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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advanced Single-Molecule Techniques for Investigating Telomeric Protein-DNA Interactions

Author Spotlight: Advanced Single-Molecule Techniques for Investigating Telomeric Protein-DNA Interactions

Published on: August 30, 2024

T-loop dynamics: telomere structure shapes cell fate decisions.

Makoto T Hayashi¹, Anthony J Cesare²

¹IFOM-KU Joint Research Laboratory, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; IFOM ETS, The AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, Milan 20139, Italy.

Trends in Cell Biology

|March 21, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Telomere loops (t-loops) protect chromosome ends but are unwound during mitotic arrest. This unwinding, regulated by shelterin phosphorylation, links telomere maintenance to cell death decisions.

Keywords:

DNA damage response crisis mitosis senescence telomere telomere-loop

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Area of Science:

Molecular biology
Genetics
Cell biology

Background:

Telomeres, bound by shelterin, protect chromosome ends.
Telomere loops (t-loops) are crucial for telomere stability.
Telomere shortening occurs with aging, potentially affecting t-loop maintenance.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the dynamic architecture of telomere loops (t-loops).
To understand how t-loop stability is regulated.
To explore the integration of telomere signaling with cell fate decisions.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on telomere biology.
Analysis of shelterin complex function and regulation.
Investigation of t-loop dynamics during the cell cycle.

Main Results:

T-loop stability is compromised by TRF2 loss and telomere shortening.
An active mechanism unwinds t-loops during mitotic arrest.
Mitotic arrest-dependent telomere deprotection involves Aurora B kinase and the BTR complex, opposed by WRN.

Conclusions:

Dynamic t-loop architecture is central to telomere protection.
Shelterin-mediated t-loop unwinding during mitosis influences cell fate.
Understanding t-loop regulation is key to telomere maintenance and cell death pathways.