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Single-Run Catalysis and Kinetic Control of Human Telomerase Holoenzyme. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1371:109-129. [PMID: 34962637 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2021_676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Genome stability in eukaryotic cells relies on proper maintenance of telomeres at the termini of linear chromosomes. Human telomerase holoenzyme is required for maintaining telomere stability in a majority of proliferative human cells, making it essential for control of cell division and aging, stem cell maintenance, and development and survival of tumor or cancer. A dividing human cell usually contains a limited number of active telomerase holoenzymes. Recently, we discovered that a human telomerase catalytic site undergoes catalysis-dependent shut-off and an inactive site can be reactivated by cellular fractions containing human intracellular telomerase-activating factors (hiTAFs). Such ON-OFF control of human telomerase activity suggests a dynamic switch between inactive and active pools of the holoenzymes. In this review, we will link the ON-OFF control to the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of human telomerase holoenzymes, and discuss its potential contributions to the maintenance of telomere length equilibrium. This treatment suggests probabilistic fluctuations in the number of active telomerase holoenzymes as well as the number of telomeres that are extended in a limited number of cell cycles, and may be an important component of a fully quantitative model for the dynamic control of telomerase activities and telomere lengths in different types of eukaryotic cells.
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Holland CL, Sanderson BA, Titus JK, Weis MF, Riojas AM, Malczewskyj E, Wasko BM, Lewis LK. Suppression of telomere capping defects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yku70 and yku80 mutants by telomerase. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6395363. [PMID: 34718547 PMCID: PMC8664480 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The Ku complex performs multiple functions inside eukaryotic cells, including protection of chromosomal DNA ends from degradation and fusion events, recruitment of telomerase, and repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs). Inactivation of Ku complex genes YKU70 or YKU80 in cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae gives rise to mutants that exhibit shortened telomeres and temperature-sensitive growth. In this study, we have investigated the mechanism by which overexpression of telomerase suppresses the temperature sensitivity of yku mutants. Viability of yku cells was restored by overexpression of the Est2 reverse transcriptase and TLC1 RNA template subunits of telomerase, but not the Est1 or Est3 proteins. Overexpression of other telomerase- and telomere-associated proteins (Cdc13, Stn1, Ten1, Rif1, Rif2, Sir3, and Sir4) did not suppress the growth defects of yku70 cells. Mechanistic features of suppression were assessed using several TLC1 RNA deletion derivatives and Est2 enzyme mutants. Supraphysiological levels of three catalytically inactive reverse transcriptase mutants (Est2-D530A, Est2-D670A, and Est2-D671A) suppressed the loss of viability as efficiently as the wild-type Est2 protein, without inducing cell senescence. Roles of proteins regulating telomere length were also determined. The results support a model in which chromosomes in yku mutants are stabilized via a replication-independent mechanism involving structural reinforcement of protective telomere cap structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory L Holland
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Brian A Sanderson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - James K Titus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Monica F Weis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Angelica M Riojas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Eric Malczewskyj
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Brian M Wasko
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, TX, 77058, USA
| | - L Kevin Lewis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
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3
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Telomerase, the recombination machinery and Rap1 play redundant roles in yeast telomere protection. Curr Genet 2020; 67:153-163. [PMID: 33156376 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-020-01125-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein complexes that protect the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and distinguish them from broken DNA ends. Disruption of telomere protection may cause aging-associated pathologies and cancer. Here, we examined what makes telomere protection durable and resistant to perturbations using a budding yeast model organism. The protein Rap1 binds the telomeric repeats, negatively regulates telomere length, and protects telomeres by repressing homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). A single-nucleotide mutation in the Kluyveromyces lactis telomerase RNA (TER1) template, ter1-16T, is incorporated into the telomeric repeats, disrupting the binding of Rap1 and causing dramatic telomere elongation. However, cell viability is not significantly affected, suggesting the existence of additional mechanism(s) for telomere protection. To examine this hypothesis, we explored the contribution of the recombination factor Rad52 and telomerase to telomere protection in the background of ter1-16T. To disrupt the function of telomerase, we exploited small mutations in a stem-loop domain of TER1 (Reg2), which result in short but stable telomeres. We generated K. lactis strains with combinations of three different mutations: ter1-16T, RAD52 deletion, and a two-nucleotide substitution in Reg2. Our results show that upon Rap1 depletion from telomeres, telomerase and the recombination machinery compensate for the loss of Rap1 protection and play redundant but critical roles in preventing NHEJ and maintaining telomere integrity and cell viability. These results demonstrate how redundant pathways make the essential role of telomeres-protecting our genome integrity and preventing cancer-more robust and resistant to assaults and perturbations.
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Sayed ME, Cheng A, Yadav GP, Ludlow AT, Shay JW, Wright WE, Jiang QX. Catalysis-dependent inactivation of human telomerase and its reactivation by intracellular telomerase-activating factors (iTAFs). J Biol Chem 2019; 294:11579-11596. [PMID: 31186347 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.007234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human telomerase maintains genome stability by adding telomeric repeats to the ends of linear chromosomes. Although previous studies have revealed profound insights into telomerase functions, the low cellular abundance of functional telomerase and the difficulties in quantifying its activity leave its thermodynamic and kinetic properties only partially characterized. Employing a stable cell line overexpressing both the human telomerase RNA component and the N-terminally biotinylated human telomerase reverse transcriptase and using a newly developed method to count individual extension products, we demonstrate here that human telomerase holoenzymes contain fast- and slow-acting catalytic sites. Surprisingly, both active sites became inactive after two consecutive rounds of catalysis, named single-run catalysis. The fast active sites turned off ∼40-fold quicker than the slow ones and exhibited higher affinities to DNA substrates. In a dimeric enzyme, the two active sites work in tandem, with the faster site functioning before the slower one, and in the monomeric enzyme, the active sites also perform single-run catalysis. Interestingly, inactive enzymes could be reactivated by intracellular telomerase-activating factors (iTAFs) from multiple cell types. We conclude that the single-run catalysis and the iTAF-triggered reactivation serve as an unprecedented control circuit for dynamic regulation of telomerase. They endow native telomerase holoenzymes with the ability to match their total number of active sites to the number of telomeres they extend. We propose that the exquisite kinetic control of telomerase activity may play important roles in both cell division and cell aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed E Sayed
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390.,School of Kinesiology Integrative Molecular Genetics Lab, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Ao Cheng
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390.,Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Gaya P Yadav
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390.,Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Andrew T Ludlow
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390.,School of Kinesiology Integrative Molecular Genetics Lab, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Jerry W Shay
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390
| | - Woodring E Wright
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390
| | - Qiu-Xing Jiang
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390 .,Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
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Majerská J, Schrumpfová PP, Dokládal L, Schořová Š, Stejskal K, Obořil M, Honys D, Kozáková L, Polanská PS, Sýkorová E. Tandem affinity purification of AtTERT reveals putative interaction partners of plant telomerase in vivo. PROTOPLASMA 2017; 254:1547-1562. [PMID: 27853871 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-016-1042-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The life cycle of telomerase involves dynamic and complex interactions between proteins within multiple macromolecular networks. Elucidation of these associations is a key to understanding the regulation of telomerase under diverse physiological and pathological conditions from telomerase biogenesis, through telomere recruitment and elongation, to its non-canonical activities outside of telomeres. We used tandem affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry to build an interactome of the telomerase catalytic subunit AtTERT, using Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cultures. We then examined interactions occurring at the AtTERT N-terminus, which is thought to fold into a discrete domain connected to the rest of the molecule via a flexible linker. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that interaction partners of AtTERT have a range of molecular functions, a subset of which is specific to the network around its N-terminus. A significant number of proteins co-purifying with the N-terminal constructs have been implicated in cell cycle and developmental processes, as would be expected of bona fide regulatory interactions and we have confirmed experimentally the direct nature of selected interactions. To examine AtTERT protein-protein interactions from another perspective, we also analysed AtTERT interdomain contacts to test potential dimerization of AtTERT. In total, our results provide an insight into the composition and architecture of the plant telomerase complex and this will aid in delineating molecular mechanisms of telomerase functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Majerská
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic
- Central European Institute of Technology and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Petra Procházková Schrumpfová
- Central European Institute of Technology and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ladislav Dokládal
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Šárka Schořová
- Central European Institute of Technology and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Stejskal
- Central European Institute of Technology and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Obořil
- Central European Institute of Technology and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - David Honys
- Institute of Experimental Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Rozvojová 263, CZ-165 02, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Kozáková
- Central European Institute of Technology and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Sováková Polanská
- Central European Institute of Technology and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Sýkorová
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.
