24 Result(s)

Article

Sha** human telomeres: from shelterin and CST complexes to telomeric chromatin organization

The regulation of telomere length in mammals is crucial for chromosome end-cap** and thus for maintaining genome stability and cellular lifespan. This process requires coordination between telomeric protein ...

Ci Ji Lim, Thomas R. Cech in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology (2021)

Article

Molecular analysis of PRC2 recruitment to DNA in chromatin and its inhibition by RNA

Biochemical reconstitution of PRC2 interactions with chromatinized templates demonstrates that protein-free linker DNA dominates the PRC2-nucleosome interaction, while RNA inhibits binding.

Xueyin Wang, Richard D Paucek, Anne R Gooding… in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2017)

Article

Inhibition of telomerase RNA decay rescues telomerase deficiency caused by dyskerin or PARN defects

New evidence that human telomerase RNA (hTR) degradation by EXOSC10 or DCP2 and XRN1 reduces telomerase activity when dyskerin is compromised suggests that RNA decay pathways may provide future therapeutic tar...

Siddharth Shukla, Jens C Schmidt… in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2016)

Article

Protein-RNA interaction restricts telomerase from running through the stop sign

Telomerase is a unique reverse transcriptase in that it repetitively uses a short piece of its RNA component as template to synthesize DNA. A new crystal structure of a part of the Tetrahymena telomerase ribonucl...

Linghe **, Thomas R Cech in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2015)

Article

Promiscuous RNA binding by Polycomb repressive complex 2

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is a histone methyltransferase required for epigenetic silencing during development and cancer, and it can be recruited to chromatin by long noncoding RNAs. In vitro binding s...

Chen Davidovich, Leon Zheng, Karen J Goodrich… in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2013)

Article

Finding the end: recruitment of telomerase to telomeres

Article

The RNA accordion model for template positioning by telomerase RNA during telomeric DNA synthesis

Telomerase uses its associated RNA as a template for processive addition of telomeric DNA repeats. Biochemistry and smFRET analysis are now used to investigate how the RNA template moves along the active site,...

Andrea J Berman, Benjamin M Akiyama… in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2011)

Article

A natural ribozyme with 3′,5′ RNA ligase activity

Quentin Vicens, Thomas R Cech in Nature Chemical Biology (2009)

Article

Mutation in TERT separates processivity from anchor-site function

Repeat-addition processivity (RAP), that is, generating multiple DNA repeats from a single template without primer dissociation, is a key property of telomerase. In the Tetrahymena reverse-transcriptase component...

Arthur J Zaug, Elaine R Podell, Thomas R Cech in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2008)

Article

Triple-helix structure in telomerase RNA contributes to catalysis

Telomerase is responsible for replication of the ends of linear chromosomes in most eukaryotes. Its intrinsic RNA subunit provides the template for synthesis of telomeric DNA by the reverse-transcriptase (TERT...

Feng Qiao, Thomas R Cech in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2008)

Article

Crystal structure of the essential N-terminal domain of telomerase reverse transcriptase

Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme, adds telomeric DNA repeats to the ends of linear chromosomes. Here we report the first high-resolution structure of any portion of the telomerase reverse transcriptase, ...

Steven A Jacobs, Elaine R Podell, Thomas R Cech in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2006)

Article

A miniature yeast telomerase RNA functions in vivo and reconstitutes activity in vitro

The ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase synthesizes DNA at the ends of chromosomes. Although the telomerase catalytic protein subunit (TERT) is well conserved, the RNA component is rapidly evolving in both siz...

David C Zappulla, Karen Goodrich, Thomas R Cech in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2005)

Article

Nurturing interdisciplinary research

The research in biology has been transformed by the products of interdisciplinary research. Here we explore why it is challenging for universities to bring biologists together with engineers, physicists and co...

Thomas R Cech, Gerald M Rubin in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2004)

Article

Structure of human POT1 bound to telomeric single-stranded DNA provides a model for chromosome end-protection

The POT1 (protection of telomeres 1) protein binds the single-stranded overhang at the ends of chromosomes in diverse eukaryotes. It is essential for chromosome end-protection in the fission yeast Schizosaccharom...

Ming Lei, Elaine R Podell, Thomas R Cech in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2004)

Article

Self-Splicing and Enzymatic Activity of an Intervening Sequence RNA from Tetrahymena

Thomas R. Cech in Bioscience Reports (2004)

Article

Evolution of Tetrahymena ribozyme mutants with increased structural stability

Determining how large RNA molecules stabilize their tertiary structures is critical for understanding how they perform their biological functions. Here we use in vitro selection to identify active variants of the...

Feng Guo, Thomas R. Cech in Nature Structural Biology (2002)