Rog Ofer, Cooper Julia Promisel
Telomere Biology Laboratory, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX, UK.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2008 Apr;18(2):212-20. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2008.01.011. Epub 2008 Apr 11.
The telomere field concentrates both on mechanisms of telomere synthesis and the mechanisms by which telomeres protect chromosome termini from fusion and degradation. Recent studies show that the DNA damage response (DDR) machinery, formerly thought to be the culprit in deleterious telomeric fusion and degradation reactions, plays an active role not only in telomere protection but also in regulating telomere synthesis. Conversely, semi-conservative DNA replication, responsible for the bulk of telomere synthesis, now appears to be a pivotal event on the road to telomere de-protection. These advances prompt the notion that the two guises of telomere function are intricately entangled. Indeed, telomeres appear to expose themselves to the DDR upon passage of the replication fork, in turn attracting telomerase.
端粒领域专注于端粒合成机制以及端粒保护染色体末端免于融合和降解的机制。最近的研究表明，DNA损伤反应（DDR）机制，以前被认为是有害的端粒融合和降解反应的罪魁祸首，不仅在端粒保护中发挥积极作用，还在调节端粒合成中发挥作用。相反，负责大部分端粒合成的半保留DNA复制，现在似乎是端粒去保护道路上的一个关键事件。这些进展促使人们认为端粒功能的两种表现形式错综复杂地交织在一起。事实上，在复制叉通过时，端粒似乎会将自己暴露于DDR，进而吸引端粒酶。
