Telomerase reverse transcriptase has an extratelomeric function in somatic cell reprogramming.

ABSTRACT: Reactivation of the endogenous telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) catalytic subunit and telomere elongation occur during the reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. However, the role of TERT in the reprogramming process is unclear. To clarify its function, the reprogramming process was examined in TERT-KO somatic cells. To exclude the effect of telomere elongation, tail-tip fibroblasts (TTFs) from first generation TERT-KO mice were used. Although iPS cells were successfully generated from TERT-KO TTFs, the efficiency of reprogramming these cells was markedly lower than that of WT TTFs. The gene expression profiles of iPS cells induced from TERT-KO TTFs were similar to those of WT iPS cells and ES cells, and TERT-KO iPS cells formed teratomas that differ

SUBMITTER: Kinoshita T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4140932 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature