Human telomeres are hypersensitive to UV-induced DNA Damage and refractory to repair.

ABSTRACT: Telomeric repeats preserve genome integrity by stabilizing chromosomes, a function that appears to be important for both cancer and aging. In view of this critical role in genomic integrity, the telomere's own integrity should be of paramount importance to the cell. Ultraviolet light (UV), the preeminent risk factor in skin cancer development, induces mainly cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) which are both mutagenic and lethal. The human telomeric repeat unit (5'TTAGGG/CCCTAA3') is nearly optimal for acquiring UV-induced CPD, which form at dipyrimidine sites. We developed a ChIP-based technique, immunoprecipitation of DNA damage (IPoD), to simultaneously study DNA damage and repair in the telomere and in the coding regions of p53, 28S rDNA, and mitochondrial DNA. We find that human telom

SUBMITTER: Rochette PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2861706 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature