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Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Utilizing Murine Inducible Telomerase Alleles in the Studies of Tissue Degeneration/Regeneration and Cancer
Published on: April 13, 2015
HuB and HuD repress telomerase activity by dissociating HuR from TERC
Xiaolei Cheng1,2, Xiaoping Gu3, Tianjiao Xia3
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Protein Posttranslational Modifications and Cell Function, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.
Abstract:
The ubiquitous RNA-binding protein HuR (ELAVL1) promotes telomerase activity by associating with the telomerase noncoding RNA TERC. However, the role of the neural-specific members HuB, HuC, and HuD (ELAVL2-4) in telomerase activity is unknown. Here, we report that HuB and HuD, but not HuC, repress telomerase activity in human neuroblastoma cells. By associating with AU-rich sequences in TERC, HuB and HuD repressed the assembly of the TERT-TERC core complex. Furthermore, HuB and HuD competed with HuR for binding to TERC and antagonized the function of HuR that was previously shown to enhance telomerase activity to promote cell growth. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism controlling telomerase activity in human neuroblastoma cells that involves a competition between HuR and the related, neural-specific proteins HuB and HuD.
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