Telomeric regions are known to be transcribed in several organisms. Although originally reported to be transcribed from all chromosomes with enrichment near the inactive X of female cells, we show that telomeric RNAs in fact are enriched on both sex chromosomes of the mouse in a developmentally specific manner. In female stem cells, both active Xs are marked by the RNAs. In male stem cells, both the X and the Y accumulate telomeric RNA. Distribution of telomeric RNAs changes during cell differentiation, after which they associate only with the heterochromatic sex chromosomes of each sex. FISH mapping suggests that accumulated telomeric RNAs localize at the distal telomeric end. Interestingly, telomeric expression changes in cancer and during cellular stress. Furthermore, RNA accumulation increases in Dicer-deficient stem cells, suggesting direct or indirect links to RNAi. We propose that telomeric RNAs are tied to cell differentiation and may be used to mark pluripotency and disease.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1534/genetics.109.103093 | DOI Listing |
Mol Biol Rep
January 2025
Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India.
Telomerase, constituted by the dynamic duo of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), the catalytic entity, and an integral RNA component (TERC), is predominantly suppressed in differentiated human cells due to postnatal transcriptional repression of the TERT gene. Dysregulation of telomerase significantly contributes to cancer development via telomere-dependent and independent mechanisms. Telomerase activity is often elevated in advanced cancers, with TERT reactivation and upregulation of TERC observed in early tumorigenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Lett
January 2025
Cluster of Biomolecular Science, Division of Toxicology, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Dealing with infections is a daily challenge for wild animals. Empirical data show an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during immune response. This could have consequences on telomere length, the end parts of linear chromosomes, commonly used as proxy for good health and ageing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArthritis Rheumatol
January 2025
Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Objective: A pathogenetic role of CD8+ T lymphocytes in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) and other spondyloarthritis (SpA) is sustained by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and by the expansion of public T cell clonotypes in the target tissues. This study investigates the migration of CD8+ T cells, along with their phenotype and functions in patients with r-axSpA and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
Methods: Peripheral blood CD8+ and CD4+ T cells were isolated from r-axSpA (n= 128), PsA (n= 60) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n= 74) patients and healthy donors (HD, n= 79).
Circ Res
January 2025
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, Blood and Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, PA. (R.A.C., C.C.C., R.W., A.C., C.B., C.R., W.J.M., M.J. Bashline, A.P., A.M.P., P.B., M.J. Brown, C.S.H.).
Background: Calcific aortic valve disease is the pathological remodeling of valve leaflets. The initial steps in valve leaflet osteogenic reprogramming are not fully understood. As TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase) overexpression primes mesenchymal stem cells to differentiate into osteoblasts, we investigated whether TERT contributes to the osteogenic reprogramming of valve interstitial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Genet
January 2025
Department of Oncology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China.
Relationships between cellular senescence and gastrointestinal cancers have gained prominence in recent years. The currently accepted theory suggests that cellular senescence and cancer occurrence exhibit "double-edged sword" effects. Cellular senescence is related to cancer via four "meta-hallmarks" i.
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