Disruption of the telomerase catalytic subunit gene from Arabidopsis inactivates telomerase and leads to a slow loss of telomeric DNA.

ABSTRACT: Telomerase is an essential enzyme that maintains telomeres on eukaryotic chromosomes. In mammals, telomerase is required for the lifelong proliferative capacity of normal regenerative and reproductive tissues and for sustained growth in a dedifferentiated state. Although the importance of telomeres was first elucidated in plants 60 years ago, little is known about the role of telomeres and telomerase in plant growth and development. Here we report the cloning and characterization of the Arabidopsis telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, AtTERT. AtTERT is predicted to encode a highly basic protein of 131 kDa that harbors the reverse transcriptase and telomerase-specific motifs common to all known TERT proteins. AtTERT mRNA is 10-20 times more abundant in callus, which has high levels

SUBMITTER: Fitzgerald MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC24730 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature