Premium
Genomic origin and nuclear localization of TERRA telomeric repeat‐containing RNA: from Darkness to Dawn
Author(s) -
Diman Aurélie,
Decottignies Anabelle
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/febs.14363
Subject(s) - telomere , biology , chromatin , rna , transcription (linguistics) , genetics , genome , long non coding rna , non coding rna , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , linguistics , philosophy
Long noncoding RNA s, produced from distinct regions of the chromosomes, are emerging as new key players in several important biological processes. The long noncoding RNA s add a new layer of complexity to cellular regulatory pathways, from transcription to cellular trafficking or chromatin remodeling. More than 25 years ago, the discovery of a transcriptional activity at telomeres of protozoa ended the long‐lasting belief that telomeres were transcriptionally silent. Since then, progressively accumulating evidences established that production of TE lomeric Repeat‐containing RNA ( TERRA ) was a general feature of eukaryotic cells. Whether TERRA molecules always originate from the telomeres or whether they can be transcribed from internal telomeric repeats as well is however still a matter of debate. Whether TERRA transcripts always localize to telomeres and play similar roles in all eukaryotic cells is also unclear. We review the studies on TERRA localization in the cell, its composition and some aspects of its transcriptional regulation to summarize the current knowledge and controversies about the genomic origin of TERRA , with a focus on human and mouse TERRA .