School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel.
Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
Fungal Biol. 2020 May;124(5):311-315. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2019.09.003. Epub 2019 Sep 13.
Telomeres are structures composed of simple DNA repeats and specific proteins that protect the eukaryotic chromosomal ends from degradation, and facilitate the replication of the genome. They are central to the maintenance of the genome integrity, and play important roles in the development of cancer and in the process of aging in humans. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has greatly contributed to our understanding of basic telomere biology. Our laboratory has carried out systematic screen for mutants that affect telomere length, and identified ∼500 genes that, when mutated, affect telomere length. Remarkably, all ∼500 TLM (Telomere Length Maintenance) genes participate in a very tight homeostatic process, and it is enough to mutate one of them to change the steady-state telomere length. Despite this complex network of balances, it is also possible to change telomere length in yeast by applying several types of external stresses. We summarize our insights about the molecular mechanisms by which genes and environment interact to affect telomere length.
端粒是由简单的 DNA 重复序列和特定蛋白质组成的结构，可保护真核染色体末端免受降解，并有助于基因组的复制。端粒在维持基因组完整性方面起着核心作用，在人类癌症的发展和衰老过程中发挥着重要作用。酵母酿酒酵母极大地促进了我们对基本端粒生物学的理解。我们的实验室进行了系统的筛选，以寻找影响端粒长度的突变体，并鉴定了约 500 个基因，当这些基因发生突变时，会影响端粒长度。值得注意的是，所有约 500 个 TLM（端粒长度维持）基因都参与了一个非常紧密的动态平衡过程，只要突变其中一个基因，就可以改变稳定状态下的端粒长度。尽管存在这种复杂的平衡网络，但通过施加几种类型的外部压力，也可以改变酵母中的端粒长度。我们总结了我们对基因和环境相互作用影响端粒长度的分子机制的见解。