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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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Matsuguchi T, Blackburn E. The yeast telomerase RNA, TLC1, participates in two distinct modes of TLC1-TLC1 association processes in vivo. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1534. [PMID: 27004145 PMCID: PMC4800423 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase core enzyme minimally consists of the telomerase reverse transcriptase domain-containing protein (Est2 in budding yeast S. cerevisiae) and telomerase RNA, which contains the template specifying the telomeric repeat sequence synthesized. Here we report that in vivo, a fraction of S. cerevisiae telomerase RNA (TLC1) molecules form complexes containing at least two molecules of TLC1, via two separable modes: one requiring a sequence in the 3′ region of the immature TLC1 precursor and the other requiring Ku and Sir4. Such physical TLC1-TLC1 association peaked in G1 phase and did not require telomere silencing, telomere tethering to the nuclear periphery, telomerase holoenzyme assembly, or detectable Est2-Est2 protein association. These data indicate that TLC1-TLC1 associations reflect processes occurring during telomerase biogenesis; we propose that TLC1-TLC1 associations and subsequent reorganization may be regulatory steps in telomerase enzymatic activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tet Matsuguchi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California , San Francisco, CA , United States
| | - Elizabeth Blackburn
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California , San Francisco, CA , United States
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Bajon E, Laterreur N, Wellinger RJ. A Single Templating RNA in Yeast Telomerase. Cell Rep 2015; 12:441-8. [PMID: 26166570 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.06.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Revised: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The number of essential telomerase components in the active ribonucleoprotein (RNP) has important implications for its mechanism of action yet is by and large unknown. We report that two differentially tagged TLC1 RNAs endogenously expressed in a heterozygous diploid and simultaneously detected via multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments do not co-localize. Probabilistic calculations combined with direct quantification of FISH signals demonstrate that the TLC1 RNA indeed occurs as a single molecule in these RNPs. In addition, two differentially tagged reverse-transcriptase subunits could not be co-immunoprecipitated. These results therefore show that, in yeast cells, telomerase is assembled and matured and occurs as a monomer when not on telomeres. Finally, combining these findings with previous evidence leads us to propose that the enzyme also acts as a monomer when elongating telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Bajon
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, 3201, rue Jean Mignault, Sherbrooke, QC J1E 4K8, Canada
| | - Nancy Laterreur
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, 3201, rue Jean Mignault, Sherbrooke, QC J1E 4K8, Canada
| | - Raymund J Wellinger
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, 3201, rue Jean Mignault, Sherbrooke, QC J1E 4K8, Canada.
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The pif1 helicase, a negative regulator of telomerase, acts preferentially at long telomeres. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005186. [PMID: 25906395 PMCID: PMC4408051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase, the enzyme that maintains telomeres, preferentially lengthens short telomeres. The S. cerevisiae Pif1 DNA helicase inhibits both telomerase-mediated telomere lengthening and de novo telomere addition at double strand breaks (DSB). Here, we report that the association of the telomerase subunits Est2 and Est1 at a DSB was increased in the absence of Pif1, as it is at telomeres, suggesting that Pif1 suppresses de novo telomere addition by removing telomerase from the break. To determine how the absence of Pif1 results in telomere lengthening, we used the single telomere extension assay (STEX), which monitors lengthening of individual telomeres in a single cell cycle. In the absence of Pif1, telomerase added significantly more telomeric DNA, an average of 72 nucleotides per telomere compared to the 45 nucleotides in wild type cells, and the fraction of telomeres lengthened increased almost four-fold. Using an inducible short telomere assay, Est2 and Est1 no longer bound preferentially to a short telomere in pif1 mutant cells while binding of Yku80, a telomere structural protein, was unaffected by the status of the PIF1 locus. Two experiments demonstrate that Pif1 binding is affected by telomere length: Pif1 (but not Yku80) -associated telomeres were 70 bps longer than bulk telomeres, and in the inducible short telomere assay, Pif1 bound better to wild type length telomeres than to short telomeres. Thus, preferential lengthening of short yeast telomeres is achieved in part by targeting the negative regulator Pif1 to long telomeres. Telomerase, the enzyme that maintains telomeres, preferentially lengthens short telomeres. The baker’s yeast Pif1 DNA helicase inhibits both telomerase-mediated lengthening of existing telomeres and the formation of new telomeres at double strand breaks. By virtue of its ATPase activity, Pif1 reduces the level of telomerase binding to telomeres. Here, we report that the association of the telomerase subunits Est2 and Est1 at a DNA break was increased in the absence of Pif1, suggesting that Pif1 affects telomere length and new telomere formation by similar mechanisms. In cells lacking Pif1, Est2 and Est1 no longer bound preferentially to short telomeres, a larger fraction of telomeres was lengthened and the amount of telomeric DNA added per telomere was increased compared to wild type cells. Furthermore, by two different assays, Pif1 bound preferentially to long telomeres in vivo. Thus, preferential lengthening of short telomeres is achieved in part by targeting Pif1, a negative regulator of telomerase, to long telomeres.
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Multifunctional role of ATM/Tel1 kinase in genome stability: from the DNA damage response to telomere maintenance. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:787404. [PMID: 25247188 PMCID: PMC4163350 DOI: 10.1155/2014/787404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian protein kinase ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is a key regulator of the DNA double-strand-break response and belongs to the evolutionary conserved phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-related protein kinases. ATM deficiency causes ataxia telangiectasia (AT), a genetic disorder that is characterized by premature aging, cerebellar neuropathy, immunodeficiency, and predisposition to cancer. AT cells show defects in the DNA damage-response pathway, cell-cycle control, and telomere maintenance and length regulation. Likewise, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, haploid strains defective in the TEL1 gene, the ATM ortholog, show chromosomal aberrations and short telomeres. In this review, we outline the complex role of ATM/Tel1 in maintaining genomic stability through its control of numerous aspects of cellular survival. In particular, we describe how ATM/Tel1 participates in the signal transduction pathways elicited by DNA damage and in telomere homeostasis and its importance as a barrier to cancer development.
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Li JR, Yu TY, Chien IC, Lu CY, Lin JJ, Li HW. Pif1 regulates telomere length by preferentially removing telomerase from long telomere ends. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:8527-36. [PMID: 24981509 PMCID: PMC4117769 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein complex, is responsible for maintaining the telomere length at chromosome ends. Using its RNA component as a template, telomerase uses its reverse transcriptase activity to extend the 3'-end single-stranded, repetitive telomeric DNA sequence. Pif1, a 5'-to-3' helicase, has been suggested to regulate telomerase activity. We used single-molecule experiments to directly show that Pif1 helicase regulates telomerase activity by removing telomerase from telomere ends, allowing the cycling of the telomerase for additional extension processes. This telomerase removal efficiency increases at longer ssDNA gaps and at higher Pif1 concentrations. The enhanced telomerase removal efficiency by Pif1 at the longer single-stranded telomeric DNA suggests a way of how Pif1 regulates telomerase activity and maintains telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Ru Li
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Yuan Yu
- Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan
| | - I-Chieh Chien
- Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ying Lu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Jer Lin
- Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Wen Li
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
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Martadinata H, Phan AT. Formation of a stacked dimeric G-quadruplex containing bulges by the 5'-terminal region of human telomerase RNA (hTERC). Biochemistry 2014; 53:1595-600. [PMID: 24601523 DOI: 10.1021/bi4015727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We investigate the structure formed by the first 18-nt of the 5'-terminal region of the human telomerase RNA (hTERC or hTR) using gel electrophoresis and UV, CD, and NMR spectroscopy. Our data suggest that this 18-nt sequence, r(GGGUUGCGGAGGGUGGGC), can form a stacked dimeric G-quadruplex in potassium solution. The two subunits, each being a three-layer parallel-stranded G-quadruplex with a cytosine bulge, are stacked at their 5'-end. The formation of this stacked dimeric G-quadruplex containing bulges could be biologically relevant for the dimerization and other interactions of the active human telomerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herry Martadinata
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637371
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Coy S, Volanakis A, Shah S, Vasiljeva L. The Sm complex is required for the processing of non-coding RNAs by the exosome. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65606. [PMID: 23755256 PMCID: PMC3675052 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Accepted: 04/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A key question in the field of RNA regulation is how some exosome substrates, such as spliceosomal snRNAs and telomerase RNA, evade degradation and are processed into stable, functional RNA molecules. Typical feature of these non-coding RNAs is presence of the Sm complex at the 3′end of the mature RNA molecule. Here, we report that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae presence of intact Sm binding site is required for the exosome-mediated processing of telomerase RNA from a polyadenylated precursor into its mature form and is essential for its function in elongating telomeres. Additionally, we demonstrate that the same pathway is involved in the maturation of snRNAs. Furthermore, the insertion of an Sm binding site into an unstable RNA that is normally completely destroyed by the exosome, leads to its partial stabilization. We also show that telomerase RNA accumulates in Schizosaccharomyces pombe exosome mutants, suggesting a conserved role for the exosome in processing and degradation of telomerase RNA. In summary, our data provide important mechanistic insight into the regulation of exosome dependent RNA processing as well as telomerase RNA biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Coy
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Volanakis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sneha Shah
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lidia Vasiljeva
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Churikov D, Corda Y, Luciano P, Géli V. Cdc13 at a crossroads of telomerase action. Front Oncol 2013; 3:39. [PMID: 23450759 PMCID: PMC3584321 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2013.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere elongation by telomerase involves sequential steps that must be highly coordinated to ensure the maintenance of telomeres at a proper length. Telomerase is delivered to telomere ends, where it engages single-strand DNA end as a primer, elongates it, and dissociates from the telomeres via mechanism that is likely coupled to the synthesis of the complementary C-strand. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the telomeric G-overhang bound Cdc13 acts as a platform for the recruitment of several factors that orchestrate timely transitions between these steps. In this review, we focus on some unresolved aspects of telomerase recruitment and on the mechanisms that regulate telomere elongation by telomerase after its recruitment to chromosome ends. We also highlight the key regulatory modifications of Cdc13 that promote transitions between the steps of telomere elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri Churikov
- Marseille Cancer Research Center, U1068 INSERM, UMR7258 CNRS, Aix-Marseille University Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille, France
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15
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Nandakumar J, Cech TR. Finding the end: recruitment of telomerase to telomeres. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2013; 14:69-82. [PMID: 23299958 DOI: 10.1038/nrm3505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 265] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres, the ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, are characterized by the presence of multiple repeats of a short DNA sequence. This telomeric DNA is protected from illicit repair by telomere-associated proteins, which in mammals form the shelterin complex. Replicative polymerases are unable to synthesize DNA at the extreme ends of chromosomes, but in unicellular eukaryotes such as yeast and in mammalian germ cells and stem cells, telomere length is maintained by a ribonucleoprotein enzyme known as telomerase. Recent work has provided insights into the mechanisms of telomerase recruitment to telomeres, highlighting the contribution of telomere-associated proteins, including TPP1 in humans, Ccq1 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Cdc13 and Ku70-Ku80 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayakrishnan Nandakumar
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0596, USA
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16
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Abstract
The mechanisms that maintain the stability of chromosome ends have broad impact on genome integrity in all eukaryotes. Budding yeast is a premier organism for telomere studies. Many fundamental concepts of telomere and telomerase function were first established in yeast and then extended to other organisms. We present a comprehensive review of yeast telomere biology that covers capping, replication, recombination, and transcription. We think of it as yeast telomeres—soup to nuts.
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17
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Mason M, Wanat JJ, Harper S, Schultz DC, Speicher DW, Johnson FB, Skordalakes E. Cdc13 OB2 dimerization required for productive Stn1 binding and efficient telomere maintenance. Structure 2012. [PMID: 23177925 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2012.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cdc13 is an essential yeast protein required for telomere length regulation and genome stability. It does so via its telomere-capping properties and by regulating telomerase access to the telomeres. The crystal structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cdc13 domain located between the recruitment and DNA binding domains reveals an oligonucleotide-oligosaccharide binding fold (OB2) with unusually long loops extending from the core of the protein. These loops are involved in extensive interactions between two Cdc13 OB2 folds leading to stable homodimerization. Interestingly, the functionally impaired cdc13-1 mutation inhibits OB2 dimerization. Biochemical assays indicate OB2 is not involved in telomeric DNA or Stn1 binding. However, disruption of the OB2 dimer in full-length Cdc13 affects Cdc13-Stn1 association, leading to telomere length deregulation, increased temperature sensitivity, and Stn1 binding defects. We therefore propose that dimerization of the OB2 domain of Cdc13 is required for proper Cdc13, Stn1, Ten1 (CST) assembly and productive telomere capping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Mason
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jennifer J Wanat
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Stellar-Chance 405A, 422 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sandy Harper
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David C Schultz
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David W Speicher
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - F Brad Johnson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Stellar-Chance 405A, 422 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Emmanuel Skordalakes
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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18
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Lamm N, Bsoul S, Kabaha MM, Tzfati Y. "Poisoning" yeast telomeres distinguishes between redundant telomere capping pathways. Chromosoma 2012; 121:613-27. [PMID: 23052336 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-012-0385-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Revised: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 09/18/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
In most eukaryotes, telomeres are composed of tandem arrays of species-specific DNA repeats ending with a G-rich 3' overhang. In budding yeast, Cdc13 binds this overhang and recruits Ten1-Stn1 and the telomerase protein Est1 to protect (cap) and elongate the telomeres, respectively. To dissect and study the various pathways employed to cap and maintain the telomere end, we engineered telomerase to incorporate Tetrahymena telomeric repeats (G₄T₂) onto the telomeres of the budding yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. These heterologous repeats caused telomere-telomere fusions, cell cycle arrest at G2/M, and severely reduced viability--the hallmarks of telomere uncapping. Fusing Cdc13 or Est1 to universal minicircle sequence binding protein (UMSBP), a small protein that binds the single-stranded G₄T₂ repeats, rescued the cell viability and restored telomere capping, but not telomerase-mediated telomere maintenance. Surprisingly, Cdc13-UMSBP-mediated telomere capping was dependent on the homologous recombination factor Rad52, while Est1-UMSBP was not. Thus, our results distinguish between two, redundant, telomere capping pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Lamm
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel
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19
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Beilstein MA, Brinegar AE, Shippen DE. Evolution of the Arabidopsis telomerase RNA. Front Genet 2012; 3:188. [PMID: 23015808 PMCID: PMC3449308 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2012.00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2012] [Accepted: 09/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The telomerase reverse transcriptase promotes genome integrity by continually synthesizing a short telomere repeat sequence on chromosome ends. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex whose integral RNA subunit TER contains a template domain with a sequence complementary to the telomere repeat that is reiteratively copied by the catalytic subunit. Although TER harbors well-conserved secondary structure elements, its nucleotide sequence is highly divergent, even among closely related organisms. Thus, it has been extremely challenging to identify TER orthologs by bioinformatics strategies. Recently, TER was reported in the flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. In contrast to other model organisms, A. thaliana encodes two TER subunits, only one of which is required to maintain telomere tracts in vivo. Here we investigate the evolution of the loci that encode TER in Arabidopsis by comparison to the same locus in its close relatives. We employ a combination of PCR and bioinformatics approaches to identify putative TER loci based on syntenic regions flanking the TER1 and TER2 loci of A. thaliana. Unexpectedly, we discovered that the genomic regions encoding the two A. thaliana TERs occur as a single locus in other Brassicaceae. Moreover, we find striking sequence divergence within the telomere template domain of putative TERs from Brassicaceae, including some orthologous loci that completely lack a template domain. Finally, evolution of the locus is characterized by lineage-specific events rather than changes shared among closely related species. We conclude that the Arabidopsis TER duplication occurred very recently, and further that changes at this locus in other Brassicaceae indicate the process of TER evolution may be different in plants compared with vertebrates and yeast.
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20
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Gallardo F, Laterreur N, Wellinger RJ, Chartrand P. Telomerase caught in the act: united we stand, divided we fall. RNA Biol 2012; 9:1139-43. [PMID: 22951592 DOI: 10.4161/rna.21498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The stable linearity of eukaryotic chromosomes depends on special characteristics of their ends, the telomeres. Accurate telomere function in turn requires a sustained presence of repeated DNA elements, which are maintained by the enzyme telomerase. The telomerase holoenzyme is composed of both protein and RNA, and its functions rely on proper expression, maturation, trafficking and assembly of these components. Conflicting models for the recruitment of telomerase at telomeres have been proposed; one suggests a local activation of telomerase at short telomeres, while the other proposes that telomerase is recruited only at short telomeres. To discriminate between these models and investigate the cell cycle-dependent regulation of telomerase in living cells, a GFP reporter system to visualize the yeast telomerase RNA has been recently developed. This assay shed new light on the mechanism of recruitment of telomerase to telomeres, and it uncovered a hitherto unrecognized mechanism for restricting telomerase access to telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Gallardo
- Université Paul Sabatier, Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Toulouse, France.
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21
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Cohn EPMT, Wu KL, Pettus TRR, Reich NO. A New Strategy for Detection and Development of Tractable Telomerase Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2012; 55:3678-86. [DOI: 10.1021/jm201191d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elysia P. M. T. Cohn
- Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
93106, United States
| | - Kun-Liang Wu
- Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
93106, United States
| | - Thomas R. R. Pettus
- Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
93106, United States
| | - Norbert O. Reich
- Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
93106, United States
- Program
in Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California,
Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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22
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Live cell imaging of telomerase RNA dynamics reveals cell cycle-dependent clustering of telomerase at elongating telomeres. Mol Cell 2012; 44:819-27. [PMID: 22152484 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2011.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2011] [Revised: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 09/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The telomerase, which is composed of both protein and RNA, maintains genome stability by replenishing telomeric repeats at the ends of chromosomes. Here, we use live-cell imaging to follow yeast telomerase RNA dynamics and recruitment to telomeres in single cells. Tracking of single telomerase particles revealed a diffusive behavior and transient association with telomeres in G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Interestingly, concurrent with telomere elongation in late S phase, a subset of telomerase enzyme clusters and stably associates with few telomeres. Our data show that this clustering represents elongating telomerase and it depends on regulators of telomerase at telomeres (MRX, Tel1, Rif1/2, and Cdc13). Furthermore, the assay revealed premature telomere elongation in G1 in a rif1/2 strains, suggesting that Rif1/2 act as cell-cycle dependent negative regulators of telomerase. We propose that telomere elongation is organized around a local and transient accumulation of several telomerases on a few telomeres.
