Abstract
Telomeres are the natural ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. In most organisms, telomeres consist of simple, repeated DNA with the strand running 5′ to 3′ towards the end of the chromosome being rich in G residues. In cases where the very end of the chromosome has been examined, the G-strand is extended to form a short, single stranded tail. The chromatin structure of telomeric regions often has features that distinguish them from other parts of the genome. Because telomeres protect chromosome ends from degradation and end-to-end fusions and prevent the loss of terminal DNA by serving as a substrate for telomerase, they are essential for the stable maintenance of eukaryotic chromosomes. In addition to their essential functions, telomeres in diverse organisms are specialized sites for gene expression. Transcription of genes located next to telomeres is repressed, a phenomenon termed telomere position effect (TPE). TPE is best characterized in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This article will focus on the silencing properties of Saccharomyces telomeres and end with speculation on the role of TPE in yeasts and other organisms.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 50 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $5.18 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andrulis ED, Neiman AM, Zappulla DC, Sternglanz R . 1998 Nature 394: 592–595
Aparicio OM, Billington BL, Gottschling DE . 1991 Cell 66: 1279–1287
Aparicio OM, Gottschling DE . 1994 Genes Dev. 8: 1133–1146
Baur JA, Zou Y, Shay JW, Wright WE . 2001 Science 292: 2075–2077
Bell SP, Stillman B . 1992 Nature 357: 128–134
Boeke JD, LaCroute F, Fink GR . 1984 Mol. Gen. Genet. 197: 345–346
Boulton SJ, Jackson SP . 1998 EMBO J. 17: 1819–1828
Bourns BD, Alexander MK, Smith AM, Zakian VA . 1998 Mol. Cell. Biol. 18: 5600–5608
Brachmann CB, Sherman JM, Devine SE, Cameron EE, Pillus L, Boeke JD . 1995 Genes Dev. 9: 2888–2902
Braunstein M, Rose AB, Holmes SG, Allis CD, Broach JR . 1993 Genes Dev. 7: 592–604
Buck SW, Shore D . 1995 Genes Dev. 9: 370–384
Chan CS, Tye BK . 1983a J. Mol. Biol. 168: 505–523
Chan CSM, Tye B-K . 1983b Cell 33: 563–573
Cockell M, Palladino F, Laroche T, Kyrion G, Liu C, Lustig AJ, Gasser SM . 1995 J. Cell Biol. 129: 909–924
Conrad MN, Wright JH, Wolf AJ, Zakian VA . 1990 Cell 63: 739–750
Cooper JP, Nimmo ER, Allshire RC, Cech TR . 1997 Nature 385: 744–747
Cooper JP, Watanabe Y, Nurse P . 1998 Nature 392: 828–831
Craven RJ, Petes TD . 2000 Mol. Cell. Biol. 20: 2378–2384
Cryderman DE, Morris EJ, Biessmann H, Elgin SC, Wallrath LL . 1999 EMBO J. 18: 3724–3735
d'Adda di Fagagna F, Hande MP, Tong W, Roth D, Lansdorp PM, Wang Z, Jackson SP . 2001 Curr. Biol. 11: 1192–1196
de Bruin D, Kantrow SM, Liberatore RA, Zakian VA . 2000 Mol. Cell. Biol. 20: 7991–8000
de Bruin D, Zaman Z, Liberatore RA, Ptashne M . 2001 Nature 409: 109–113
Deitsch KW, Calderwood MS, Wellems TE . 2001 Nature 412: 875–876
Fourel G, Revardel E, Koering CE, Gilson E . 1999 EMBO J. 18: 2522–2537
Freitas-Junior LH, Bottius E, Pirrit LA, Deitsch KW, Scheidig C, Guinet F, Nehrbass U, Wellems TE, Scherf A . 2000 Nature 407: 1018–1022
Funabiki H, Hagan I, Uzawa S, Yanagida M . 1993 J. Cell Biol. 121: 961–976
Gilson E, Roberge M, Giraldo R, Rhodes D, Gasser SM . 1993 J. Mol. Biol. 231: 293–310
Gommers-Ampt JH, Van Leeuwen F, de Beer AL, Vliegenthart JF, Dizdaroglu M, Kowalak JA, Crain PF, Borst P . 1993 Cell 75: 1129–1136
Gotta M, Laroche T, Formenton A, Maillet L, Scherthan H, Gasser SM . 1996 J. Cell Biol. 134: 1349–1363
