The telomerase reverse transcriptase is limiting and necessary for telomerase function in vivo

Mammalian telomerase is essential for the maintenance of telomere length [1–5]. Its catalytic core comprises a reverse transcriptase component (TERT) and an RNA component. While the biochemical role of mammalian TERT is well established [6–11], it is unknown whether it is sufficient for telomere-len...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Current biology Vol. 10; no. 22; pp. 1459 - 1462
Main Authors:	Liu, Y, Snow, B.E, Hande, M.P, Yeung, D, Erdmann, N.J, Wakeham, A, Itie, A, Siderovski, D.P, Lansdorp, P.M, Robinson, M.O, Harrington, L
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Elsevier Inc 16-11-2000
Subjects:	Animals Cell Line DNA-Binding Proteins Gene Targeting Mice RNA Telomerase - genetics Telomerase - metabolism Telomerase - physiology Telomere - physiology
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Mammalian telomerase is essential for the maintenance of telomere length [1–5]. Its catalytic core comprises a reverse transcriptase component (TERT) and an RNA component. While the biochemical role of mammalian TERT is well established [6–11], it is unknown whether it is sufficient for telomere-length maintenance, chromosome stability or other cellular processes. Cells from mice in which the mTert gene had been disrupted showed progressive loss of telomere DNA, a phenotype similar to cells in which the gene encoding the telomerase RNA component ( mTR) has been disrupted [1,12]. On prolonged growth, mTert-deficient embryonic stem (ES) cells exhibited genomic instability, aneuploidy and telomeric fusions. ES cells heterozygous for the mTert disruption also showed telomere attrition, a phenotype that differs from heterozygous mTR cells [12]. Thus, telomere maintenance in mammals is carried out by a single, limiting TERT.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0960-9822 1879-0445
DOI:	10.1016/S0960-9822(00)00805-8