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23
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24
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Houghtaling BR, Canudas S, Smith S. A role for sister telomere cohesion in telomere elongation by telomerase. Cell Cycle 2012; 11:19-25. [PMID: 22157096 DOI: 10.4161/cc.11.1.18633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length homeostasis is achieved by a balance of telomere shortening caused by DNA replication and nucleolytic attack and telomere lengthening by telomerase. The importance of telomere length maintenance to human health is best illustrated by dyskeratosis congenita (DC) a disease of telomere shortening caused by mutations in telomerase subunits. DC patients suffer stem cell depletion and die of bone marrow stem cell failure. Recently a new class of particularly severe DC patients was found to harbor mutations in the shelterin subunit TIN2. The DC-TIN2 mutations were clustered in small domain of unknown function. In a recently published study we showed that the DC mutation cluster in TIN2 harbored a binding site for heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) and further, that HP1 binding to TIN2 was required for sister telomere cohesion in S phase and for telomere length maintenance by telomerase. We briefly review and discuss the implications of our findings in this Extra View, and present some new data that may shed light on how sister telomere cohesion could influence telomere elongation by telomerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R Houghtaling
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program and Department of Pathology, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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25
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Zvereva MI, Shcherbakova DM, Dontsova OA. Telomerase: structure, functions, and activity regulation. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2011; 75:1563-83. [PMID: 21417995 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297910130055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Telomerase is the enzyme responsible for maintenance of the length of telomeres by addition of guanine-rich repetitive sequences. Telomerase activity is exhibited in gametes and stem and tumor cells. In human somatic cells proliferation potential is strictly limited and senescence follows approximately 50-70 cell divisions. In most tumor cells, on the contrary, replication potential is unlimited. The key role in this process of the system of the telomere length maintenance with involvement of telomerase is still poorly studied. No doubt, DNA polymerase is not capable to completely copy DNA at the very ends of chromosomes; therefore, approximately 50 nucleotides are lost during each cell cycle, which results in gradual telomere length shortening. Critically short telomeres cause senescence, following crisis, and cell death. However, in tumor cells the system of telomere length maintenance is activated. Besides catalytic telomere elongation, independent telomerase functions can be also involved in cell cycle regulation. Inhibition of the telomerase catalytic function and resulting cessation of telomere length maintenance will help in restriction of tumor cell replication potential. On the other hand, formation of temporarily active enzyme via its intracellular activation or due to stimulation of expression of telomerase components will result in telomerase activation and telomere elongation that can be used for correction of degenerative changes. Data on telomerase structure and function are summarized in this review, and they are compared for evolutionarily remote organisms. Problems of telomerase activity measurement and modulation by enzyme inhibitors or activators are considered as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- M I Zvereva
- Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.
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26
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Canudas S, Houghtaling BR, Bhanot M, Sasa G, Savage SA, Bertuch AA, Smith S. A role for heterochromatin protein 1γ at human telomeres. Genes Dev 2011; 25:1807-19. [PMID: 21865325 DOI: 10.1101/gad.17325211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Human telomere function is mediated by shelterin, a six-subunit complex that is required for telomere replication, protection, and cohesion. TIN2, the central component of shelterin, has binding sites to three subunits: TRF1, TRF2, and TPP1. Here we identify a fourth partner, heterochromatin protein 1γ (HP1γ), that binds to a conserved canonical HP1-binding motif, PXVXL, in the C-terminal domain of TIN2. We show that HP1γ localizes to telomeres in S phase, where it is required to establish/maintain cohesion. We further demonstrate that the HP1-binding site in TIN2 is required for sister telomere cohesion and can impact telomere length maintenance by telomerase. Remarkably, the PTVML HP1-binding site is embedded in the recently identified cluster of mutations in TIN2 that gives rise to dyskeratosis congenita (DC), an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome caused by defects in telomere maintenance. We show that DC-associated mutations in TIN2 abrogate binding to HP1γ and that DC patient cells are defective in sister telomere cohesion. Our data indicate a novel requirement for HP1γ in the establishment/maintenance of cohesion at human telomeres and, furthermore, may provide insight into the mechanism of pathogenesis in TIN2-mediated DC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Canudas
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Department of Pathology, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
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27
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Abstract
Cdc13 is a single stranded telomere binding protein that specifically localizes to the telomere ends of budding yeasts and is essential for cell viability. It caps the ends of chromosomes thus preventing chromosome end-to-end fusions and exonucleolytic degradation, events that could lead to genomic instability and senescence, the hallmark of aging. Cdc13 is also involved in telomere length regulation by recruiting or preventing access of telomerase to the telomeric overhang. Recruitment of telomerase to the telomeres for G-strand extension is required for continuous cell division, while preventing its access to the telomeres through capping the chromosome ends prevents mitotic events that could lead to cell immortality, the hall mark of carcinogenesis. Cdc13 and its putative homologues human CTC1 and POT1 are therefore key to many biological processes directly associated with life extension and cancer prevention and can be viewed as an ideal target for cancer and age related therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Mason
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA
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28
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Abstract
Ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) play key roles in many cellular processes and often function as RNP enzymes. Similar to proteins, some of these RNPs exist and function as multimers, either homomeric or heteromeric. While in some cases the mechanistic function of multimerization is well understood, the functional consequences of multimerization of other RNPs remain enigmatic. In this review we will discuss the function and organization of small RNPs that exist as stable multimers, including RNPs catalyzing RNA chemical modifications, telomerase RNP, and RNPs involved in pre-mRNA splicing.
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29
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Sun J, Yang Y, Wan K, Mao N, Yu TY, Lin YC, DeZwaan DC, Freeman BC, Lin JJ, Lue NF, Lei M. Structural bases of dimerization of yeast telomere protein Cdc13 and its interaction with the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase α. Cell Res 2010; 21:258-74. [PMID: 20877309 DOI: 10.1038/cr.2010.138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Budding yeast Cdc13-Stn1-Ten1 (CST) complex plays an essential role in telomere protection and maintenance, and has been proposed to be a telomere-specific replication protein A (RPA)-like complex. Previous genetic and structural studies revealed a close resemblance between Stn1-Ten1 and RPA32-RPA14. However, the relationship between Cdc13 and RPA70, the largest subunit of RPA, has remained unclear. Here, we report the crystal structure of the N-terminal OB (oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding) fold of Cdc13. Although Cdc13 has an RPA70-like domain organization, the structures of Cdc13 OB folds are significantly different from their counterparts in RPA70, suggesting that they have distinct evolutionary origins. Furthermore, our structural and biochemical analyses revealed unexpected dimerization by the N-terminal OB fold and showed that homodimerization is probably a conserved feature of all Cdc13 proteins. We also uncovered the structural basis of the interaction between the Cdc13 N-terminal OB fold and the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase α (Pol1), and demonstrated a role for Cdc13 dimerization in Pol1 binding. Analysis of the phenotypes of mutants defective in Cdc13 dimerization and Cdc13-Pol1 interaction revealed multiple mechanisms by which dimerization regulates telomere lengths in vivo. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms and evolution of Cdc13.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Sun
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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30
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Abstract
The essential yeast protein Cdc13 facilitates chromosome end replication by recruiting telomerase to telomeres, and together with its interacting partners Stn1 and Ten1, it protects chromosome ends from nucleolytic attack, thus contributing to genome integrity. Although Cdc13 has been studied extensively, the precise role of its N-terminal domain (Cdc13N) in telomere length regulation remains unclear. Here we present a structural, biochemical, and functional characterization of Cdc13N. The structure reveals that this domain comprises an oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding (OB) fold and is involved in Cdc13 dimerization. Biochemical data show that Cdc13N weakly binds long, single-stranded, telomeric DNA in a fashion that is directly dependent on domain oligomerization. When introduced into full-length Cdc13 in vivo, point mutations that prevented Cdc13N dimerization or DNA binding caused telomere shortening or lengthening, respectively. The multiple DNA binding domains and dimeric nature of Cdc13 offer unique insights into how it coordinates the recruitment and regulation of telomerase access to the telomeres.
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31
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Wyatt HDM, West SC, Beattie TL. InTERTpreting telomerase structure and function. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 38:5609-22. [PMID: 20460453 PMCID: PMC2943602 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2010] [Revised: 04/20/2010] [Accepted: 04/26/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was recently awarded to Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for their pioneering studies on chromosome termini (telomeres) and their discovery of telomerase, the enzyme that synthesizes telomeres. Telomerase is a unique cellular reverse transcriptase that contains an integral RNA subunit, the telomerase RNA and a catalytic protein subunit, the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), as well as several species-specific accessory proteins. Telomerase is essential for genome stability and is associated with a broad spectrum of human diseases including various forms of cancer, bone marrow failure and pulmonary fibrosis. A better understanding of telomerase structure and function will shed important insights into how this enzyme contributes to human disease. To this end, a series of high-resolution structural studies have provided critical information on TERT architecture and may ultimately elucidate novel targets for therapeutic intervention. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of TERT structure and function, revealed through the detailed analysis of TERT from model organisms. To emphasize the physiological importance of telomeres and telomerase, we also present a general discussion of the human diseases associated with telomerase dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley D. M. Wyatt
- London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, EN6 3LD, UK and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute and Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Oncology, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Stephen C. West
- London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, EN6 3LD, UK and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute and Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Oncology, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Tara L. Beattie
- London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, EN6 3LD, UK and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute and Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Oncology, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
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32
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Malyavko AG, Logvina NA, Zvereva ME, Dontsova OA. In vitro dimerization of telomerase protein Est3p is stimulated by magnesium cations. DOKL BIOCHEM BIOPHYS 2010; 433:152-4. [PMID: 20714845 DOI: 10.1134/s1607672910040034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A G Malyavko
- Chemistry Department, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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33
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Abstract
Pif1p is the prototype member of a family of helicases that is highly conserved from yeast to humans. In yeast, Pif1p is involved in many aspects of the preservation of genome stability. In particular, Pif1p is involved in the maintenance of mitochondrial DNA and in the direct inhibition of telomerase at telomeres and double-stranded breaks. Here we describe methods to purify Pif1p and study in vitro its enzymatic properties and functional interaction with telomerase.
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34
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Yeast telomerase subunit Est1p has guanine quadruplex-promoting activity that is required for telomere elongation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2010; 17:202-9. [PMID: 20098422 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2009] [Accepted: 11/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres are eukaryotic protein-DNA complexes found at the ends of linear chromosomes that are essential for maintaining genome integrity and are implicated in cellular aging and cancer. The guanine (G)-rich strand of telomeric DNA, usually elongated by the telomerase reverse transcriptase, can form a higher-order structure known as a G-quadruplex in vitro and in vivo. Several factors that promote or resolve G-quadruplexes have been identified, but the functional importance of these structures for telomere maintenance is not well understood. Here we show that the yeast telomerase subunit Est1p, known to be involved in telomerase recruitment to telomeres, can convert single-stranded telomeric G-rich DNA into a G-quadruplex structure in vitro in a Mg(2+)-dependent manner. Cells carrying Est1p mutants deficient in G-quadruplex formation in vitro showed gradual telomere shortening and cellular senescence, indicating a positive regulatory role for G-quadruplex in the maintenance of telomere length.
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35
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Shcherbakova DM, Sokolov KA, Zvereva MI, Dontsova OA. Telomerase from yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is active in vitro as a monomer. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2009; 74:749-55. [PMID: 19747095 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297909070074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A system for isolation of yeast telomerase via RNA affinity tag in TLC1 RNA was developed. Streptavidin aptamer was inserted at two different positions in TLC1 RNA. Telomerase with TLC1 RNA with one of these inserts is functional in vivo and can be isolated by affinity chromatography in vitro. A telomerase preparation isolated using this technique from a strain producing two distinguishable TLC1 RNA molecules (with and without aptameric insertion) resulted in isolation of active telomerase containing only TLC1 RNA with the aptamer. Our results indicate that yeast telomerase is active in vitro as a monomer.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Shcherbakova
- Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia
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36
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The conserved Est1 protein stimulates telomerase DNA extension activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:17337-42. [PMID: 19805136 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0905703106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The first telomerase cofactor identified was the budding yeast protein Est1, which is conserved through humans. While it is evident that Est1 is required for telomere DNA maintenance, understanding its mechanistic contributions to telomerase regulation has been limited. In vitro, the primary effect of Est1 is to activate telomerase-mediated DNA extension. Although Est1 displayed specific DNA and RNA binding, neither activity contributed significantly to telomerase stimulation. Rather Est1 mediated telomerase upregulation through direct contacts with the reverse transcriptase subunit. In addition to intrinsic Est1 functions, we found that Est1 cooperatively activated telomerase in conjunction with Cdc13 and that the combinatorial effect was dependent upon a known salt-bridge interaction between Est1 (K444) and Cdc13 (E252). Our studies provide insights into the molecular events used to control the enzymatic activity of the telomerase holoenzyme.