Gotta M, Strahl-Bolsinger S, Renauld H, Laroche T, Kennedy BK, Grunstein M, Gasser SM . 1997 EMBO J. 16: 3243–3255
Gottlieb S, Esposito RE . 1989 Cell 56: 771–776
Gottschling DE . 1992 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89: 4062–4065
Gottschling DE, Aparicio OM, Billington BL, Zakian VA . 1990 Cell 63: 751–762
Gravel S, Larrivee M, Labrecque P, Wellinger RJ . 1998 Science 280: 741–744
Griffith JD, Comeau L, Rosenfield S, Stansel RM, Bianchi A, Moss H, de Lange T . 1999 Cell 97: 503–514
Haber JE . 1999 Cell 97: 829–832
Hardy CF, Sussel L, Shore D . 1992 Genes Dev. 6: 801–814
Harley CB . 1995 Telomeres Blackburn, EH and Greider, CW (eds) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: Plainview, NY pp 247–263
Hecht A, Laroche T, Strahl-Bolsinger S, Gasser SM, Grunstein M . 1995 Cell 80: 583–592
Hecht A, Strahl-Bolsinger S, Grunstein M . 1996 Nature 383: 92–96
Hill A, Bloom K . 1987 Mol. Cell. Biol. 7: 2397–2405
Horn D, Cross GA . 1995 Cell 83: 555–561
Hsu HL, Gilley D, Blackburn EH, Chen DJ . 1999 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 12454–12458
Hsu HL, Gilley D, Galande SA, Hande MP, Allen B, Kim SH, Li GC, Campisi J, Kohwi-Shigematsu T, Chen DJ . 2000 Genes Dev. 14: 2807–2812
Huang H, Kahana A, Gottschling DE, Prakash L, Liebman SW . 1997 Mol. Cell. Biol. 17: 6693–6699
Imai S, Armstrong CM, Kaeberlein M, Guarente L . 2000 Nature 403: 795–800
Kaeberlein M, McVey M, Guarente L . 1999 Genes Dev. 13: 2570–2580
Kennedy BK, Gotta M, Sinclair DA, Mills K, McNabb DS, Murthy M, Pak SM, Laroche T, Gasser SM, Guarente L . 1997 Cell 89: 381–391
Kyrion G, Boakye KA, Lustig AJ . 1992 Mol. Cell. Biol. 12: 5159–5173
Kyrion G, Liu K, Liu C, Lustig AJ . 1993 Genes Dev. 7: 1146–1159
Laman H, Balderes D, Shore D . 1995 Mol. Cell Biol 15: 3608–3617
Landry J, Slama JT, Sternglanz R . 2000 Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 278: 685–690
Laroche T, Martin SG, Gotta M, Gorham HC, Pryde FE, Louis EJ, Gasser SM . 1998 Curr. Biol. 8: 653–656
Laroche T, Martin SG, Tsai-Pflugfelder M, Gasser SM . 2000 J. Struct. Biol. 129: 159–174
Levis R, Hazelrigg T, Rubin GM . 1985 Science 229: 558–561
Li B, Oestreich S, de Lange T . 2000 Cell 101: 471–483
Lin JJ, Zakian VA . 1996 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93: 13760–13765
Louis EJ . 1995 Yeast 11: 1553–1574
Louis EJ, Naumova ES, Lee A, Naumov G, Haber JE . 1994 Genetics 136: 789–802
Maillet L, Boscheron C, Gotta M, Marcand S, Gilson E, Gasser SM . 1996 Genes Dev. 10: 1796–1811
Mangahas JL, Alexander MK, Sandell LL, Zakian VA . 2001 Mol. Biol. Cell. 12: 4078–4089
Marcand S, Buck SW, Moretti P, Gilson E, Shore D . 1996 Genes Dev. 10: 1297–1309
Martin SG, Laroche T, Suka N, Grunstein M, Gasser SM . 1999 Cell 97: 621–633
Mason JM, Biessmann H . 1995 Trends Genet. 11: 58–62
McAinsh AD, Scott-Drew S, Murray JA, Jackson SP . 1999 Curr. Biol. 9: 963–966
Mills KD, Sinclair DA, Guarente L . 1999 Cell 97: 609–620
Mishra K, Shore D . 1999 Curr. Biol. 9: 1123–1126
Monson EK, de Bruin D, Zakian VA . 1997 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 13081–13086
Moretti P, Freeman K, Coodly L, Shore D . 1994 Genes Dev. 8: 2257–2269
Munoz-Jordan JL, Cross GA, de Lange T, Griffith JD . 2001 EMBO J. 20: 579–588
Murti KG, Prescott DM . 1999 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 14436–14439
Nimmo ER, Cranston G, Allshire RC . 1994 EMBO J. 13: 3801–3811
Nimmo ER, Pidoux AL, Perry PE, Allshire RC . 1998 Nature 392: 825–828
Nugent CI, Hughes TR, Lue NF, Lundblad V . 1996 Science 274: 249–252
