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Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white). A telomere (/ ˈ t ɛ l ə m ɪər, ˈ t iː l ə-/; from Ancient Greek τέλος (télos) 'end' and μέρος (méros) 'part') is a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences associated with specialized proteins at the ends of linear chromosomes (see Sequences).
(A) Telomere-bound proteins involved in preventing the activation of the DNA damage response checkpoint and of DSB repair mechanisms in S. cerevisiae (top) and in humans (bottom). (B) Overview of the normal function of telomere-shelterin complexes and the pathways activated by telomere shortening. [5]
The presence of repeated sequence DNA makes it easier for areas of homology to align, thereby controlling when and where recombination occurs. In addition to playing an important role in recombination, tandem repeats also play important structural roles in the genome. For example, telomeres are composed mainly of tandem TTAGGG repeats. [15]
As telomeres do not contain a canonical stop codon signaling the end of RNA transcription, it remains unclear exactly where transcription ceases along the telomere tracks. Similarly to most mRNAs transcribed in the nucleus, nearly all TERRA transcripts contain a 7-methylguanosine (m 7 G) cap structure at their 5' end. [ 10 ]
In DNA replication, DNA-dependent DNA polymerases make copies of DNA polynucleotide chains. To preserve biological information, it is essential that the sequence of bases in each copy are precisely complementary to the sequence of bases in the template strand. Many DNA polymerases have a proofreading activity. Here, the polymerase recognizes ...
Shelterin (also called telosome) is a protein complex known to protect telomeres in many eukaryotes from DNA repair mechanisms, as well as to regulate telomerase activity. In mammals and other vertebrates, telomeric DNA consists of repeating double-stranded 5'-TTAGGG-3' (G-strand) sequences (2-15 kilobases in humans) along with the 3'-AATCCC-5' (C-strand) complement, ending with a 50-400 ...
A mega-telomere (also known as an ultra-long telomere or a class III telomere), is an extremely long telomere sequence that sits on the end of chromosomes and prevents the loss of genetic information during cell replication. Like regular telomeres, mega-telomeres are made of a repetitive sequence of DNA and associated proteins, and are located ...
Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (also known as "ALT") is a telomerase-independent mechanism by which cancer cells avoid the degradation of telomeres.. At each end of the chromosomes of most eukaryotic cells, there is a telomere: a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes.