Elongated telomeres in scid mice.
Severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mice are deficient in the enzyme DNA-PK (DNA-dependent protein kinase) as a result of the mutation in the gene encoding the catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) of this enzyme. DNA-PKcs is a member of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase superfamily, which includes the human protein ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) and the yeast protein Tel1. Using Q-FISH (quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization), we show here that scid mice from four different genetic backgrounds have, on average, 1.5-2 times longer telomeres than those of corresponding wild-type mice. Our results point to the possibility that DNA-PKcs may, directly or indirectly, be involved in telomere length regulation in mammalian cells.
Hande
P
P
The Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Center, 601 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 1L3, Canada.
Slijepcevic
P
P
Silver
A
A
Bouffler
S
S
van Buul
P
P
Bryant
P
P
Lansdorp
P
P
D000818:Animals; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016513:Mice, SCID; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*