Runaway evolution of telomeres in ascomycetous yeasts was accompanied by the replacement of ancestral telomeric proteins.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres are crucial parts of eukaryotic chromosomes, contributing to DNA replication, chromosome segregation, and genome stability. While in most phylogenetic lineages, telomere-maintenance systems are conserved, ascomycetous yeasts exhibit a high degree of variability in telomeric repeats and the associated proteins. The determinants that enabled this divergent evolutionary process, however, have been unclear. Here, we show that DNA-binding properties of yeast telomere-binding proteins (TBPs) support the scenario where the gradual divergence of telomeric repeats led to their replacement. We analyzed the DNA-protein interactions between Tay1p from Yarrowia lipolytica, Rap1p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Taz1p from Schizosaccharomyces pombe and a set of telomeric repeats from several

SUBMITTER: Cervenak F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12449055 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature