Telomere length heterogeneity in ALT cells is maintained by PML-dependent localization of the BTR complex to telomeres.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres consist of TTAGGG repeats bound by protein complexes that serve to protect the natural end of linear chromosomes. Most cells maintain telomere repeat lengths by using the enzyme telomerase, although there are some cancer cells that use a telomerase-independent mechanism of telomere extension, termed alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). Cells that use ALT are characterized, in part, by the presence of specialized PML nuclear bodies called ALT-associated PML bodies (APBs). APBs localize to and cluster telomeric ends together with telomeric and DNA damage factors, which led to the proposal that these bodies act as a platform on which ALT can occur. However, the necessity of APBs and their function in the ALT pathway has remained unclear. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to delete PM

SUBMITTER: Loe TK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7197349 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature