title: Tankyrase function at telomeres, spindle poles, and beyond.
abstract: Telomeres have special needs; they require distinct mechanisms for their protection, replication, and separation at mitosis. A dedicated six-subunit protein complex termed shelterin attends to these needs. But shelterin cannot do it alone and often relies on recruits from other cellular locales. One such recruit is tankyrase 1, a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase that is brought to telomeres by the shelterin DNA binding subunit TRF1, where it functions in telomere length regulation and sister chromatid separation. An understanding of how tankyrase 1 functions at telomeres has been confounded by its complexity; it localizes to multiple subcellular sites, it has many diverse binding partners, and it has a closely related homolog (tankyrase 2) with which it may functionally overlap. This review summarizes our current knowledge of tankyrases focusing on their localization, binding partners, and function.
authors.affiliation: Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016, United States.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D000089804:Shelterin Complex; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism*; D038501:Tankyrases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*; D034501:Telomere-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*