telomeres. The telomere elongation was telomerase dependent in the replication mutants analyzed. Furthermore, the telomerase catalytic subunit, Trt1, and the principal initiation and lagging-strand synthesis DNA polymerase, Polalpha, were reciprocally coimmunoprecipitated, indicating these proteins physically coexist as a complex in vivo. In a polalpha mutant that exhibited abnormal telomere lengthening and slightly reduced telomere position effect, the cellular level of the Trt1 protein was significantly lower and the coimmunoprecipitation of Trt1 and Polalpha was severely compromised compared to those in the wild-type polalpha cells. Interestingly, ectopic expression of wild-type polalpha in this polalpha mutant restored the cellular Trt1 protein to the wild-type level and shortened the telomeres to near-wild-type length. These results suggest that there is a close physical relationship between the replication and telomerase complexes. Thus, mutation of a component of the replication complex can affect the telomeric complex in maintaining both telomere length equilibrium and telomerase protein stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Dahlén
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5324, USA
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33
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Cimino-Reale G, Pascale E, Alvino E, Starace G, D'Ambrosio E. Long telomeric C-rich 5'-tails in human replicating cells. J Biol Chem 2003; 278:2136-40. [PMID: 12435754 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m208939200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres protect the ends of linear chromosomes from abnormal recombination events and buffer them against terminal DNA loss. Models of telomere replication predict that two daughter molecules have one end that is blunt, the product of leading-strand synthesis, and one end with a short G-rich 3'-overhang. However, experimental data from proliferating cells are not completely consistent with this model. For example, telomeres of human chromosomes have long G-rich 3'-overhangs, and the persistence of blunt ends is uncertain. Here we show that the product of leading-strand synthesis is not always blunt but can contain a long C-rich 5'-tail, the incompletely replicated template of the leading strand. We examined the presence of G-rich and C-rich single-strand DNA in fibroblasts and HeLa cells. Although there were no significant changes in the length distribution of the 3'-overhang, the 5'-overhangs were mostly present in S phase. Similar results were obtained using telomerase-negative fibroblasts. The amount and the length distribution of the 5' C-rich tails strongly correlate with the proliferative rate of the cell cultures. Our results suggest that, contrary to what has commonly been supposed, completion of leading-strand synthesis is inefficient and could well drive telomere shortening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella Cimino-Reale
- Istituto di Neurobiologia e Medicina Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 00137 Roma, Italy
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34
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Riha K, Shippen DE. Ku is required for telomeric C-rich strand maintenance but not for end-to-end chromosome fusions in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:611-5. [PMID: 12511598 PMCID: PMC141044 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0236128100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere dysfunction arising from mutations in telomerase or in telomere capping proteins leads to end-to-end chromosome fusions. Paradoxically, the Ku7080 heterodimer, essential for nonhomologous end-joining double-strand break repair, is also found at telomeres, and in mammals it is required to prevent telomere fusion. Previously, we showed that inactivation of Ku70 in Arabidopsis results in telomere lengthening. Here, we have demonstrated that this telomere elongation is telomerase dependent. Further, we found that the terminal 3' G overhang was significantly extended in ku70 mutants and in plants deficient in both Ku70 and the catalytic subunit of telomerase (TERT), implying that Ku is needed for proper maintenance of the telomeric C-rich strand. Consistent with inefficient C-strand maintenance, telomere shortening was accelerated in ku70 tert double mutants, and the onset of a terminal sterile phenotype was reached two to three times faster than in tert single mutants. Unexpectedly, abundant anaphase bridges were found in terminal plants harboring critically shortened telomeres, indicating that Ku is not required for the formation of end-to-end chromosome fusions in telomerase-deficient Arabidopsis. Together, these findings define Ku70 as a gene in higher eukaryotes required for maintenance of the telomeric C-rich strand and underscore the complexity and diversity of molecular interactions at telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karel Riha
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2128, USA
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35
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Williams DR, McIntosh JR. mcl1+, the Schizosaccharomyces pombe homologue of CTF4, is important for chromosome replication, cohesion, and segregation. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2002; 1:758-73. [PMID: 12455694 PMCID: PMC126746 DOI: 10.1128/ec.1.5.758-773.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2002] [Accepted: 06/26/2002] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The fission yeast minichromosome loss mutant mcl1-1 was identified in a screen for mutants defective in chromosome segregation. Missegregation of the chromosomes in mcl1-1 mutant cells results from decreased centromeric cohesion between sister chromatids. mcl1+ encodes a beta-transducin-like protein with similarity to a family of eukaryotic proteins that includes Ctf4p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, sepB from Aspergillus nidulans, and AND-1 from humans. The previously identified fungal members of this protein family also have chromosome segregation defects, but they primarily affect DNA metabolism. Chromosomes from mcl1-1 cells were heterogeneous in size or structure on pulsed-field electrophoresis gels and had elongated heterogeneous telomeres. mcl1-1 was lethal in combination with the DNA checkpoint mutations rad3delta and rad26delta, demonstrating that loss of Mcl1p function leads to DNA damage. mcl1-1 showed an acute sensitivity to DNA damage that affects S-phase progression. It interacts genetically with replication components and causes an S-phase delay when overexpressed. We propose that Mcl1p, like Ctf4p, has a role in regulating DNA replication complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dewight R Williams
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0347, USA.
