Accumulating evidence suggests that the human telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (TERT) has a role in cell physiology independent to that of elongating telomeres. Here it is shown to interact with RMRP, a gene that is mutated in the syndrome cartilage–hair hypoplasia, to form a distinct ribonucleoprotein complex that has RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity and produces double-stranded RNAs that can be processed into small interfering RNAs.
- Yoshiko Maida
- Mami Yasukawa
- Kenkichi Masutomi
