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Cancer cells that lack telomerase activity can maintain telomere lengths that permit continued proliferation via a recombination-based pathway called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). This Review summarizes recent insights into the mechanism of ALT function and how it is repressed in normal cells to permit telomere attrition that limits replication.
The shelterin complex sequesters the linear ends of chromosomes and prevents telomeres from being recognized as DNA double-strand breaks. In this Review, the authors discuss the complex interactions between shelterin components and DNA damage–response factors and consider shelterin's emerging roles as regulators of genome integrity and cell fate.
Genetic mutations that compromise telomere-length maintenance give rise to a group of related human diseases called telomere biology disorders. This Review discusses the molecular functions impaired by disease-associated mutations as well as modes of inheritance and clinical manifestations.
The ribosome is a complex molecular machine that is central to protein synthesis. This Review highlights the various roles of noncoding RNAs during the different steps of ribosome biogenesis and discusses the consequences for ribosome function.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process by which small noncoding RNAs direct molecular machinery to silence gene expression. In this Review, Ipsaro and Joshua-Tor discuss the mechanisms and structures that govern RNAi in higher organisms.
