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TERT: Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) that synthesizes telomeric DNA repeats. The telomerase RNA subunit provides the template for synthesis of these repeats. The catalytic subunit of RNP is known as telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). The reverse transcriptase (RT) domain is located in the C-terminal region of the TERT polypeptide. Single amino acid substitutions in this region lead to telomere shortening and senescence. Telomerase is an enzyme that, in certain cells, maintains the physical ends of chromosomes (telomeres) during replication. In somatic cells, replication of the lagging strand requires the continual presence of an RNA primer approximately 200 nucleotides upstream, which is complementary to the template strand. Since there is a region of DNA less than 200 base pairs from the end of the chromosome where this is not possible, the chromosome is continually shortened. However, a surplus of repetitive DNA at the chromosome ends protects against the erosion of gene-encoding DNA. Telomerase is not normally expressed in somatic cells. It has been suggested that exogenous TERT may extend the lifespan of, or even immortalize, the cell. However, recent studies have shown that telomerase activity can be induced by a number of oncogenes. Conversely, the oncogene c-myc can be activated in human TERT immortalized cells. Sequence comparisons place the telomerase proteins in the RT family but reveal hallmarks that distinguish them from retroviral and retrotransposon relatives.
Jiyao W et al.(2023). "The conserved domain database in 2023.",