Premium
Telomere Higher‐Order Structure and Genomic Instability
Author(s) -
Fletcher Terace
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1080/15216540310001612228
Subject(s) - telomere , shelterin , telomerase , chromatin , biology , telomere binding protein , genome instability , eukaryotic chromosome fine structure , microbiology and biotechnology , chromosome , chromosome instability , dna damage , dna , genetics , gene , dna binding protein , transcription factor
Telomeres, nucleoprotein complexes at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes, have vital roles in chromosome integrity. Telomere chromatin structure is both intricate and dynamic allowing for a variety of responses to several stimuli. A critical determinant in telomere structure is the G‐strand overhang. Facilitated by telomeric proteins, the G‐strand overhang stabilizes telomere higher‐order assemblies most likely by adopting unusual DNA structures. These structures influence activities that occur at the chromosome end. Dysfunctional telomeres induce signals resulting in cell growth arrest or death. To overcome telomere dysfunction, cancer cells activate the DNA polymerase, telomerase. The presence of telomerase at the telomere may establish a particular telomeric state. If the chromosome ends of cancer and normal cells exist in different states, cancer‐specific telomere structures would offer a unique chemotherapeutic target. IUBMB Life, 55: 443‐449, 2003