Architecture of human telomerase RNA.

ABSTRACT: Telomerase is a unique reverse transcriptase that catalyzes the addition of telomere DNA repeats onto the 3' ends of linear chromosomes and plays a critical role in maintaining genome stability. Unlike other reverse transcriptases, telomerase is unique in that it is a ribonucleoprotein complex, where the RNA component [telomerase RNA (TR)] not only provides the template for the synthesis of telomere DNA repeats but also plays essential roles in catalysis, accumulation, TR 3'-end processing, localization, and holoenzyme assembly. Biochemical studies have identified TR elements essential for catalysis that share remarkably conserved secondary structures across different species as well as species-specific domains for other functions, paving the way for high-resolution structure determination

SUBMITTER: Zhang Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3251123 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature