 |
|
RNAi and telomere length
February 01, 2006A team of Russian scientists, led by Dr. Vladimir Gvozdev (Russian Academy of Sciences) reports on a novel link between RNAi and telomere maintenance in the Drosophila germline. Unlike most eukaryotes, which use the enzyme telomerase to lengthen their chromosome ends, Drosophila telomeres are maintained by specialized telomeric retrotransposons (Het-A, TART and TAHRE) that are attached, or transposed, onto chromosome ends.
Dr. Gvozdev and colleagues have discovered that two known components of the Drosophila RNAi machinery regulate the transposition of these telomeric retrotransposons. The researchers show that mutations in either spindle-E (an RNA helicase) or aubergine (an Argonaute family member) cause an increased frequency of telomere element transposition onto broken chromosome ends in ovary cells.
"Our data highlight the regulatory role of an RNAi-based mechanism, earlier considered as a defense system against retrotransposon and virus expansion, in telomere maintenance," explains Prof. V. Gvozdev. Dr. Kalmykova, first author on the paper, also points out that "We suggest that RNAi-mediated regulation of telomere dynamics in the germline may be a general phenomenon in distinct organisms, because all known telomeres include repetitive elements, a potential target of RNAi."
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Telomere Current Events and Telomere News RSSWhen cells go bad
When a cell's chromosomes lose their ends, the cell usually kills itself to stem the genetic damage. But University of Utah biologists discovered how those cells can evade suicide and start down the path to cancer.
Scientists identify possible cause of endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition whereby patches of the inner lining of the womb appear in parts of the body other than the womb cavity. It can cause severe pain and affects approximately 15% of women of reproductive age. Endometriosis is also associated with infertility, with 50% of infertile women affected by the condition.
UGA researchers discover mechanism that explains how cancer enzyme winds up on ends of chromosomes
Human cancer cells divide and conquer. Unless physicians can control that division with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, the wildly dividing cells will eventually destroy a person's life.
Evolution of human genome's 'guardian' gives people unique protections from DNA damage
Human evolution has created enhancements in key genes connected to the p53 regulatory network - the so-called guardian of the genome - by creating additional safeguards in human genes to boost the network's ability to guard against DNA damage that could cause cancer or a variety of genetic diseases.
Baumann lab identifies elusive telomere RNA subunit in single cell model
The Stowers Institute's Baumann Lab has identified the long-sought telomerase RNA gene in a single-cell research model. Their findings have been posted to the Web site of the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology and will appear in a future print edition.
Hotspots found for chromosome gene swapping
Crossovers and double-strand DNA breaks do not occur randomly on yeast chromosomes during meiosis, but are greatly influenced by the proximity of the chromosome's telomere, according to research in the laboratory of Whitehead Fellow Andreas Hochwagen.
Could vitamin D, a key milk nutrient, affect how you age?
There is a new reason for the 76 million baby boomers to grab a glass of milk. Vitamin D, a key nutrient in milk, could have aging benefits linked to reduced inflammation, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Mayo Clinic study points to a possible biomarker for colon cancer in people 50 and under
An abnormality of chromosomes long associated with diseases of aging has, for the first time, been linked to colon cancer in people 50 years old and younger, an age group usually considered young for this disease.
New telomere discovery could help explain why cancer cells never stop dividing
A group working at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) in collaboration with the University of Pavia has discovered that telomeres, the repeated DNA-protein complexes at the end of chromosomes that progressively shorten every time a cell divides, also contain RNA.
Investigators uncover intriguing clues to why persistent acid reflux sometimes turns into cancer
New research from scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center underscores the importance of preventing recurring acid reflux while also uncovering tantalizing clues on how typical acid reflux can turn potentially cancerous.
More Telomere Current Events and Telomere News Articles
 | Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA by Catherine Brady Molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn—one of Time magazine’s 100 “Most Influential People in the World” in 2007—made headlines in 2004 when she was dismissed from the President's Council on Bioethics after objecting to the council's call for a moratorium on stem cell research and protesting the suppression of relevant scientific evidence in its final report. But it is Blackburn's... |
 | Telomeres, Second Edition Cold Spring Harbor Monograph Series 45 (Cold Spring Harbor Monograph Series) by The Rockefeller University, The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, University of California, San Francisco An up to date survey of the current exciting state of telomere biology. Telomeres - [Telomere biology] has proven a treasure trove for researchers... This book is a compact guide to the exciting findings... F. Brad Johnson, University of Pennsylvania (The Quarterly Review of Biology)specialized structures found at the ends of chromosomes - are essential for maintaining the integrity of... |
| Origin and Evolution of Telomeres (Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit) by Jozef Nosek | |
 | TELOMERE by L. J. Williams TELOMERE... do-or-die split second decisions, falling in love, top secrets, world issues, government screw-ups, murder, terror, religious quandary, stealth relationships, real-life action, courage, fears, and mankind’s most unreachable want. All based on today’s real scientific research with unpublished theories that will have the News Media scrambling to present the probability of when... |
 | The Telomere by David Kipling Telomeres--specialized structures at ends of linear chromosomes--serve a fascinating range of functions that molecular biologists and geneticists are only beginning to understand and exploit. For example, telomeres distinguish the natural end of a chromosome from a simple double-strand break, stabilize chromosomes by protecting them from fusion or activating cell cycle checkpoints, and provide... |
 | Telomere shortening is associated with malformation in p53-deficient mice after irradiation during specific stages of development [An article from: DNA Repair] by S. Bekaert, H. Derradji, T.D. Meyer, A. Michaux, B This digital document is a journal article from DNA Repair, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Description: The natural ends of linear chromosomes, the telomeres, recruit specific proteins in the formation of protective caps that preserve the integrity... |
 | Telomeres and Telomerase: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology) (Methods in Molecular Biology) by John A. Double, Michael J. Thompson John A. Double and Michael J. Thompson have collected a critically important series of novel and essential techniques for studying telomeres and telomerase. These readily reproducible methods provide cutting-edge tools to identify, measure, and analyze telomeres, to determine telomerase expression at the RNA level, to determine telomerase activity, and to detect potential modifiers of this... |
| CELLULAR AGING: TELOMERES: An entry from Macmillan Reference USA's Encyclopedia of Aging by DOMINIQUE BROCCOLI As the Baby Boomers head toward retirement, the four-volume “Encyclopedia of Aging” offers a timely resource encompassing all aspects of aging. Covering a variety of disciplines—biology, medicine, economics, law, psychology, sociology and history—the Encyclopedia also explores related issues such as religion, spirituality, and... | |
 | Telomere dysfunction in genome instability syndromes [An article from: Mutation Research-Reviews in Mutation Research] by E. Callen, J. Surralles This digital document is a journal article from Mutation Research-Reviews in Mutation Research, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Description: Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes. They have essential... |
| Ku: A multifunctional protein involved in telomere maintenance [An article from: DNA Repair] by T.S. Fisher, V.A. Zakian This digital document is a journal article from DNA Repair, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Description: The DNA-binding protein Ku plays a critical role in a variety of cellular processes, including the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks and... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |