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Related Concept Videos

Telomeres and Telomerase02:41

Telomeres and Telomerase

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In eukaryotic DNA replication, a single-stranded DNA fragment remains at the end of a chromosome after the removal of the final primer. This section of DNA cannot be replicated in the same manner as the rest of the strand because there is no 3’ end to which the newly synthesized DNA can attach. This non-replicated fragment results in gradual loss of the chromosomal DNA during each cell duplication. Additionally, it can induce a DNA damage response by enzymes that recognize single-stranded...
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Before a cell can divide, it must accurately replicate all of its chromosomes, including the DNA and its associated histone and non-histone proteins.  This process begins at numerous origins of replication during the S phase of the cell cycle in each of a cell’s chromosomes simultaneously. Certain nucleotides can act as origins of replication, but these sequences are not well defined - especially in complex, multi-cellular, eukaryotic species. The length of DNA that spans an origin...
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C. elegans survivors without telomerase.

Daniel H Lackner1, Jan Karlseder

  • 1Molecular and Cellular Biology Department; The Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA USA.

Worm
|September 24, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Telomerase is crucial for maintaining genomic integrity in most organisms. New research shows multi-cellular nematode strains can survive without telomerase, revealing novel survival mechanisms.

Keywords:
C. elegansalternative mechanism of telomere lengtheningpot-1pot-2senescencetelomerasetelomeretrt-1

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Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • The telomerase complex is vital for maintaining telomere length and genomic integrity in eukaryotes.
  • Telomere shortening induces senescence, a tumor-suppressive mechanism, while its repression loss in cancer enables unlimited proliferation.
  • Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) is a recombination-based mechanism observed in cancer cells and yeast.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate telomere maintenance mechanisms in multicellular organisms beyond telomerase.
  • To explore the implications of telomerase-independent survival in a multicellular context.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of Caenorhabditis elegans "survivor" strains with mutations in the telomerase gene.
  • Observation and analysis of the propagation capabilities of these nematode strains.

Main Results:

  • Several "survivor" strains of Caenorhabditis elegans were successfully generated.
  • These strains can propagate despite the absence of a functional telomerase pathway.
  • This represents the first instance of a multicellular organism with canonical telomerase surviving without it.

Conclusions:

  • Multicellular organisms can potentially survive and propagate without a functional telomerase pathway.
  • The study introduces the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for studying telomere maintenance beyond telomerase.
  • These findings may have implications for understanding cancer progression and developing new therapeutic strategies.