title: Characterisation of an unusual telomere motif (TTTTTTAGGG)n in the plant Cestrum elegans (Solanaceae), a species with a large genome.
abstract: The characterization of unusual telomere sequence sheds light on patterns of telomere evolution, maintenance and function. Plant species from the closely related genera Cestrum, Vestia and Sessea (family Solanaceae) lack known plant telomeric sequences. Here we characterize the telomere of Cestrum elegans, work that was a challenge because of its large genome size and few chromosomes (1C 9.76 pg; n = 8). We developed an approach that combines BAL31 digestion, which digests DNA from the ends and chromosome breaks, with next-generation sequencing (NGS), to generate data analysed in RepeatExplorer, designed for de novo repeats identification and quantification. We identify an unique repeat motif (TTTTTTAGGG)n in C. elegans, occurring in ca. 30 400 copies per haploid genome, averaging ca. 1900 copies per telomere, and synthesized by telomerase. We demonstrate that the motif is synthesized by telomerase. The occurrence of an unusual eukaryote (TTTTTTAGGG)n telomeric motif in C. elegans represents a switch in motif from the 'typical' angiosperm telomere (TTTAGGG)n . That switch may have happened with the divergence of Cestrum, Sessea and Vestia. The shift in motif when it arose would have had profound effects on telomere activity. Thus our finding provides a unique handle to study how telomerase and telomeres responded to genetic change, studies that will shed more light on telomere function.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vratislav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peška
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fajkus
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Miloslava
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fojtová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dvořáčková
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hapala
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vojtěch
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dvořáček
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Polanská
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Leitch
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sýkorová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, CZ-61265, Brno, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, and CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fajkus
mesh_terms: D032301:Cestrum / Q000235:genetics*; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Cestrum elegans; GenBank KM573817-573822; NGS analysis; RepeatExplorer; telomerase; telomeric sequence; unusual telomere