Stem-loop IV of tetrahymena telomerase RNA stimulates processivity in trans.
Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme responsible for the addition of telomeres onto the ends of chromosomes. Short or dysfunctional telomeres can lead to cell growth arrest, apoptosis, and genomic instability. Telomerase uses its RNA subunit to copy a short template region for telomere synthesis. To probe for regions of Tetrahymena telomerase RNA essential for function, we assayed 27 circularly permuted RNA deletions for telomerase in vitro activity and binding to the telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic protein subunit. We found that stem-loop IV is required for wild-type telomerase activity in vitro and will stimulate processivity when added in trans.
Mason
Douglas X
DX
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
Goneska
Elizabeth
E
Greider
Carol W
CW
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D002455:Cell Division; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D017353:Gene Deletion; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D011817:Rabbits; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013768:Tetrahymena / Q000201:enzymology*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012313:RNA; D019098:Telomerase