The conserved Est1 protein stimulates telomerase DNA extension activity.

The first telomerase cofactor identified was the budding yeast protein Est1, which is conserved through humans. While it is evident that Est1 is required for telomere DNA maintenance, understanding its mechanistic contributions to telomerase regulation has been limited. In vitro, the primary effect of Est1 is to activate telomerase-mediated DNA extension. Although Est1 displayed specific DNA and RNA binding, neither activity contributed significantly to telomerase stimulation. Rather Est1 mediated telomerase upregulation through direct contacts with the reverse transcriptase subunit. In addition to intrinsic Est1 functions, we found that Est1 cooperatively activated telomerase in conjunction with Cdc13 and that the combinatorial effect was dependent upon a known salt-bridge interaction between Est1 (K444) and Cdc13 (E252). Our studies provide insights into the molecular events used to control the enzymatic activity of the telomerase holoenzyme.