Description
Telomerase is a special reverse transcriptase that extends the linear chromosome termini in eukaryotes. Telomerase is also a unique ribonucleoprotein complex which is composed of the protein component called Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) and a telomerase RNA component (TR). The enzyme from most vertebrate species is able to utilize a short template sequence within TR to synthesize a long stretch of telomeric DNA, an ability termed "repeat addition processivity". By using human telomerase reconstituted both in vitro (Rabbit Reticulocyte Lysate) and in vivo (293FT cells), I have demonstrated that a conserved motif in the reverse transcriptase domain of the telomerase protein is crucial for telomerase repeat addition processivity and rate. Furthermore, I have designed a "template-free" telomerase to show that RNA/DNA duplex binding is a critical step for telomere repeat synthesis. In an attempt to expand the understanding of vertebrate telomerase, I have studied RNA-protein interactions of telomerase from teleost fish. The teleost fish telomerase RNA (TR) is by far the smallest vertebrate TR identified, providing a valuable model for structural research.
Details
Title
- Exploring the telomeric repeat addition processivity of vertebrate telomerase
Contributors
- Xie, Mingyi (Author)
- Chen, Julian J.L. (Thesis advisor)
- Yan, Hao (Committee member)
- Wachter, Rebekka M. (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2010
Subjects
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Note
- Partial requirement for: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2010Note typethesis
- Includes bibliographical referencesNote typebibliography
- Field of study: Biochemistry
Citation and reuse
Statement of Responsibility
by Mingyi Xie