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37
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Bleichert F, Gagnon KT, Brown BA, Maxwell ES, Leschziner AE, Unger VM, Baserga SJ. A dimeric structure for archaeal box C/D small ribonucleoproteins. Science 2009; 325:1384-7. [PMID: 19745151 DOI: 10.1126/science.1176099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Methylation of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is required for optimal protein synthesis. Multiple 2'-O-ribose methylations are carried out by box C/D guide ribonucleoproteins [small ribonucleoproteins (sRNPs) and small nucleolar ribonucleoproteins (snoRNPs)], which are conserved from archaea to eukaryotes. Methylation is dictated by base pairing between the specific guide RNA component of the sRNP or snoRNP and the target rRNA. We determined the structure of a reconstituted and catalytically active box C/D sRNP from the archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii by single-particle electron microscopy. We found that archaeal box C/D sRNPs unexpectedly formed a dimeric structure with an alternative organization of their RNA and protein components that challenges the conventional view of their architecture. Mutational analysis demonstrated that this di-sRNP structure was relevant for the enzymatic function of archaeal box C/D sRNPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Bleichert
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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38
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Waghmare SP, Pousinis P, Hornby DP, Dickman MJ. Studying the mechanism of RNA separations using RNA chromatography and its application in the analysis of ribosomal RNA and RNA:RNA interactions. J Chromatogr A 2009; 1216:1377-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2008.12.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2008] [Revised: 12/12/2008] [Accepted: 12/22/2008] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Zappulla DC, Roberts JN, Goodrich KJ, Cech TR, Wuttke DS. Inhibition of yeast telomerase action by the telomeric ssDNA-binding protein, Cdc13p. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 37:354-67. [PMID: 19043074 PMCID: PMC2632905 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Appropriate control of the chromosome end-replicating enzyme telomerase is crucial for maintaining telomere length and genomic stability. The essential telomeric DNA-binding protein Cdc13p both positively and negatively regulates telomere length in budding yeast. Here we test the effect of purified Cdc13p on telomerase action in vitro. We show that the full-length protein and its DNA-binding domain (DBD) inhibit primer extension by telomerase. This inhibition occurs by competitive blocking of telomerase access to DNA. To further understand the requirements for productive telomerase 3′-end access when Cdc13p or the DBD is bound to a telomerase substrate, we constrained protein binding at various distances from the 3′-end on two sets of increasingly longer oligonucleotides. We find that Cdc13p inhibits the action of telomerase through three distinct biochemical modes, including inhibiting telomerase even when a significant tail is available, representing a novel ‘action at a distance’ inhibitory activity. Thus, while yeast Cdc13p exhibits the same general activity as human POT1, providing an off switch for telomerase when bound near the 3′-end, there are significant mechanistic differences in the ways telomere end-binding proteins inhibit telomerase action.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Zappulla
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
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41
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Structure of the Tribolium castaneum telomerase catalytic subunit TERT. Nature 2008; 455:633-7. [PMID: 18758444 DOI: 10.1038/nature07283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2008] [Accepted: 07/23/2008] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
A common hallmark of human cancers is the overexpression of telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein complex that is responsible for maintaining the length and integrity of chromosome ends. Telomere length deregulation and telomerase activation is an early, and perhaps necessary, step in cancer cell evolution. Here we present the high-resolution structure of the Tribolium castaneum catalytic subunit of telomerase, TERT. The protein consists of three highly conserved domains, organized into a ring-like structure that shares common features with retroviral reverse transcriptases, viral RNA polymerases and B-family DNA polymerases. Domain organization places motifs implicated in substrate binding and catalysis in the interior of the ring, which can accommodate seven to eight bases of double-stranded nucleic acid. Modelling of an RNA-DNA heteroduplex in the interior of this ring demonstrates a perfect fit between the protein and the nucleic acid substrate, and positions the 3'-end of the DNA primer at the active site of the enzyme, providing evidence for the formation of an active telomerase elongation complex.
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Chang M, Arneric M, Lingner J. Telomerase repeat addition processivity is increased at critically short telomeres in a Tel1-dependent manner in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genes Dev 2007; 21:2485-94. [PMID: 17908934 PMCID: PMC1993878 DOI: 10.1101/gad.1588807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is the ribonucleoprotein enzyme that elongates telomeres to counteract telomere shortening. The core enzyme consists of a reverse transcriptase protein subunit and an RNA subunit. The RNA subunit contains a short region that is used as a template by the reverse transcriptase to add short, tandem, G-rich repeats to the 3' ends of telomeres. By coexpressing two RNA subunits that differ in the telomeric repeat sequence specified and examining the telomere extensions after one cell cycle, we determined that Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomerase can dissociate and reassociate from a given telomere during one cell cycle. We also confirmed that telomerase is nonprocessive in terms of telomeric repeat addition. However, repeat addition processivity is significantly increased at extremely short telomeres, a process that is dependent on the ATM-ortholog Tel1. We propose that this enhancement of telomerase processivity at short telomeres serves to rapidly elongate critically short telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Chang
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Frontiers in Genetics,” CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Milica Arneric
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Frontiers in Genetics,” CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Joachim Lingner
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Frontiers in Genetics,” CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Corresponding author.E-MAIL ; FAX 41-21-652-69-33
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43
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Gilley D, Herbert BS, Huda N, Tanaka H, Reed T. Factors impacting human telomere homeostasis and age-related disease. Mech Ageing Dev 2007; 129:27-34. [PMID: 18054990 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2007.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2007] [Revised: 10/03/2007] [Accepted: 10/23/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Loss of telomere length homeostasis has been linked to age-related disease especially cancer. In this review, we discuss two major causes of telomere dysfunction that potentially lead to tumorigenesis: replicative aging and environmental assaults. Aging has long been recognized as a source for telomere dysfunction through increasing numbers of cell divisions in the absence of sufficient telomerase activity. However, environmental assaults that cause telomere dysfunction are only beginning to be identified and recognized. Environmental stressors that influence telomere length may be physical or induced by psychological situations like stress. Knowledge of all factors, including genetic and environmental forces, that moderate telomere length will be critical for understanding basic mechanisms of human telomere maintenance during development and aging as well as for disease prevention and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Gilley
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States.
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44
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Abstract
The Hsp90 molecular chaperone is a highly abundant eukaryotic molecular chaperone. While it is understood that Hsp90 modulates a significant number of proteins, the mechanistic contributions made by Hsp90 to a client protein typically are not well understood. Here we investigate the yeast Hsp90 regulatory roles with telomerase. Telomerase lengthens chromosome termini by specifically associating with single-stranded telomeric DNA and appending nucleotides by reverse transcription. We have found that the yeast Hsp90 homolog Hsp82p promotes both telomerase DNA binding and nucleotide addition properties. By isolating telomerase from different allelic backgrounds we observed distinct defects. For example, in an hsp82 T101I strain telomerase displayed decreased nucleotide processivity, whereas both DNA binding and extension activities were lowered in a G170D background. The decline in telomerase DNA binding correlated with a loss of Hsp82p association. No matter the defect, telomerase activity was recovered upon Hsp82p addition. Importantly, telomere length and telomerase telomere occupancy was yeast Hsp90 dependent. Taken together, our results indicate that Hsp82p promotes telomerase DNA association and facilitates DNA extension once telomerase is engaged with the DNA.
