Collins Kathleen
Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, United States.
Mech Ageing Dev. 2008 Jan-Feb;129(1-2):91-8. doi: 10.1016/j.mad.2007.10.008. Epub 2007 Oct 30.
Telomerase is a specialized reverse transcriptase conserved throughout almost all eukaryotic life. It plays a fundamental role in genome maintenance, adding back the telomeric DNA repeats lost from chromosome ends due to incomplete replication or damage. The protein and RNA subunits of telomerase fold and function in a co-dependent manner to establish a high fidelity of telomeric repeat synthesis. Over the past two decades, studies of telomerase have uncovered previously unanticipated levels of complexity in its assembly, activity and regulation. This review describes the current understanding of telomerase in humans, with particular focus on telomerase biogenesis and regulation in its cellular context.
端粒酶是一种特殊的逆转录酶,几乎在所有真核生物中都有保守存在。它在基因组维持中发挥着重要作用,能补充因复制不完全或损伤而从染色体末端丢失的端粒DNA重复序列。端粒酶的蛋白质和RNA亚基以相互依赖的方式折叠并发挥功能,以确保端粒重复序列合成的高保真度。在过去二十年中,对端粒酶的研究揭示了其组装、活性和调控方面前所未有的复杂性。本综述描述了目前对人类端粒酶的认识,特别关注其在细胞环境中的生物发生和调控。