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36
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Ray S, Karamysheva Z, Wang L, Shippen DE, Price CM. Interactions between telomerase and primase physically link the telomere and chromosome replication machinery. Mol Cell Biol 2002; 22:5859-68. [PMID: 12138196 PMCID: PMC133977 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.22.16.5859-5868.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the ciliate Euplotes crassus, millions of new telomeres are synthesized by telomerase and polymerase alpha-primase during macronuclear development in mated cells. Concomitant with de novo telomere formation, telomerase assembles into higher-order complexes of 550 kDa, 1,600 kDa, and 5 MDa. We show here that telomerase is physically associated with the lagging-strand replication machinery in these complexes. Antibodies against DNA primase precipitated telomerase activity from all three complexes from mated cells but not the 280-kDa telomerase complex from vegetatively growing cells. Moreover, when telomerase was affinity purified, primase copurified with enzyme from mated cells but not with the 280-kDa vegetative complex. Thus, the association of telomerase and primase is developmentally regulated. Intriguingly, PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) was also found in the 5-MDa complex from mated cells. We therefore speculate that this complex is a complete telomere synthesis machine, while the smaller complexes are assembly intermediates. The physical association of telomerase and primase explains the coordinate regulation of telomeric G- and C-strand synthesis and the efficiency of telomere addition in E. crassus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saugata Ray
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California 92093-0627, USA
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37
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Ancelin K, Brunori M, Bauwens S, Koering CE, Brun C, Ricoul M, Pommier JP, Sabatier L, Gilson E. Targeting assay to study the cis functions of human telomeric proteins: evidence for inhibition of telomerase by TRF1 and for activation of telomere degradation by TRF2. Mol Cell Biol 2002; 22:3474-87. [PMID: 11971978 PMCID: PMC133804 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.22.10.3474-3487.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the control of telomere length by the human telomeric proteins TRF1 and TRF2. To this end, we established telomerase-positive cell lines in which the targeting of these telomeric proteins to specific telomeres could be induced. We demonstrate that their targeting leads to telomere shortening. This indicates that these proteins act in cis to repress telomere elongation. Inhibition of telomerase activity by a modified oligonucleotide did not further increase the pace of telomere erosion caused by TRF1 targeting, suggesting that telomerase itself is the target of TRF1 regulation. In contrast, TRF2 targeting and telomerase inhibition have additive effects. The possibility that TRF2 can activate a telomeric degradation pathway was directly tested in human primary cells that do not express telomerase. In these cells, overexpression of full-length TRF2 leads to an increased rate of telomere shortening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Ancelin
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UMR5665 CNRS/ENSL, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France
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38
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Mergny JL, Riou JF, Mailliet P, Teulade-Fichou MP, Gilson E. Natural and pharmacological regulation of telomerase. Nucleic Acids Res 2002; 30:839-65. [PMID: 11842096 PMCID: PMC100331 DOI: 10.1093/nar/30.4.839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2001] [Revised: 11/29/2001] [Accepted: 11/29/2001] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The extremities of eukaryotic chromosomes are called telomeres. They have a structure unlike the bulk of the chromosome, which allows the cell DNA repair machinery to distinguish them from 'broken' DNA ends. But these specialised structures present a problem when it comes to replicating the DNA. Indeed, telomeric DNA progressively erodes with each round of cell division in cells that do not express telomerase, a specialised reverse transcriptase necessary to fully duplicate the telomeric DNA. Telomerase is expressed in tumour cells but not in most somatic cells and thus telomeres and telomerase may be proposed as attractive targets for the discovery of new anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Louis Mergny
- Laboratoire de Biophysique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, INSERM U 201, CNRS UMR 8646, 43 rue Cuvier, F-75005 Paris, France.
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39
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Abstract
The intent of this review is to describe what is known and unknown about telomerase in somatic cells of the human organism. First, we consider the telomerase enzyme. Human telomerase ribonucleoproteins undergo at least three stages of cellular biogenesis: accumulation, catalytic activation and recruitment to the telomere. Next, we describe the patterns of telomerase regulation in the human soma. Telomerase activation in some cell types appears to offset proliferation-dependent telomere shortening, delaying but not defeating the inherent mitotic clock. Finally, we elaborate the connection between telomerase misregulation and human disease, in the contexts of inappropriate telomerase activation and telomerase deficiency. We discuss how our current perspectives on telomerase function could be applied to improving human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Collins
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, CA 94720-3204, USA.
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40
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Möllenbeck M, Klobutcher LA. De novo telomere addition to spacer sequences prior to their developmental degradation in Euplotes crassus. Nucleic Acids Res 2002; 30:523-31. [PMID: 11788715 PMCID: PMC99826 DOI: 10.1093/nar/30.2.523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
During sexual reproduction, Euplotes crassus precisely fragments its micronuclear chromosomes and synthesizes new telomeres onto the resulting DNA ends to generate functional macronuclear minichromosomes. In the micronuclear chromosomes, the macronuclear-destined sequences are typically separated from each other by spacer DNA segments, which are eliminated following chromosome fragmentation. Recently, in vivo chromosome fragmentation intermediates that had not yet undergone telomere addition have been characterized. The ends of both the macronuclear-destined and eliminated spacers were found to consist of six-base, 3' overhangs. As this terminal structure on the macronuclear-destined sequences serves as the substrate for de novo telomere addition, we sought to determine if the spacer DNAs might also undergo telomere addition prior to their elimination. Using a polymerase chain reaction approach, we found that at least some spacer DNAs undergo de novo telomere addition. In contrast to macronuclear-destined sequences, heterogeneity could be observed in the position of telomeric repeat addition. The observation of spacer DNAs with telomeric repeats makes it unlikely that differential telomere addition is responsible for differentiating between retained and eliminated DNA. The heterogeneity in telomere addition sites for spacer DNA also resembles the situation found for telomeric repeat addition to macronuclear-destined sequences in other ciliate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Möllenbeck
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06032, USA
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41
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Wenz C, Enenkel B, Amacker M, Kelleher C, Damm K, Lingner J. Human telomerase contains two cooperating telomerase RNA molecules. EMBO J 2001; 20:3526-34. [PMID: 11432839 PMCID: PMC125520 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/20.13.3526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase uses a short stretch of its intrinsic RNA molecule as template for telomere repeat synthesis. Reverse transcription of the RNA template is catalyzed by the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) protein subunit. We demonstrate that human telomerase reconstituted from recombinant TERT and telomerase RNA runs as a dimer on a gel filtration column and that it contains two telomerase RNA molecules. Significantly, a telomerase heterodimer reconstituted from wild-type and mutant telomerase RNA is barely active when compared with the wild-type homodimer. We conclude that the telomerase RNA templates in the active enzyme are interdependent and functionally cooperate with each other. We discuss models that may explain the biological and enzymatic roles of telomerase dimerization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Barbara Enenkel
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland and
Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma KG, D-88397 Biberach a. d. Riss, Germany Corresponding author e-mail:
| | | | | | - Klaus Damm
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland and
Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma KG, D-88397 Biberach a. d. Riss, Germany Corresponding author e-mail:
| | - Joachim Lingner
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland and
Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma KG, D-88397 Biberach a. d. Riss, Germany Corresponding author e-mail:
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42