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45
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Sabourin M, Tuzon CT, Zakian VA. Telomerase and Tel1p preferentially associate with short telomeres in S. cerevisiae. Mol Cell 2007; 27:550-61. [PMID: 17656141 PMCID: PMC2650483 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2007.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2006] [Revised: 06/21/2007] [Accepted: 07/17/2007] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In diverse organisms, telomerase preferentially elongates short telomeres. We generated a single short telomere in otherwise wild-type (WT) S. cerevisiae cells. The binding of the positive regulators Ku and Cdc13p was similar at short and WT-length telomeres. The negative regulators Rif1p and Rif2p were present at the short telomere, although Rif2p levels were reduced. Two telomerase holoenzyme components, Est1p and Est2p, were preferentially enriched at short telomeres in late S/G2 phase, the time of telomerase action. Tel1p, the yeast ATM-like checkpoint kinase, was highly enriched at short telomeres from early S through G2 phase and even into the next cell cycle. Nonetheless, induction of a single short telomere did not elicit a cell-cycle arrest. Tel1p binding was dependent on Xrs2p and required for preferential binding of telomerase to short telomeres. These data suggest that Tel1p targets telomerase to the DNA ends most in need of extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Sabourin
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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Sharanov YS, Smekalova EM, Zvereva MI, Dontsova OA. Isolation of active yeast telomerase protein Est3p and investigation of its dimerization in vitro. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2007; 72:702-6. [PMID: 17680761 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297907070036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
In this study we proposed a method for isolation of Est3p modified with various affinity tags, which is applicable for structural and functional studies, and investigated homo- and heterodimer formation with various recombinant forms of Est3p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu S Sharanov
- Chemical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia.
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47
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Westin ER, Chavez E, Lee KM, Gourronc FA, Riley S, Lansdorp PM, Goldman FD, Klingelhutz AJ. Telomere restoration and extension of proliferative lifespan in dyskeratosis congenita fibroblasts. Aging Cell 2007; 6:383-94. [PMID: 17381549 PMCID: PMC2225626 DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2007.00288.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Dyskeratosis congenita (DC), an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome, is caused by defects in telomerase. Somatic cells from DC patients have shortened telomeres and clinical symptoms are most pronounced in organs with a high cell turnover, including those involved in hematopoiesis and skin function. We previously identified an autosomal dominant (AD) form of DC that is caused by mutations in the telomerase RNA component (TER). In this study, we evaluated whether retroviral expression of TER and/or telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), the catalytic component of telomerase, could extend telomere length and rescue AD DC cells from a phenotype characteristic of early senescence. Exogenous TER expression, without TERT, could not activate telomerase in AD DC skin fibroblasts. Transduction of TERT alone, however, provided AD DC cells with sufficient telomerase activity to extend average telomere length and proliferative capacity. Interestingly, we found that expression of TER and TERT together resulted in extension of lifespan and higher levels of telomerase and longer telomeres than expression of TERT alone in both AD DC and normal cells. Our results provide evidence that AD DC cells can be rescued from defects in telomere maintenance and proliferation, and that coexpression of TERT and TER together provides a more efficient means to elongate telomeres than expression of TERT alone. Similar strategies may be useful for ameliorating the detrimental effects of telomere shortening in AD DC and other diseases associated with telomerase or telomere defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik R. Westin
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Chavez
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kimberly M. Lee
- Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | | | - Soraya Riley
- Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Peter M. Lansdorp
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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48
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Gipson CL, Xin ZT, Danzy SC, Parslow TG, Ly H. Functional Characterization of Yeast Telomerase RNA Dimerization. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:18857-63. [PMID: 17491007 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m700057200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase is the cellular RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (i.e. reverse transcriptase) that uses an integral RNA template to synthesize telomeric DNA repeats at the ends of linear chromosomes. Human telomerase RNA (hTERC) is thought to function as a dimeric complex consisting of two RNAs that interact with each other physically as well as genetically. We show here for the first time that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomerase RNA TLC1 likewise forms dimers in vitro. TLC1 dimerization depends on a unique 6-base self-complementary sequence, which closely mimics palindromic sequences that mediate functional dimerization of HIV-1 and other retroviral genomes. We found that dissimilar but comparably located TLC1 palindromes from other sensu stricto yeasts can functionally substitute for that of S. cerevisiae. Yeast cells expressing dimerization-defective TLC1 alleles have shorter telomeres than those with wild-type TLC1. This study, therefore, highlights dimerization as a functionally conserved feature of the RNA templates utilized by reverse transcriptases of both viral and cellular origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clay L Gipson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Experimental Pathology Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
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49
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Toogun OA, Zeiger W, Freeman BC. The p23 molecular chaperone promotes functional telomerase complexes through DNA dissociation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:5765-70. [PMID: 17389357 PMCID: PMC1851566 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0701442104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are the composite of short DNA element tandem arrays and heterotypic protein components that protect and maintain chromosomal termini. As proper telomere maintenance requires a multitude of DNA extension events, it is important to understand the factors that modulate telomerase DNA association. Here, we show that the endogenous levels of the yeast p23 molecular chaperone Sba1p are required for telomere length maintenance and that Sba1p can modulate telomerase DNA binding and extension activities in vitro. Notably, telomere occupancy by telomerase and the extension rate of a shortened telomere fluctuated with changing Sba1 protein levels in vivo. In addition, we found that Sba1p displayed a cell cycle-dependent telomere interaction that paralleled telomerase binding; telomere association by Sba1p depended on its inherent chaperone activity. Taken together, our results support a model in which Sba1p modulates telomerase DNA binding activity for optimal function in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oyetunji A. Toogun
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Will Zeiger
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Brian C. Freeman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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50
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Legassie JD, Jarstfer MB. The unmasking of telomerase. Structure 2007; 14:1603-9. [PMID: 17098185 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2006.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2006] [Revised: 09/01/2006] [Accepted: 09/08/2006] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that reverse transcribes a portion of its RNA subunit during the synthesis of G-rich DNA at the 3' end of each chromosome in most eukaryotes. This activity compensates for the inability of the normal DNA replication machinery to fully replicate chromosome termini. The roles of telomerase in cellular immortality and tumor biology have catalyzed a significant interest in this unusual polymerase. Recently the first structures of two domains, the CR4/CR5 and pseudoknot, of human telomerase RNA (hTR) were reported, offering a structural basis for interpreting biochemical studies and possible roles of hTR mutations in human diseases. Structures of the stem II and stem IV domains of Tetrahymena thermophila TR as well as the N-terminal domain of the T. thermophila telomerase reverse transcriptase have also been determined. These studies complement previous biochemical studies, providing rich insight into the structural basis for telomerase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Legassie
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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