POT1 as a terminal transducer of TRF1 telomere length control

Human telomere maintenance is essential for the protection of chromosome ends, and changes in telomere length have been implicated in ageing and cancer. Human telomere length is regulated by the TTAGGG-repeat-binding protein TRF1 and its interacting partners tankyrase 1, TIN2 and PINX1 (refs 5-9). As the TRF1 complex binds to the duplex DNA of the telomere, it is unclear how it can affect telomerase, which acts on the single-stranded 3' telomeric overhang. Here we show that the TRF1 complex interacts with a single-stranded telomeric DNA-binding protein--protection of telomeres 1 (POT1)--and that human POT1 controls telomerase-mediated telomere elongation. The presence of POT1 on telomeres was diminished when the amount of single-stranded DNA was reduced. Furthermore, POT1 binding was regulated by the TRF1 complex in response to telomere length. A mutant form of POT1 lacking the DNA-binding domain abrogated TRF1-mediated control of telomere length, and induced rapid and extensive telomere elongation. We propose that the interaction between the TRF1 complex and POT1 affects the loading of POT1 on the single-stranded telomeric DNA, thus transmitting information about telomere length to the telomere terminus, where telomerase is regulated.     

Telomeres shorten during ageing of human fibroblasts

The terminus of a DNA helix has been called its Achilles' heel. Thus to prevent possible incomplete replication and instability of the termini of linear DNA, eukaryotic chromosomes end in characteristic repetitive DNA sequences within specialized structures called telomeres. In immortal cells, loss of telomeric DNA due to degradation or incomplete replication is apparently balanced by telomere elongation, which may involve de novo synthesis of additional repeats by novel DNA polymerase called telomerase. Such a polymerase has been recently detected in HeLa cells. It has been proposed that the finite doubling capacity of normal mammalian cells is due to a loss of telomeric DNA and eventual deletion of essential sequences. In yeast, the est1 mutation causes gradual loss of telomeric DNA and eventual cell death mimicking senescence in higher eukaryotic cells. Here, we show that the amount and length of telomeric DNA in human fibroblasts does in fact decrease as a function of serial passage during ageing in vitro and possibly in vivo. It is not known whether this loss of DNA has a causal role in senescence.     

The human CST complex is a terminator of telomerase activity

The lengths of human telomeres, which protect chromosome ends from degradation and end fusions, are crucial determinants of cell lifespan. During embryogenesis and in cancer, the telomerase enzyme counteracts telomeric DNA shortening. As shown in cancer cells, human telomerase binds the shelterin component TPP1 at telomeres during the S phase of the cell cycle, and adds ~60 nucleotides in a single round of extension, after which telomerase is turned off by unknown mechanisms. Here we show that the human CST (CTC1, STN1 and TEN1) complex, previously implicated in telomere protection and DNA metabolism, inhibits telomerase activity through primer sequestration and physical interaction with the protection of telomeres 1 (POT1)–TPP1 telomerase processivity factor. CST competes with POT1–TPP1 for telomeric DNA, and CST–telomeric-DNA binding increases during late S/G2 phase only on telomerase action, coinciding with telomerase shut-off. Depletion of CST allows excessive telomerase activity, promoting telomere elongation. We propose that through binding of the telomerase-extended telomere, CST limits telomerase action at individual telomeres to approximately one binding and extension event per cell cycle. Our findings define the sequence of events that occur to first enable and then terminate telomerase-mediated telomere elongation.     

Apoptosis Induced by High Concentrations of Nicotinamide in Tobacco Suspension Cells

As an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), nicotinamide has a restraining effect on apoptosis at certain low concentrations. In our present study, apoptosis induced by high concentrations of nicotinamide was observed in tobacco suspension cells. When cells were preincubated with 250 mmol/L nicotinamide for 24 h, the hallmarks of apoptosis were detected, including DNA fragments increasing in size by multiples of 180-200 bp，the condensation and peripheral distribution of nuclear chromatin, and a positive reaction to the TUNEL assay. At the same time, the degradation of PARP and the reduction in the potential of the inner membrane of mitochondria appeared in apoptotic cells induced by high concentrations of nicotinamide. This result indicates that apoptosis induced by high concentrations of nicotinamide is associated with caspase-3-1ike activity and with the opening of mitochondrial permeability pores. These results partially support the hypothesis that high concentrations of PARP inhibitor could force cells to enter an apoptotic pathway by delay of DNA repair in replicating cells.     

