The accumulation and not the specific activity of telomerase ribonucleoprotein determines telomere maintenance deficiency in X-linked dyskeratosis congenita

Hum Mol Genet. 2012 Feb 15;21(4):721-9. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddr504. Epub 2011 Nov 4.

Abstract

X-linked dyskeratosis congenita (X-DC) is caused by mutations in the housekeeping nucleolar protein dyskerin. Amino acid changes associated with X-DC are remarkably heterogeneous. Peripheral mononuclear blood cells and fibroblasts isolated from X-DC patients harbor lower steady-state telomerase RNA (TER) levels and shorter telomeres than healthy age-matched controls. Previously, we showed that retroviral expression of recombinant TER, together with expression of recombinant telomerase reverse transcriptase, restored telomere maintenance and proliferative capacity in X-DC patient cells. Using rare X-DC isoforms (ΔL37 and A386T dyskerin), we showed that telomere maintenance defects observed in X-DC are solely due to decreased steady-state levels of TER. Disease-associated reductions in steady-state TER levels cause deficiencies in telomere maintenance. Here, we confirm these findings in other primary X-DC patient cell lines coding for the most common (A353V dyskerin) and more clinically severe (K314R and A353V dyskerin) X-DC isoforms. Using cell lines derived from these patients, we also examined the steady-state levels of other hinge-ACA motif RNAs and did not find differences in their in vivo accumulations. We show, for the first time, that purified telomerase holoenzyme complexes from different X-DC cells have normal catalytic activity. Our data confirm that dyskerin promotes TER stability in vivo, endorsing the development of TER supplementation strategies for the treatment of X-DC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biocatalysis
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Dyskeratosis Congenita / enzymology
  • Dyskeratosis Congenita / genetics*
  • Dyskeratosis Congenita / metabolism*
  • Dyskeratosis Congenita / pathology
  • Fibroblasts / enzymology
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Fibroblasts / pathology
  • Gene Expression
  • Genotype
  • Holoenzymes / isolation & purification
  • Holoenzymes / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mutant Proteins / genetics
  • Mutant Proteins / metabolism
  • Mutation
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics*
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Nucleotide Motifs
  • RNA / genetics
  • RNA / metabolism
  • RNA Stability
  • Telomerase / genetics
  • Telomerase / isolation & purification
  • Telomerase / metabolism*
  • Telomere / genetics*
  • Telomere / metabolism*
  • Telomere Homeostasis

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • DKC1 protein, human
  • Holoenzymes
  • Mutant Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • telomerase RNA
  • RNA
  • Telomerase