scholarly journals Comprehensive Structure-Function Analysis of the Core Domain of Human Telomerase RNA

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (19) ◽  
pp. 6849-6856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hinh Ly ◽  
Elizabeth H. Blackburn ◽  
Tristram G. Parslow
Keyword(s):  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Dna Repeats ◽  
Telomeric Dna ◽  
Core Domain ◽  
The Core ◽  
Optimal Function ◽  
Human Telomerase

ABSTRACT Telomerase is a cellular reverse transcriptase that uses part of its integral RNA (called TER) as the template to synthesize telomeric DNA repeats. Vertebrate TERs are thought to share a conserved, highly structured core domain that includes the templating sequence and a pseudoknot, but not all features of the predicted core structure have been verified directly or shown to affect telomerase enzymatic activity. Here, we report a systematic mutational analysis of the core domain (residues 1 to 210) of human telomerase RNA (hTER). Our data confirm that optimal hTER activity requires the integrity of four short helices (P2a.1, P2a, P2b, and P3) which create the proposed pseudoknot and that features of both the primary sequence and secondary structure in P2b and P3 contribute to optimal function. At least part of the long-range P1 pairing is also required, despite the lack of a known P1 counterpart in rodent TERs. Among the predicted single-stranded regions, we found that J2b/3, portions of J2a/3, and residues in and around the template make sequence-specific contributions to telomerase function. Additionally, we provide evidence that naturally occurring hTER sequence polymorphisms found in some patients with aplastic anemia can inhibit telomerase activity by disrupting critical structures within the hTER core domain.

scholarly journals Human telomerase RNA and box H/ACA scaRNAs share a common Cajal body–specific localization signal

2004 ◽  
Vol 164 (5) ◽  
pp. 647-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beáta E. Jády ◽  
Edouard Bertrand ◽  
Tamás Kiss
Keyword(s):  
S Phase ◽  
Cajal Body ◽  
Sequence Motif ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Dna Repeats ◽  
Telomeric Dna ◽  
Specific Localization ◽  
Localization Signal ◽  
Human Telomerase

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein reverse transcriptase that uses its RNA component as a template for synthesis of telomeric DNA repeats at the ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes. Here, fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrates that in HeLa cancer cells, human telomerase RNA (hTR) accumulates in the nucleoplasmic Cajal bodies (CBs). Localization of transiently expressed hTR to CBs is supported by a short sequence motif (411-UGAG-414) that is located in the 3′-terminal box H/ACA RNA-like domain of hTR and that is structurally and functionally indistinguishable from the CB-specific localization signal of box H/ACA small CB-specific RNAs. In synchronized HeLa cells, hTR shows the most efficient accumulation in CBs during S phase, when telomeres are most likely synthesized. CBs may function in post-transcriptional maturation (e.g., cap hypermethylation of hTR), but they may also play a role in the assembly and/or function of telomerase holoenzyme.

scholarly journals Structurally conserved five nucleotide bulge determines the overall topology of the core domain of human telomerase RNA

2010 ◽  
Vol 107 (44) ◽  
pp. 18761-18768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Zhang ◽  
N.-K. Kim ◽  
R. D. Peterson ◽  
Z. Wang ◽  
J. Feigon
Keyword(s):  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Core Domain ◽  
The Core ◽  
Human Telomerase

scholarly journals Functional Regions of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase and Human Telomerase RNA Required for Telomerase Activity and RNA-Protein Interactions

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1888-1897 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Bachand ◽  
Chantal Autexier
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Catalytic Subunit ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Dna Repeats ◽  
Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Template Sequence ◽  
Human Telomerase

ABSTRACT Telomerase is a specialized reverse transcriptase (RT) that is minimally composed of a protein catalytic subunit and an RNA component. The RNA subunit contains a short template sequence that directs the synthesis of DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes. Human telomerase activity can be reconstituted in vitro by the expression of the human telomerase protein catalytic subunit (hTERT) in the presence of recombinant human telomerase RNA (hTR) in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RRL) system. We analyzed telomerase activity and binding of hTR to hTERT in RRL by expressing different hTERT and hTR variants. hTRs containing nucleotide substitutions that are predicted to disrupt base pairing in the P3 helix of the pseudoknot weakly reconstituted human telomerase activity yet retained their ability to bind hTERT. Our results also identified two distinct regions of hTR that can independently bind hTERT in vitro. Furthermore, sequences or structures between nucleotides 208 and 330 of hTR (which include the conserved CR4-CR5 domain) were found to be important for hTERT-hTR interactions and for telomerase activity reconstitution. Human TERT carboxy-terminal amino acid deletions extending to motif E or the deletion of the first 280 amino acids abolished human telomerase activity without affecting the ability of hTERT to associate with hTR, suggesting that the RT and RNA binding functions of hTERT are separable. These results indicate that the reconstitution of human telomerase activity in vitro requires regions of hTERT that (i) are distinct from the conserved RT motifs and (ii) bind nucleotides distal to the hTR template sequence.

scholarly journals Telomerase Activity Reconstitutedin Vitrowith Purified Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase and Human Telomerase RNA Component

2000 ◽  
Vol 275 (29) ◽  
pp. 22568-22573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenkichi Masutomi ◽  
Shuichi Kaneko ◽  
Naoyuki Hayashi ◽  
Tatsuya Yamashita ◽  
Yukihiro Shirota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Human Telomerase

scholarly journals The conserved structure of plant telomerase RNA provides the missing link for an evolutionary pathway from ciliates to humans

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (49) ◽  
pp. 24542-24550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiarui Song ◽  
Dhenugen Logeswaran ◽  
Claudia Castillo-González ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Sreyashree Bose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomere Maintenance ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Telomeric Dna ◽  
Structural Element ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Evolutionary Pathway ◽  
Pol Iii

Telomerase is essential for maintaining telomere integrity. Although telomerase function is widely conserved, the integral telomerase RNA (TR) that provides a template for telomeric DNA synthesis has diverged dramatically. Nevertheless, TR molecules retain 2 highly conserved structural domains critical for catalysis: a template-proximal pseudoknot (PK) structure and a downstream stem-loop structure. Here we introduce the authentic TR from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, called AtTR, identified through next-generation sequencing of RNAs copurifying with Arabidopsis TERT. This RNA is distinct from the RNA previously described as the templating telomerase RNA, AtTER1. AtTR is a 268-nt Pol III transcript necessary for telomere maintenance in vivo and sufficient with TERT to reconstitute telomerase activity in vitro. Bioinformatics analysis identified 85 AtTR orthologs from 3 major clades of plants: angiosperms, gymnosperms, and lycophytes. Through phylogenetic comparisons, a secondary structure model conserved among plant TRs was inferred and verified using in vitro and in vivo chemical probing. The conserved plant TR structure contains a template-PK core domain enclosed by a P1 stem and a 3′ long-stem P4/5/6, both of which resemble a corresponding structural element in ciliate and vertebrate TRs. However, the plant TR contains additional stems and linkers within the template-PK core, allowing for expansion of PK structure from the simple PK in the smaller ciliate TR during evolution. Thus, the plant TR provides an evolutionary bridge that unites the disparate structures of previously characterized TRs from ciliates and vertebrates.

scholarly journals Structural conservation in the template/pseudoknot domain of vertebrate telomerase RNA from teleost fish to human

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (35) ◽  
pp. E5125-E5134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaqiang Wang ◽  
Joseph D. Yesselman ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Mijeong Kang ◽  
Juli Feigon
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Teleost Fish ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Dna Repeats ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Tertiary Interactions ◽  
Linear Chromosomes

Telomerase is an RNA–protein complex that includes a unique reverse transcriptase that catalyzes the addition of single-stranded telomere DNA repeats onto the 3′ ends of linear chromosomes using an integral telomerase RNA (TR) template. Vertebrate TR contains the template/pseudoknot (t/PK) and CR4/5 domains required for telomerase activity in vitro. All vertebrate pseudoknots include two subdomains: P2ab (helices P2a and P2b with a 5/6-nt internal loop) and the minimal pseudoknot (P2b–P3 and associated loops). A helical extension of P2a, P2a.1, is specific to mammalian TR. Using NMR, we investigated the structures of the full-length TR pseudoknot and isolated subdomains in Oryzias latipes (Japanese medaka fish), which has the smallest vertebrate TR identified to date. We determined the solution NMR structure and studied the dynamics of medaka P2ab, and identified all base pairs and tertiary interactions in the minimal pseudoknot. Despite differences in length and sequence, the structure of medaka P2ab is more similar to human P2ab than predicted, and the medaka minimal pseudoknot has the same tertiary interactions as the human pseudoknot. Significantly, although P2a.1 is not predicted to form in teleost fish, we find that it forms in the full-length pseudoknot via an unexpected hairpin. Model structures of the subdomains are combined to generate a model of t/PK. These results provide evidence that the architecture for the vertebrate t/PK is conserved from teleost fish to human. The organization of the t/PK on telomerase reverse transcriptase for medaka and human is modeled based on the cryoEM structure of Tetrahymena telomerase, providing insight into function.

scholarly journals Polymerization Defects within Human Telomerase Are Distinct from Telomerase RNA and TEP1 Binding

2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 3329-3340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara L. Beattie ◽  
Wen Zhou ◽  
Murray O. Robinson ◽  
Lea Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Amino Terminus ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Carboxy Terminus ◽  
Active Core ◽  
Human Telomerase ◽  
Precise Role

The minimal, active core of human telomerase is postulated to contain two components, the telomerase RNA hTER and the telomerase reverse transcriptase hTERT. The reconstitution of human telomerase activity in vitro has facilitated the identification of sequences within the telomerase RNA and the RT motifs of hTERT that are essential for telomerase activity. However, the precise role of residues outside the RT domain of hTERT is unknown. Here we have delineated several regions within hTERT that are important for telomerase catalysis, primer use, and interaction with the telomerase RNA and the telomerase-associated protein TEP1. In particular, certain deletions of the amino and carboxy terminus of hTERT that retained an interaction with telomerase RNA and TEP1 were nonetheless completely inactive in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, hTERT truncations lacking the amino terminus that were competent to bind the telomerase RNA were severely compromised for the ability to elongate telomeric and nontelomeric primers. These results suggest that the interaction of telomerase RNA with hTERT can be functionally uncoupled from polymerization, and that there are regions outside the RT domain of hTERT that are critical for telomerase activity and primer use. These results establish that the human telomerase RT possesses unique polymerization determinants that distinguish it from other RTs.

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