Telomerase Architecture Revealed (IMAGE)

University of California - Berkeley

Telomerase Architecture Revealed

Caption

Shown is the space-filling model of human telomerase holoenzyme structure determined by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Telomerase catalyzes the synthesis of telomeric DNA (green) at the ends of chromosomes (blue) to compensate for the loss of telomeres during genome replication. The structure comprises two lobes with distinct functionalities: the catalytic core (purple) responsible for DNA synthesis and an H/ACA ribonucleoprotein lobe (cyan, teal and light green) important for telomerase biogenesis and localization to the Cajal body (red dots and lower left in closeup). Given that telomerase regulation is implicated in cancer and aging, this first architectural visualization of human telomerase represents an important breakthrough in the telomerase field and telomerase-based therapeutic design.

Credit

Janet Iwasa

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