title: If the cap fits, wear it: an overview of telomeric structures over evolution.
abstract: Genome organization into linear chromosomes likely represents an important evolutionary innovation that has permitted the development of the sexual life cycle; this process has consequently advanced nuclear expansion and increased complexity of eukaryotic genomes. Chromosome linearity, however, poses a major challenge to the internal cellular machinery. The need to efficiently recognize and repair DNA double-strand breaks that occur as a consequence of DNA damage presents a constant threat to native chromosome ends known as telomeres. In this review, we present a comparative survey of various solutions to the end protection problem, maintaining an emphasis on DNA structure. This begins with telomeric structures derived from a subset of prokaryotes, mitochondria, and viruses, and will progress into the typical telomere structure exhibited by higher organisms containing TTAGG-like tandem sequences. We next examine non-canonical telomeres from Drosophila melanogaster, which comprise arrays of retrotransposons. Finally, we discuss telomeric structures in evolution and possible switches between canonical and non-canonical solutions to chromosome end protection.
authors.affiliation: Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohrgasse 3, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fulcher
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Derboven
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valuchova
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Riha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C083046:terminin; D004247:DNA; D019098:Telomerase
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