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Published Online October 4, 2007
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1147182

Research Articles

Submitted on June 28, 2007
Accepted on September 17, 2007

Telomeric Repeat–Containing RNA and RNA Surveillance Factors at Mammalian Chromosome Ends

Claus M. Azzalin 1, Patrick Reichenback 1, Lela Khoriauli 2, Elena Giulotto 2, Joachim Lingner 1*

1 Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland.; School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.; "Frontiers in Genetics" National Centre for Competence in Research (NCCR), CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
2 University of Pavia, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, 27100 Pavia, Italy.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Joachim Lingner , E-mail: joachim.lingner{at}isrec.ch

Telomeres, the DNA-protein complexes located at the end of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, are essential for chromosome stability. Until now, telomeres have been considered to be transcriptionally silent. We demonstrate here that mammalian telomeres are transcribed into telomeric repeat containing RNA (TERRA). TERRA molecules are heterogeneous in length, are transcribed from several subtelomeric loci towards chromosome ends and localize to telomeres. We also show that Suppressors with Morphogenetic Defects in Genitalia (SMG) proteins, which are effectors of nonsense mediated RNA decay, are enriched at telomeres in vivo, negatively regulate TERRA association with chromatin and protect chromosome ends from telomere loss. Thus, telomeres are actively transcribed into TERRA, and SMG factors represent a molecular link between TERRA regulation and maintenance of telomere integrity.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)