Human telomeric G-quadruplex structures are known to be promising targets for an anticancer therapy. In the past decade, several research groups have been focused on the design of new ligands trying to optimize the interactions between these small molecules and the G-quadruplex motif. In most of these studies, the target structures were the single quadruplex units formed by short human DNA telo...

We have established a collection of strong molecular cytogenetic markers that span the mouse autosomes and X chromosome at an average spacing of one per 19 Mb and identify 127 distinct band landmarks. In addition, this Mouse Molecular Cytogenetic Resource relates the ends of the genetic maps to their chromosomal locations. The resource consists of 157 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone...

Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that cap and protect the ends of linear chromosomes. In humans, telomeres end in 50-300 nt of G-rich single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) overhangs. Protection of telomeres 1 (POT1) binds with nanomolar affinity to the ssDNA overhangs and forms a dimer with another telomere-end binding protein called TPP1. Whereas most previous studies utilized telomeric oligonucleo...

Telomere lengths are maintained in many cancer cells by the ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase but can be further elongated by increasing telomerase activity through the overexpression of telomerase components. We report here that increased telomerase activity results in increased telomere length that eventually reaches a plateau, accompanied by the generation of telomere length heterogeneity ...

A series of 2-phenyl-benzopyranopyrimidine (PBPP) derivatives with alkylamino side chains were synthesized and found to be a new type of highly selective ligand to bind with telomeric G-quadruplex DNA, and their biological properties were reported for the first time. Their interactions with telomeric G-quadruplex DNA were studied with FRET melting, surface plasmon resonance, CD spectroscopy, an...

T loops and telomeric G-quadruplex (G4) DNA structures pose a potential threat to genome stability and must be dismantled to permit efficient telomere replication. Here we implicate the helicase RTEL1 in the removal of telomeric DNA secondary structures, which is essential for preventing telomere fragility and loss. In the absence of RTEL1, T loops are inappropriately resolved by the SLX4 nucle...

Molossidae species, Cynomops abrasus (2n = 34, fundamental number, FN = 64), Eumops auripendulus (2n = 42, FN = 62), Molossus rufus (2n = 48, FN = 64), Molossops temminckii (2n = 48, FN = 64), and Nyctinomops laticaudatus (2n = 48, FN = 64), and Phyllostomidae species, Phyllostomus discolor (2n = 32, FN = 60), have karyotypes with different chromosome and fundamental numbers, different localiza...

Telomeres are essential for chromosome stability and the regulation of the replicative life-span of somatic cells. Many studies showed that exogenous telomeric repeats could activate p53 protein. It is not known how cell dysfunction is induced by telomeric plasmids. A covalent closed circular (ccc) double-stranded plasmid containing (TTAGGG)(96) repeats (pRST5) was transiently transfected into ...

Mec1p is a cell cycle checkpoint protein related to the ATM protein kinase family. Certain mec1 mutations or overexpression of Mec1p lead to shortened telomeres and loss of telomeric silencing. We conducted a multicopy suppressor screen for genes that suppress the loss of silencing in strains overexpressing Mec1p. We identified SCS2 (suppressor of choline sensitivity), a gene previously isolate...

Telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) is important for telomere regulation, but the structural basis for how TERRA localizes to chromosome ends is unknown. Here we report on studies exploring whether the TERRA G-quadruplex structure is critical for binding to telomeres. We demonstrate that the telomeric protein TRF2 binds TERRA via interactions that necessitate the formation of a G-quadruplex...