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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
10:52
Sample Preparation for Mass Spectrometry-based Identification of RNA-binding Regions
Published on: September 28, 2017
Functional evidence for an RNA template in telomerase.
D Shippen-Lentz1, E H Blackburn
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 2, 1990
Summary
Researchers identified the RNA component of Euplotes crassus telomerase. This RNA acts as a template, directly demonstrating its role in synthesizing telomeric repeats and defining telomerase as a reverse transcriptase.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme responsible for maintaining telomere length.
- The RNA component's function as a template has been hypothesized but not directly demonstrated in many organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and sequence the RNA moiety of telomerase from Euplotes crassus.
- To functionally characterize the telomerase RNA's template activity in vitro.
- To define telomerase based on its RNA-templated reverse transcriptase activity.
Main Methods:
- Identification and gene sequencing of the telomerase RNA.
- In vitro functional assays using complementary oligonucleotides to test RNA priming.
- Analysis of synthesized telomeric repeat sequences.
Main Results:
- The gene for the telomerase RNA from Euplotes crassus was successfully sequenced.
- A specific RNA sequence (5' CAAAACCCCAAA 3') was identified as the template for TTTTGGGG repeat synthesis.
- Direct evidence was provided for the template function of telomerase RNA.
Conclusions:
- The study provides the first direct demonstration of a telomerase RNA's template function.
- The findings demarcate the boundaries of the telomeric template within the RNA.
- Telomerase is functionally defined as a specialized reverse transcriptase enzyme.
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