UCLA

Telomerase is an RNP that synthesizes the 3' ends of linear chromosomes and is an important regulator of telomere length. It contains a single long non-coding telomerase RNA (TER), telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and other proteins that vary among organisms. Recent progress in structural biology of telomerase includes reports of the first cryo-electron microscopy structure of telomerase, from Tetrahymena, new crystal structures of TERT domains, telomerase RNA structures and models, and identification in Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme of human homologues of telomere-associated proteins that have provided a more unified view of telomerase interaction at telomeres as well as insights into the role of telomerase RNA in activity and assembly.