Essential role for mammalian apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease Ape1/Ref-1 in telomere maintenance.

ABSTRACT: The major mammalian apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease Ape1 is a multifunctional protein operating in protection of cells from oxidative stress via its DNA repair, redox, and transcription regulatory activities. The importance of Ape1 has been marked by previous work demonstrating its requirement for viability in mammalian cells. However, beyond a requirement for Ape1-dependent DNA repair activity, deeper molecular mechanisms of the fundamental role of Ape1 in cell survival have not been defined. Here, we report that Ape1 is an essential factor stabilizing telomeric DNA, and its deficiency is associated with telomere dysfunction and segregation defects in immortalized cells maintaining telomeres by either the alternative lengthening of telomeres pathway (U2OS) or telomerase expression (BJ-

SUBMITTER: Madlener S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3816401 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature