title: Identification and characterisation of mRif1: a mouse telomere-associated protein highly expressed in germ cells and embryo-derived pluripotent stem cells.
abstract: We have identified a mouse ortholog of the yeast Rif1 family of telomere-associated proteins on the basis of its high expression in primordial germ cells and embryo-derived pluripotent stem cell lines. mRif1 is also highly expressed in totipotent and pluripotent cells during early mouse development, and in male and female germ cells in adult mice. mRif1 expression is induced during derivation of embryonic stem cells and is rapidly down-regulated upon differentiation of embryonic stem cells in vitro. Furthermore, we show that mRif1 physically interacts with the telomere-associated protein mTrf2 and can be cross-linked to telomeric repeat DNA in mouse embryonic stem cells. mRif1 may be involved in the maintenance of telomere length or pluripotency in the germline and during early mouse development.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McLaren
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000737:chemistry; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015870:Gene Expression; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D034501:Telomere-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C492748:Rif1 protein, mouse; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D034501:Telomere-Binding Proteins; C074461:RIF1 protein, S cerevisiae