To prevent the tips of chromosomes from becoming shorter with each round of DNA duplication and cell division, telomerase extends the telomere lagging strand so that it matches the full length of the telomere leading strand. This paper presents the structure of the catalytic subunit of telomerase. By modelling in a hybrid RNA–DNA molecule, it is possible to visualize how the end of the DNA primer is positioned within the enzyme's active site.
- Andrew J. Gillis
- Anthony P. Schuller
- Emmanuel Skordalakes