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Protection of mammalian telomeres

Oncogene volume 21, pages 532–540 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Telomeres allow cells to distinguish natural chromosome ends from damaged DNA. When telomere function is disrupted, a potentially lethal DNA damage response can ensue, DNA repair activities threaten the integrity of chromosome ends, and extensive genome instability can arise. It is not clear exactly how the structure of telomere ends differs from sites of DNA damage and how telomeres protect chromosome ends from DNA repair activities. What are the defining structural features of telomeres and through which mechanisms do they ensure chromosome end protection? What is the molecular basis of the telomeric cap and how does it act to sequester the chromosome end? Here I discuss data gathered in the last few years, suggesting that the protection of human chromosome ends primarily depends on the telomeric protein TRF2 and that telomere capping involves the formation of a higher order structure, the telomeric loop or t-loop.

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Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to John Petrini as well as Diego Loayza, Richard Wang, Josh Silverman, Jan Karlseder, Holger Kissel, Agata Smogorzewaka, and other members of my lab for helpful comments on this manuscript. Our work is supported by grants from the NIH (NIA and NIGM), the NCI, the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, and the Ellison Foundation.

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  1. Laboratory for Cell Biology and Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, 10021, NY, USA

    Titia de Lange

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Correspondence to Titia de Lange.

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de Lange, T. Protection of mammalian telomeres. Oncogene 21, 532–540 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1205080

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