Abstract
Telomerases are RNA-dependent polymerases that catalyse the synthesis of the telomeric DNA at the tips of eukaryotic chromosomes. The recent identification of the catalytic subunit of telomerases from several different species suggests that the core of the telomerase is conserved. The proposed sequence and structural homology between the telomerase catalytic subunit and reverse transcriptases, together with a wealth of genetic and biochemical information, has led to significant advances in our understanding of the mechanism by which telomerases synthesise telomeric DNA.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Review
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Catalytic Domain
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DNA / biosynthesis
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Humans
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Models, Molecular
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Protein Conformation
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RNA / chemistry
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RNA / metabolism
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RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / chemistry
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RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / genetics
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RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / metabolism
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Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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Telomerase / chemistry*
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Telomerase / genetics
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Telomerase / metabolism*
Substances
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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telomerase RNA
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RNA
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DNA
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RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
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Telomerase