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Chandra A, Hughes TR, Nugent CI, Lundblad V. Cdc13 both positively and negatively regulates telomere replication. Genes Dev 2001; 15:404-14. [PMID: 11230149 PMCID: PMC312634 DOI: 10.1101/gad.861001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Cdc13 is a single-strand telomeric DNA-binding protein that positively regulates yeast telomere replication by recruiting telomerase to chromosome termini through a site on Cdc13 that is eliminated by the cdc13-2 mutation. Here we show that Cdc13 has a separate role in negative regulation of telomere replication, based on analysis of a new mutation, cdc13-5. Loss of this second regulatory activity results in extensive elongation of the G strand of the telomere by telomerase, accompanied by a reduced ability to coordinate synthesis of the C strand. Both the cdc13-5 mutation and DNA polymerase alpha mutations (which also exhibit elongated telomeres) are suppressed by increased expression of the Cdc13-interacting protein Stn1, indicating that Stn1 coordinates action of the lagging strand replication complex with the regulatory activity of CDC13. However, the association between Cdc13 and Stn1 is abolished by cdc13-2, the same mutation that eliminates the interaction between Cdc13 and telomerase. We propose that Cdc13 participates in two regulatory steps-first positive, then negative-as a result of successive binding of telomerase and the negative regulator Stn1 to overlapping sites on Cdc13. Thus, Cdc13 coordinates synthesis of both strands of the telomere by first recruiting telomerase and subsequently limiting G-strand synthesis by telomerase in response to C-strand replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Chandra
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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43
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Kanaori K, Shibayama N, Gohda K, Tajima K, Makino K. Multiple four-stranded conformations of human telomere sequence d(CCCTAA) in solution. Nucleic Acids Res 2001; 29:831-40. [PMID: 11160907 PMCID: PMC30397 DOI: 10.1093/nar/29.3.831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
By detailed NMR analysis of a human telomere repeating unit, d(CCCTAA), we have found that three distinct tetramers, each of which consists of four symmetric single-strands, slowly exchange in a slightly acidic solution. Our new finding is a novel i-motif topology (T:-form) where T4 is intercalated between C1 and C2 of the other duplex. The other two tetramers have a topology where C1 is intercalated between C2 and C3 of the other parallel duplex, resulting in the non-stacking T4 residues (R-form), and a topology where C1 is stacked between C3 and T4 of the other duplex (S:-form). From the NMR denaturation profile, the R-form is the most stable of the three structures in the temperature range of 15-50 degrees C, the S:-form the second and the T:-form the least stable. The thermodynamic parameters indicate that the T-form is the most enthalpically driven and entropically opposed, and its population is increased with decreasing temperature. The T-form structure determined by restrained molecular dynamics calculation suggests that inter-strand van der Waals contacts in the narrow grooves should contribute to the enthalpic stabilization of the T-form.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Kanaori
- Department of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan.
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44
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Evans SK, Lundblad V. Positive and negative regulation of telomerase access to the telomere. J Cell Sci 2000; 113 Pt 19:3357-64. [PMID: 10984427 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.113.19.3357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The protective caps on chromosome ends - known as telomeres - consist of DNA and associated proteins that are essential for chromosome integrity. A fundamental part of ensuring proper telomere function is maintaining adequate length of the telomeric DNA tract. Telomeric repeat sequences are synthesized by the telomerase reverse transcriptase, and, as such, telomerase is a central player in the maintenance of steady-state telomere length. Evidence from both yeast and mammals suggests that telomere-associated proteins positively or negatively control access of telomerase to the chromosome terminus. In yeast, positive regulation of telomerase access appears to be achieved through recruitment of the enzyme by the end-binding protein Cdc13p. In contrast, duplex-DNA-binding proteins assembled along the telomeric tract exert a feedback system that negatively modulates telomere length by limiting the action of telomerase. In mammalian cells, and perhaps also in yeast, binding of these proteins probably promotes a higher-order structure that renders the telomere inaccessible to the telomerase enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- S K Evans
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, and Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 USA
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45
