A mammalian telomerase-associated protein.

The telomerase ribonucleoprotein catalyzes the addition of new telomeres onto chromosome ends. A gene encoding a mammalian telomerase homolog called TP1 (telomerase-associated protein 1) was identified and cloned. TP1 exhibited extensive amino acid similarity to the Tetrahymena telomerase protein p80 and was shown to interact specifically with mammalian telomerase RNA. Antiserum to TP1 immunoprecipitated telomerase activity from cell extracts, suggesting that TP1 is associated with telomerase in vivo. The identification of TP1 suggests that telomerase-associated proteins are conserved from ciliates to humans.