Telomerase catalytic subunit homologs from fission yeast and human

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 277; no. 5328; pp. 955 - 959
• Main Authors: Nakamura, T.M, Morin, G.B, Chapman, K.B, Weinrich, S.L, Andrews, W.H, Lingner, J, Harley, C.B, Cech, T.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 15-08-1997; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; AMINO ACID SEQUENCES; Amino acids; Binding Sites; Biological and medical sciences; Catalysis; Catalysts; Cell Line; Cell lines; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; Chemical evolution; Coding; Complementary DNA; COMPOSICION QUIMICA; COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE; DNA-Binding Proteins; Enzymes; Evolution, Molecular; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GENE; GENES; Genes, Fungal; Genes. Genome; HEK293 cells; HOMOLOGOUS GENES; Humans; Introns; Kidney cells; Libraries; Literary Devices; Messenger RNA; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular evolution; Molecular genetics; MOLECULAR SEQUENCE DATA; Origin; PHYLOGENETICS; Phylogeny; PROTEINAS; PROTEINE; PROTEINS; Proteins - chemistry; Proteins - genetics; Proteins - metabolism; Retroelements; Retrotransposons; REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE; RNA; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase - chemistry; Schizosaccharomyces - enzymology; Schizosaccharomyces - genetics; Schizosaccharomyces - growth & development; SCHIZOSACCHAROMYCES POMBE; Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; Sequence Alignment; SEQUENCE HOMOLOGY; Telomerase - chemistry; Telomerase - genetics; Telomerase - metabolism; Telomere - metabolism; Telomeres; Testimonials; TRANSCRIPTASA INVERSA; TRANSCRIPTASE INVERSE; Yeast; Yeasts; Human; Catalytic subunit; Retrotransposon; Yeast; RNA-directed DNA polymerase; Enzyme; Transferases; Homology; Transposable element; Fungi; Molecular evolution; Nucleotidyltransferases; Gene; Ascomycetes; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; DNA-directed DNA polymerase; Aminoacid sequence; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.277.5328.955

Catalytic protein subunits of telomerase from the ciliate Euplotes aediculatus and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain reverse transcriptase motifs. Here the homologous genes from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and human are identifed. Disruption of the S. pombe gene resulted in telomere shortening and senescence, and expression of mRNA from the human gene correlated with telomerase activity in cell lines. Sequence comparisons placed the telomerase proteins in the reverse transcriptase family but revealed hallmarks that distinguish them from retroviral and retrotransposon relatives. Thus, the proposed telomerase catalytic subunits are phylogenetically conserved and represent a deep branch in the evolution of reverse transcriptases