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Nozawa K, Suzuki M, Takemura M, Yoshida S. In vitro expansion of mammalian telomere repeats by DNA polymerase alpha-primase. Nucleic Acids Res 2000; 28:3117-24. [PMID: 10931927 PMCID: PMC108427 DOI: 10.1093/nar/28.16.3117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the polymerases, DNA polymerase alpha-primase is involved in lagging strand DNA synthesis. A previous report indicated that DNA polymerase alpha-primase initiates primer RNA synthesis with purine bases on a single-stranded G-rich telomere repeat. In this study, we found that DNA polymerase alpha-primase precisely initiated with adenosine opposite the 3'-side thymidine in the G-rich telomere repeat 5'-(TTAGGG)(n)-3' under rATP-rich conditions. Then, DNA polymerase alpha-primase synthesized the nascent DNA fragments by extending the primer. It was remarkable that DNA polymerase alpha-primase further expanded the product DNA far beyond the length of the template DNA, as ladders of multiple hexanucleotides on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Using an oligomer duplex 5'-A(GGGTTA)(5)-3'/5'-(TAACCC)(5)T-3' as a template-primer, we show that both the Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and HIV reverse transcriptase could expand telomere DNA sequences as well, giving products greater than the size of the template DNA. The maximum product lengths with these polymerases were approximately 40-90 nt longer than the template length. Our data imply that DNA polymerases have an intrinsic activity to expand the hexanucleotide repeats of the telomere sequence by a slippage mechanism and that DNA polymerase alpha uses both the repeat DNA primers and the de novo RNA primers for expansion. On the other hand, a plasmid harboring a eukaryotic telomere repeat showed remarkable genetic instability in E.coli. The telomere repeats exhibited either expansions or deletions by multiple hexanucleotide repeats during culture for a number of generations, suggesting involvement of the slippage mechanism in the instability of telomeric DNA in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Nozawa
- Laboratory of Cancer Cell Biology, Research Institute for Disease Mechanism and Control, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
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46
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Qi H, Zakian VA. The Saccharomyces telomere-binding protein Cdc13p interacts with both the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase alpha and the telomerase-associated est1 protein. Genes Dev 2000; 14:1777-88. [PMID: 10898792 PMCID: PMC316788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Saccharomyces telomeres consist of approximately 350 bp of C(1-3)A/TG(1-3) DNA. Most of this approximately 350 bp is replicated by standard, semiconservative DNA replication. After conventional replication, the C(1-3)A strand is degraded to generate a long single strand TG(1-3) tail that can serve as a substrate for telomerase. Cdc13p is a single strand TG(1-3) DNA-binding protein that localizes to telomeres in vivo. Genetic data suggest that the Cdc13p has multiple roles in telomere replication. We used two hybrid analysis to demonstrate that Cdc13p interacted with both the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase alpha, Pol1p, and the telomerase RNA-associated protein, Est1p. The association of these proteins was confirmed by biochemical analysis using full-length or nearly full-length proteins. Point mutations in either CDC13 or POL1 that reduced the Cdc13p-Pol1p interaction resulted in telomerase mediated telomere lengthening. Over-expression of the carboxyl terminus of Est1p partially suppressed the temperature sensitive lethality of a cdc13-1 strain. We propose that Cdc13p's interaction with Est1p promotes TG(1-3) strand lengthening by telomerase and its interaction with Pol1p promotes C(1-3)A strand resynthesis by DNA polymerase alpha.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Qi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544-1014, USA
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47
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Qi H, Zakian VA. The Saccharomyces telomere-binding protein Cdc13p interacts with both the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase α and the telomerase-associated Est1 protein. Genes Dev 2000. [DOI: 10.1101/gad.14.14.1777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Saccharomyces telomeres consist of ∼350 bp of C1-3A/TG1-3 DNA. Most of this ∼350 bp is replicated by standard, semiconservative DNA replication. After conventional replication, the C1-3A strand is degraded to generate a long single strand TG1-3 tail that can serve as a substrate for telomerase. Cdc13p is a single strand TG1-3DNA-binding protein that localizes to telomeres in vivo. Genetic data suggest that the Cdc13p has multiple roles in telomere replication. We used two hybrid analysis to demonstrate that Cdc13p interacted with both the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase α, Pol1p, and the telomerase RNA-associated protein, Est1p. The association of these proteins was confirmed by biochemical analysis using full-length or nearly full-length proteins. Point mutations in either CDC13 orPOL1 that reduced the Cdc13p–Pol1p interaction resulted in telomerase mediated telomere lengthening. Over–expression of the carboxyl terminus of Est1p partially suppressed the temperature sensitive lethality of a cdc13-1 strain. We propose that Cdc13p's interaction with Est1p promotes TG1-3 strand lengthening by telomerase and its interaction with Pol1p promotes C1-3A strand resynthesis by DNA polymerase α.
