Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA.
Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2011 Oct;15(5):643-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2011.07.011. Epub 2011 Aug 2.
The eukaryotic ribonucleoprotein reverse transcriptase (RT) telomerase uses a template within its integral RNA subunit to extend chromosome ends by synthesis of single-stranded telomeric repeats. Telomerase is adapted to its unique cellular role by an ability to release product DNA in single-stranded form, regenerating free template from the product-template hybrid. Furthermore, by retaining a template-independent grip on the single-stranded product, telomerase can catalyze processive repeat synthesis. These specialized nucleic acid handling properties are dependent on the protein and RNA domain network within an active RNP. RNP domain architecture and mechanisms for single-stranded DNA handling have been a focus of recent studies highlighted here.
真核核糖核蛋白逆转录酶(RT)端粒酶利用其完整 RNA 亚基内的模板,通过合成单链端粒重复序列来延伸染色体末端。端粒酶通过能够以单链形式释放产物 DNA 的能力,从产物-模板杂交体中再生游离模板,从而适应其独特的细胞作用。此外,通过保留对单链产物的独立控制,端粒酶可以催化连续重复合成。这些特殊的核酸处理特性依赖于活性 RNP 内的蛋白质和 RNA 结构域网络。本文重点介绍了最近的研究中关注的 RNP 结构域架构和单链 DNA 处理机制。