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Science 15 June 2001:
Vol. 292. no. 5524, pp. 2075 - 2077
DOI: 10.1126/science.1062329
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Reports

Telomere Position Effect in Human Cells

Joseph A. Baur, Ying Zou, Jerry W. Shay,* Woodring E. Wright*

In yeast, telomere position effect (TPE) results in the reversible silencing of genes near telomeres. Here we demonstrate the presence of TPE in human cells. HeLa clones containing a luciferase reporter adjacent to a newly formed telomere express 10 times less luciferase than do control clones generated by random integration. Luciferase expression is restored by trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor. Overexpression of a human telomerase reverse transcriptase complementary DNA results in telomere elongation and an additional 2- to 10-fold decrease in expression in telomeric clones but not control clones. The dependence of TPE on telomere length provides a mechanism for the modification of gene expression throughout the replicative life-span of human cells.

Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9039, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Jerry.Shay{at}UTSouthwestern.edu (J.W.S) or Woodring.Wright{at}UTSouthwestern.edu (W.E.W).

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