If the cap fits,wear it: an overview of telomeric structures over evolution |
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Authors: | Nick Fulcher Elisa Derboven Sona Valuchova Karel Riha |
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Institution: | 1. Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohrgasse 3, 1030, Vienna, Austria 2. Central European Institute of Technology, Kamenice 753/5, Brno, Czech Republic
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Abstract: | Genome organization into linear chromosomes likely represents an important evolutionary innovation that has permitted the development of the sexual life cycle; this process has consequently advanced nuclear expansion and increased complexity of eukaryotic genomes. Chromosome linearity, however, poses a major challenge to the internal cellular machinery. The need to efficiently recognize and repair DNA double-strand breaks that occur as a consequence of DNA damage presents a constant threat to native chromosome ends known as telomeres. In this review, we present a comparative survey of various solutions to the end protection problem, maintaining an emphasis on DNA structure. This begins with telomeric structures derived from a subset of prokaryotes, mitochondria, and viruses, and will progress into the typical telomere structure exhibited by higher organisms containing TTAGG-like tandem sequences. We next examine non-canonical telomeres from Drosophila melanogaster, which comprise arrays of retrotransposons. Finally, we discuss telomeric structures in evolution and possible switches between canonical and non-canonical solutions to chromosome end protection. |
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