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Nature 350, 569 - 573 (18 April 1991); doi:10.1038/350569a0
Structure and function of telomeres
ELIZABETH H. BLACKBURN
Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Biochemistry and Biophysics, Box 0414, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
The DNA of telomeres—the terminal DNA-protein complexes of chromosomes—differs notably from other DNA sequences in both structure and function. Recent work has highlighted its remarkable mode of synthesis by the ribonucleoprotein reverse transcriptase, telomerase1–4, as well as its ability to form unusual structures in vitro. Moreover, telomere synthesis by telomerase has been shown to be essential for telomere maintenance and long-term viability.