Telomerase Is an Unusual RNA-Containing Enzyme. A Review

S. S. Dokudovskaya,¹ A. V. Petrov,¹ O. A. Dontsova,¹ and A. A. Bogdanov^1,2

¹School of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119899 Russia; fax: (095) 939-31-81; E-mail: dontsova@ribosome.genebee.msu.su

²To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Submitted July 15, 1997.

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Telomeres, the natural ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, are essential for protecting chromosomes from degradation and fusion. The synthesis of telomere DNA repeats in most eukaryotes is performed by a special enzyme, telomerase. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme, is a specialized reverse transcriptase utilizing its RNA moiety as a template for synthesis of telomeric DNA. Enzymatic properties and results of comparative analysis of telomerase RNA and protein structures from different eukaryotic systems are discussed in this review.

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KEY WORDS: telomeres, telomerase, telomerase RNA, telomerase associated proteins.

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