Palladino F, Laroche T, Gilson E, Axelrod A, Pillus L, Gasser SM . 1993 Cell 75: 543–555
Pryde FE, Louis EJ . 1999 EMBO J. 18: 2538–2550
Renauld H, Aparicio OM, Zierath PD, Billington BL, Chhablani SK, Gottschling DE . 1993 Genes Dev. 7: 1133–1145
Ritchie KB, Petes TD . 2000 Genetics 155: 475–479
Rudenko G, Cross M, Borst P . 1998 Trends Microbiol. 6: 113–116
Runge KW, Zakian VA . 1996 Mol. Cell. Biol. 16: 3094–3105
Russell P, Nurse P . 1986 Cell 45: 781–782
Samper E, Goytisolo FA, Slijepcevic P, van Buul PP, Blasco MA . 2000 EMBO Rep. 1: 244–252
Sandell LL, Gottschling DE, Zakian VA . 1994 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91: 12061–12065
Sandell LL, Zakian VA . 1993 Cell 75: 729–739
Scherf A, Hernandez-Rivas R, Buffet P, Bottius E, Benatar C, Pouvelle B, Gysin J, Lanzer M . 1998 EMBO J. 17: 5418–5426
Snyder M, Spolsky RJ, Davis RW . 1988 Mol. Cell. Biol. 8: 2184–2194
Stavenhagen JB, Zakian VA . 1994 Genes Dev. 8: 1411–1422
Strahl-Bolsinger S, Hecht A, Luo K, Grunstein M . 1997 Genes Dev. 11: 83–93
Straight AF, Belmont AS, Robinett CC, Murray AW . 1996 Curr. Biol. 6: 1599–1608
Tanny JC, Dowd GJ, Huang J, Hilz H, Moazed D . 1999 Cell 99: 735–745
Tham WH, Wyithe JS, Ferrigno PK, Silver PA, Zakian VA . 2001 Mol. Cell 8: 189–199
Tissenbaum HA, Guarente L . 2001 Nature 410: 227–230
Tsukamoto Y, Taggart AKP, Zakian VA . 2001 Curr. Biol. 11: 1328–1335
van Leeuwen F, Taylor MC, Mondragon A, Moreau H, Gibson W, Kieft R, Borst P . 1998 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95: 2366–2371
Vega-Palas MA, Martin-Figueroa E, Florencio FJ . 2000 Mol. Gen. Genet. 263: 287–291
Vega-Palas MA, Venditti S, Di Mauro E . 1997 Nat. Genet. 15: 232–233
Wiley E, Zakian VA . 1995 Genetics 139: 67–79
Wotton D, Shore D . 1997 Genes Dev. 11: 748–760
Wright JH, Gottschling DE, Zakian VA . 1992 Genes Dev. 6: 197–210
Wright JH, Zakian VA . 1995 Nuc. Acids Res. 23: 1454–1460
Wright WE, Shay JW . 1992 Trends. Genet. 8: 193–197
Wyrick JJ, Holstege FC, Jennings EG, Causton HC, Shore D, Grunstein M, Lander ES, Young RA . 1999 Nature 402: 418–421
Zakian VA . 1996 Annu. Rev. Genet. 30: 141–172
Zhu XD, Kuster B, Mann M, Petrini JH, de Lange T . 2000 Nat. Genet. 25: 347–352
Zou S, Ke N, Kim JM, Voytas DF . 1996 Genes Dev. 10: 634–645
Acknowledgements
We thank Mary Kate Alexander, Lara Goudsouzian, and Michelle Mondoux for helpful comments on the manuscript and the National Institutes of Health for their support of the research in our laboratory.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tham, WH., Zakian, V. Transcriptional silencing at Saccharomyces telomeres: implications for other organisms. Oncogene 21, 512–521 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1205078
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1205078
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Telomere and subtelomere high polymorphism might contribute to the specificity of homologous recognition and pairing during meiosis in barley in the context of breeding
BMC Genomics (2023)
-
Global histone protein surface accessibility in yeast indicates a uniformly loosely packed genome with canonical nucleosomes
Epigenetics & Chromatin (2021)
-
Gametes deficient for Pot1 telomere binding proteins alter levels of telomeric foci for multiple generations
Communications Biology (2021)
-
Chromatin architecture and virulence-related gene expression in eukaryotic microbial pathogens
Current Genetics (2019)
-
Malaria parasites possess a telomere repeat-binding protein that shares ancestry with transcription factor IIIA
Nature Microbiology (2017)