The mechanism prevents premature aging of cells.
Researchers from the Institute of molecular biology and Mainz University in Germany found that a variety of RNA molecules called TERRA and restores telomeres. This mechanism prevents the premature aging of cells. Article scientists published in the journal Cell. Briefly it says in the press release at EurekAlert.
Telomeres are the call sites at the ends of chromosomes that consist of repetitive nucleotide sequences that do not encode protein. When you copy DNA telomeres are shortened, and this process is one of the causes of biological aging. When the end segments become too short, cells stop dividing. However, this phenomenon acts as a protection from the cancer otherwise the cancer cells can infinitely multiply.
In the cells to keep the balance between the maintenance of telomere length and prevent malignancy (malignancy), there is a finely regulated mechanism. Scientists have discovered how recognized and restored a shortened chromosome ends in yeast.
It turned out that in the absence of telomerase (the telomere regenerating enzyme) to shortened telomeres join TERRA — proteins non-coding RNA molecules that trigger responses to DNA damage (DNA damage response, DDR). RNA adjacent to long telomeres, but they are quickly removed Rat1 proteins and RNase H2.
TERRA are not only in yeast but also in other organisms, including human. The researchers plan to examine the function of RNA in the cells of people.
