title: Telomere functions grounding on TERRA firma.
abstract: Long noncoding telomeric repeat-containing RNAs - TERRAs - are transcribed in a regulated manner from telomeres throughout eukaryotes. TERRA molecules consist of chromosome end-specific subtelomeric sequences and telomeric repeats at their 3' ends. Recent work suggests that TERRA sustains several important functions at chromosome ends. TERRA can regulate telomere length through modulation of exonuclease 1 and telomerase, it may promote recruitment of chromatin modifiers to damaged telomeres and thereby enable DNA end-processing, and it may promote telomere protein composition changes during cell cycle progression. Furthermore, telomere transcription regulates chromosome-end mobility within the nucleus. We review how TERRA, by regulated expression and by providing a molecular scaffold for various protein enzymes, can support a large variety of vital functions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ), 8093 Zürich, Switzerland. Electronic address: claus.azzalin@bc.biol.ethz.ch.
authors.forename: Claus M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Azzalin
authors.affiliation: Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences (SV), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: joachim.lingner@epfl.ch.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lingner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000502:physiology*; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology*; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding
keywords: TERRA; chromatin; long noncoding RNA; telomeres