Telomeric repeat-containing lncRNA TERRA targets non-telomeric DNA in trans via R-loops
Saifeldin N. Shehata, Akram Mendez, Tanmoy Mondal, Roshan Vaid · 2025
Read Telomeric repeat-containing lncRNA TERRA targets non-telomeric DNA in trans via R-loops by Saifeldin N. Shehata, Akram Mendez, Tanmoy Mondal, Roshan Vaid (2025) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-12720007.txt.
Description
Saifeldin Shehata and three co-authors ask whether a telomere RNA also visits other parts of the genome, in this 2025 paper. Telomeres are the caps on chromosome ends, and they are copied into a long RNA called TERRA. TERRA is known to form hybrid loops at telomeres, helping protect them. Whether it also binds DNA far from telomeres was less clear.
Reanalyzing public data sets, the team found signs that TERRA does associate with distant sites, again through R-loops, hybrids of RNA and DNA. Those sites are rich in telomere-like repeat motifs, hinting that sequence similarity guides the binding. The distant contacts sit near genes tied to telomere upkeep, suggesting TERRA may tune their activity. The authors stress these are computer findings that now need lab tests, and they frame them as leads for studying how such RNAs organize the genome.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Saifeldin N. Shehata, Akram Mendez, Tanmoy Mondal, Roshan Vaid |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 37 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |