Tzfati Y, Fulton T B, Roy J, Blackburn E H
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0414, USA.
Science. 2000 May 5;288(5467):863-7. doi: 10.1126/science.288.5467.863.
The telomerase ribonucleoprotein has a phylogenetically divergent RNA subunit, which contains a short template for telomeric DNA synthesis. To understand how telomerase RNA participates in mechanistic aspects of telomere synthesis, we studied a conserved secondary structure adjacent to the template. Disruption of this structure caused DNA synthesis to proceed beyond the normal template boundary, resulting in altered telomere sequences, telomere shortening, and cellular growth defects. Compensatory mutations restored normal telomerase function. Thus, the RNA structure, rather than its sequence, specifies the template boundary. This study reveals a specific function for an RNA structure in the enzymatic action of telomerase.
端粒酶核糖核蛋白具有一个在系统发育上存在差异的RNA亚基，该亚基包含用于端粒DNA合成的短模板。为了了解端粒酶RNA如何参与端粒合成的机制，我们研究了与模板相邻的保守二级结构。破坏这种结构会导致DNA合成超出正常模板边界，从而导致端粒序列改变、端粒缩短和细胞生长缺陷。补偿性突变恢复了正常的端粒酶功能。因此，是RNA结构而非其序列决定了模板边界。这项研究揭示了RNA结构在端粒酶酶促作用中的特定功能。
