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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Semi-quantitative Detection of RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase Activity of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Protein
Published on: June 12, 2018
Complicated RNA splicing of chicken telomerase reverse transcriptase revealed by profiling cells both positive and
1Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Abstract:
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is an essential component of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein complex which maintains telomeres. The objective of this study was to investigate chicken TERT (cTERT) alternative RNA splicing profiles of samples varying for telomerase activity and immortalization parameters. These included systems both in vivo (gastrula embryo, embryo and adult liver) and in vitro (chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) and DT40 cells). Nineteen cTERT variants were discovered, which were generated through exon skipping, intron retention, and alternative usage of splice donor and acceptor sites. Three variants were predicted to introduce in-frame mutations, whereas the others were predicted to have premature termination codons. The number of cTERT variants detected ranged from 10 in adult liver to 13 in CEFs. One variant (V4) was found in all samples and was predicted to generate a truncated protein lacking telomerase catalytic activity. Interestingly, the standard TERT expected from the full-length transcript was expressed not only in telomerase-positive, but also in telomerase-negative samples. The complicated expression profiles of cTERT in various cell systems suggest that sophisticated regulatory pathways are involved in cTERT pre-mRNA editing. Further, these results support the body of increasing evidence that alternative splicing of TERT, both in human and chicken, contributes to telomerase activity regulation.
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