Defects in mismatch repair promote telomerase-independent proliferation

Mismatch repair has a central role in maintaining genomic stability by repairing DNA replication errors and inhibiting recombination between non-identical (homeologous) sequences. Defects in mismatch repair have been linked to certain human cancers, including hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and sporadic tumours. A crucial requirement for tumour cell proliferation is the maintenance of telomere length, and most tumours achieve this by reactivating telomerase. In both yeast and human cells, however, telomerase-independent telomere maintenance can occur as a result of recombination-dependent exchanges between often imperfectly matched telomeric sequences. Here we show that loss of mismatch-repair function promotes cellular proliferation in the absence of telomerase. Defects in mismatch repair, including mutations that correspond to the same amino-acid changes recovered from HNPCC tumours, enhance telomerase-independent survival in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a related budding yeast with a degree of telomere sequence homology that is similar to human telomeres. These results indicate that enhanced telomeric recombination in human cells with mismatch-repair defects may contribute to cell immortalization and hence tumorigenesis.     

A truncated human chromosome 16 associated with alpha thalassaemia is stabilized by addition of telomeric repeat (TTAGGG)n

The instability of chromosomes with breaks induced by X-irradiation led to the proposal that the natural ends of chromosomes are capped by a specialized structure, the telomere. Telomeres prevent end-to-end fusions and exonucleolytic degradation, enable the end of the linear DNA molecule to replicate, and function in cell division. Human telomeric DNA comprises approximately 2-20 kilobases (kb) of the tandemly repeated sequence (TTAGGG)n oriented 5'----3' in towards the end of the chromosome, interspersed with variant repeats in the proximal region. Immediately subtelomeric lie families of unrelated repeat motifs (telomere-associated sequences) whose function, if any, is unknown. In lower eukaryotes the formation and maintenance of telomeres may be mediated enzymatically (by telomerase) or by recombination; in man the mechanisms are poorly understood, although telomerase has been identified in HeLa cells. Here we describe an alpha thalassaemia mutation associated with terminal truncation of the short arm of chromosome 16 (within band 16p13-3) to a site 50 kb distal to the alpha globin genes, and show that (TTAGGG)n has been added directly to the site of the break. The mutation is stably inherited, proving that telomeric DNA alone is sufficient to stabilize the broken chromosome end. This mechanism may occur in any genetic disease associated with chromosome truncation.     

The POT1-TPP1 telomere complex is a telomerase processivity factor

Telomeres were originally defined as chromosome caps that prevent the natural ends of linear chromosomes from undergoing deleterious degradation and fusion events. POT1 (protection of telomeres) protein binds the single-stranded G-rich DNA overhangs at human chromosome ends and suppresses unwanted DNA repair activities. TPP1 is a previously identified binding partner of POT1 that has been proposed to form part of a six-protein shelterin complex at telomeres. Here, the crystal structure of a domain of human TPP1 reveals an oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding fold that is structurally similar to the beta-subunit of the telomere end-binding protein of a ciliated protozoan, suggesting that TPP1 is the missing beta-subunit of human POT1 protein. Telomeric DNA end-binding proteins have generally been found to inhibit rather than stimulate the action of the chromosome end-replicating enzyme, telomerase. In contrast, we find that TPP1 and POT1 form a complex with telomeric DNA that increases the activity and processivity of the human telomerase core enzyme. We propose that POT1-TPP1 switches from inhibiting telomerase access to the telomere, as a component of shelterin, to serving as a processivity factor for telomerase during telomere extension.     

Epithalon对人胎肝细胞端粒酶活性和端粒长度的影响

以松果体分泌物,"Epithalamin"缩氨酸为基础,人工合成多肽"Epithalon"。通过用细胞形态学观察用药后细胞的生长情况,MTT法检测Epithalon多肽对人肝细胞株L-02增殖与活力的影响,以及运用端粒酶重复序列扩增——焦磷酸根酶联发光技术检测人肝细胞株L-02端粒酶活性,流式荧光原位杂交法检测端粒长度。研究了多肽作用于人肝细胞L-02后对细胞的生长情况、细胞端粒长度以及细胞端粒酶活性所产生的影响。研究显示Epithalon多肽具有提高端粒酶活性,延缓端粒缩短的作用。     

米非司酮对JAR细胞凋亡的诱导作用

米非司酮是一类抗孕激素和抗糖皮质激素药物,在临床被广泛用于早孕的终止．发现米非司酮能抑制人滋养层瘤细胞（ＪＡＲ）的生长．药物处理使细胞形态出现典型的凋亡特征．被处理细胞的ＤＮＡ经琼脂糖电泳呈凋亡细胞特有的云梯状条带．原位凋亡检测也证实了凋亡细胞的存在．临床样品分析证明,米非司酮药物流产的人绒毛组织也发生了明显的细胞凋亡．说明米非司酮诱导流产的机制除了对子宫蜕膜的作用外,还可能与诱导滋养层细胞凋亡有关     

反义HSP90诱导HeLa细胞凋亡的研究

目的 探讨反义ＨＳＰ９０降低ＨｅＬａ细胞恶性度的机制。方法 经荧光染色观察细胞形态,ＤＮＡ Ｌａｄｄｅｒ及流式细胞仪检测凋亡细胞。结果 转染有反义ＨＳＰ９０的ＨｅＬａ细胞经荧光染色细胞呈不均一亮蓝色,荧光染色观察可见细胞变小,染色质浓缩并产生凋亡小体,ＤＮＡ Ｌａｄｄｅｒ可见明显的梯形条带,流式细胞仪检测有凋亡的细胞。结论 反义ＨＳＰ９０可诱导细胞凋亡。     

云芝多糖影响人宫颈癌HeLa细胞的增殖和凋亡的研究

研究云芝多糖(CVP)对宫颈癌HeLa细胞系的增殖、凋亡及产生途径。采用MTT法测定了CVP对HeLa细胞增殖的体外抑制作用,流式细胞仪检测凋亡细胞的比例,qRT-PCR检测P53、Bcl-2和Fas基因在细胞处理前后表达量的变化。结果显示：CVP以时间和剂量依赖的方式抑制HeLa细胞的生长。作用时间在24 h,48 h和72 h时对细胞抑制的抑制率分别为92%、95%和98%;当CVP浓度达到1.25 mg/L时,作用24 h、48 h和72 h时的IC50值分别为0.2507±0.01 mg/L、0.2720±0.04 mg/L和0.2736±0.03 mg/L;当CVP浓度为0.5 mg/L时,作用24 h和48 h后细胞凋亡率分别为26.36% 和63.81%;CVP处理HeLa细胞24 h后,Bcl-2基因的表达被显著下调。研究表明：CVP促进HeLa细胞凋亡,其作用机制与Bcl-2基因的表达下调有关,推测是通过Bcl-2介导的途径促进细胞凋亡。图4表1参30     

Apoptosis of carrot nuclei inin vitro system induced by cytochrome c

The apoptosis of carrot nuclei induced in cytosol of carrot cells by cytochrome c is reported. This kind of cell-free apoptosis system of plant, CS-100, is an efficient In vitro inducing system. Several typical characteristics of apoptosis including chromatin condensation, margina-tion and apoptotic bodies could be detected, and the degradation of genome in carrot nuclei into nucleosomal fragments could be detected. TUNEL assay shows the specific breakage of 3'-OH ends of DNA strand. The results indicate that CS-100 is an efficient and easily-operated in vitro system to study the apoptotic mechanism in plant and the apoptosis in plant cells may share similar pathways to apoptosis in animal cells.     

TPP1 is a homologue of ciliate TEBP-beta and interacts with POT1 to recruit telomerase

Telomere dysfunction may result in chromosomal abnormalities, DNA damage responses, and even cancer. Early studies in lower organisms have helped to establish the crucial role of telomerase and telomeric proteins in maintaining telomere length and protecting telomere ends. In Oxytricha nova, telomere G-overhangs are protected by the TEBP-alpha/beta heterodimer. Human telomeres contain duplex telomeric repeats with 3' single-stranded G-overhangs, and may fold into a t-loop structure that helps to shield them from being recognized as DNA breaks. Additionally, the TEBP-alpha homologue, POT1, which binds telomeric single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), associates with multiple telomeric proteins (for example, TPP1, TIN2, TRF1, TRF2 and RAP1) to form the six-protein telosome/shelterin and other subcomplexes. These telomeric protein complexes in turn interact with diverse pathways to form the telomere interactome for telomere maintenance. However, the mechanisms by which the POT1-containing telosome communicates with telomerase to regulate telomeres remain to be elucidated. Here we demonstrate that TPP1 is a putative mammalian homologue of TEBP-beta and contains a predicted amino-terminal oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding (OB) fold. TPP1-POT1 association enhanced POT1 affinity for telomeric ssDNA. In addition, the TPP1 OB fold, as well as POT1-TPP1 binding, seemed critical for POT1-mediated telomere-length control and telomere-end protection in human cells. Disruption of POT1-TPP1 interaction by dominant negative TPP1 expression or RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in telomere-length alteration and DNA damage responses. Furthermore, we offer evidence that TPP1 associates with the telomerase in a TPP1-OB-fold-dependent manner, providing a physical link between telomerase and the telosome/shelterin complex. Our findings highlight the critical role of TPP1 in telomere maintenance, and support a yin-yang model in which TPP1 and POT1 function as a unit to protect human telomeres, by both positively and negatively regulating telomerase access to telomere DNA.     

血管内皮细胞凋亡过程中几种癌基因表达的研究

为了研究细胞凋亡的分子调控机制 ,用光学显微技术、DNA凝胶电泳和Northernblot方法 ,研究了去除生长因子 (FGF和血清 )和蛇毒诱导的两个血管内皮细胞凋亡系统中 p53、c H ras、c myc和bcl 2基因的表达 .发现去除生长因子诱导的细胞凋亡过程中 ,p53基因表达显著增加 ,c H ras和c myc基因表达无变化 ;蛇毒诱导细胞凋亡过程中 ,p53基因表达显著增加 ,c H ras和c myc基因表达无变化 .在正常生长和凋亡细胞中均未检测到bcl 2基因的明显表达 .实验结果表明 :p53基因参与上述两种细胞凋亡诱导系统的分子调控 ;c H ras基因只参与去除生长因子诱导的细胞凋亡过程 ,而不参与蛇毒诱导的细胞凋亡过程 ;这两种细胞凋亡诱导系统均与c myc基因表达无关 ;未见bcl 2基因明显参与血管内皮细胞的凋亡过程 .     

三尖杉酯碱诱导HeLa细胞凋亡的研究

报道了三尖杉酯碱 (harringtonine ,HT)可以诱导HeLa细胞凋亡 .采用Heochst33342荧光染色、琼脂糖凝胶电泳及流式细胞光度术 (FCM)的方法 ,研究了HT对HeLa细胞凋亡的影响 .利用细胞同步化技术和斑点杂交法研究发现 ,HT影响了HeLa细胞c myc和bcl 2基因的表达并且与细胞周期密切相关 .初步探讨其凋亡诱导的机制 ,认为HT通过在G1和G2 期下调细胞凋亡抑制基因bcl 2的诱导凋亡 ,以及下调c myc癌基因阻滞细胞增殖 ,并延迟凋亡发生 .这些结果对于了解HT的药物作用机制和提高临床化疗疗效具有重要意义 .