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48
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Prescott JC, Blackburn EH. Telomerase RNA template mutations reveal sequence-specific requirements for the activation and repression of telomerase action at telomeres. Mol Cell Biol 2000; 20:2941-8. [PMID: 10733598 PMCID: PMC85540 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.20.8.2941-2948.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeric DNA is maintained within a length range characteristic of an organism or cell type. Significant deviations outside this range are associated with altered telomere function. The yeast telomere-binding protein Rap1p negatively regulates telomere length. Telomere elongation is responsive to both the number of Rap1p molecules bound to a telomere and the Rap1p-centered DNA-protein complex at the extreme telomeric end. Previously, we showed that a specific trinucleotide substitution in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomerase gene (TLC1) RNA template abolished the enzymatic activity of telomerase, causing the same cell senescence and telomere shortening phenotypes as a complete tlc1 deletion. Here we analyze effects of six single- and double-base changes within these same three positions. All six mutant telomerases had in vitro enzymatic activity levels similar to the wild-type levels. The base changes predicted from the mutations all disrupted Rap1p binding in vitro to the corresponding duplex DNAs. However, they caused two classes of effects on telomere homeostasis: (i) rapid, RAD52-independent telomere lengthening and poor length regulation, whose severity correlated with the decrease in in vitro Rap1p binding affinity (this is consistent with loss of negative regulation of telomerase action at these telomeres; and (ii) telomere shortening that, depending on the template mutation, either established a new short telomere set length with normal cell growth or was progressive and led to cellular senescence. Hence, disrupting Rap1p binding at the telomeric terminus is not sufficient to deregulate telomere elongation. This provides further evidence that both positive and negative cis-acting regulators of telomerase act at telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Prescott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0414, USA
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49
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Adams Martin A, Dionne I, Wellinger RJ, Holm C. The function of DNA polymerase alpha at telomeric G tails is important for telomere homeostasis. Mol Cell Biol 2000; 20:786-96. [PMID: 10629035 PMCID: PMC85195 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.20.3.786-796.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length control is influenced by several factors, including telomerase, the components of telomeric chromatin structure, and the conventional replication machinery. Although known components of the replication machinery can influence telomere length equilibrium, little is known about why mutations in certain replication proteins cause dramatic telomere lengthening. To investigate the cause of telomere elongation in cdc17/pol1 (DNA polymerase alpha) mutants, we examined telomeric chromatin, as measured by its ability to repress transcription on telomere-proximal genes, and telomeric DNA end structures in pol1-17 mutants. pol1-17 mutants with elongated telomeres show a dramatic loss of the repression of telomere-proximal genes, or telomeric silencing. In addition, cdc17/pol1 mutants grown under telomere-elongating conditions exhibit significant increases in single-stranded character in telomeric DNA but not at internal sequences. The single strandedness is manifested as a terminal extension of the G-rich strand (G tails) that can occur independently of telomerase, suggesting that cdc17/pol1 mutants exhibit defects in telomeric lagging-strand synthesis. Interestingly, the loss of telomeric silencing and the increase in the sizes of the G tails at the telomeres temporally coincide and occur before any detectable telomere lengthening is observed. Moreover, the G tails observed in cdc17/pol1 mutants incubated at the semipermissive temperature appear only when the cells pass through S phase and are processed by the time cells reach G(1). These results suggest that lagging-strand synthesis is coordinated with telomerase-mediated telomere maintenance to ensure proper telomere length control.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Adams Martin
- Department of Pharmacology, Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0651, USA
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50
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Diede SJ, Gottschling DE. Telomerase-mediated telomere addition in vivo requires DNA primase and DNA polymerases alpha and delta. Cell 1999; 99:723-33. [PMID: 10619426 DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81670-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 299] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
To better understand the requirements for telomerase-mediated telomere addition in vivo, we developed an assay in S. cerevisiae that creates a chromosome end immediately adjacent to a short telomeric DNA tract. The de novo end acts as a telomere: it is protected from degradation in a CDC13-dependent manner, telomeric sequences are added efficiently, and addition occurs at a faster rate in mutant strains that have long telomeres. Telomere addition was detected in M phase arrested cells, which permitted us to determine that the essential DNA polymerases alpha and delta and DNA primase were required. This indicates that telomeric DNA synthesis by telomerase is tightly coregulated with the production of the opposite strand. Such coordination prevents telomerase from generating excessively long single-stranded tails, which may be deleterious to chromosome stability in S. cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Diede
- Department of Pathology, The University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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