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| Title | Cryo-EM structure of human telomerase dimer reveals H/ACA RNP-mediated dimerization. |
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| Journal, issue, pages | Science, Vol. 389, Issue 6756, Page eadr5817, Year 2025 |
| Publish date | Jul 10, 2025 |
Authors | Sebastian Balch / Zala Sekne / Elsa Franco-Echevarría / Patryk Ludzia / Rachael C Kretsch / Wenqing Sun / Haopeng Yu / George E Ghanim / Sigurdur Thorkelsson / Yiliang Ding / Rhiju Das / Thi Hoang Duong Nguyen / ![]() |
| PubMed Abstract | Telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) synthesizes telomeric repeats at chromosome ends using a telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and a telomerase RNA (hTR in humans). Previous structural work ...Telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) synthesizes telomeric repeats at chromosome ends using a telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and a telomerase RNA (hTR in humans). Previous structural work showed that human telomerase is typically monomeric, containing a single copy of TERT and hTR. Evidence for dimeric complexes exists, although the composition, high-resolution structure, and function remain elusive. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of a human telomerase dimer bound to telomeric DNA. The structure reveals a 26-subunit assembly and a dimerization interface mediated by the Hinge and ACA box (H/ACA) RNP of telomerase. Premature aging disease mutations map to this interface. Disrupting dimer formation affects RNP assembly, bulk telomerase activity, and telomere maintenance in cells. Our findings address a long-standing enigma surrounding the telomerase dimer and suggest a role for the dimer in telomerase assembly. |
External links | Science / PubMed:40638752 / PubMed Central |
| Methods | EM (single particle) |
| Resolution | 3.0 - 6.2 Å |
| Structure data | ![]() EMDB-52976: Consensus dimer structure of human telomerase EMDB-52978, PDB-9qax: EMDB-52979, PDB-9qay: EMDB-52980, PDB-9qaz: ![]() EMDB-52981: Catalytic core 1 of human telomerase dimer from particles common to both catalytic cores of the dimer ![]() EMDB-52982: Catalytic core 2 of the telomerase dimer with common particles to both catalytic cores of the dimer EMDB-52983, PDB-9qb2: EMDB-52984, PDB-9qb3: |
| Source |
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Keywords | RNA BINDING PROTEIN / telomerase / H/ACA / DNA BINDING PROTEIN / Human telomerase catalytic core / reverse transcriptase / DNA substrate bound / RNA-binding protein |
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homo sapiens (human)
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