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Drosophila telomeres: the non-telomerase alternative

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Abstract

In most eukaryotes, telomeres are composed of simple repetitive sequences renewable by telomerase. By contrast, Drosophila telomeres comprise arrays of non-LTR retrotransposons HeT-A, TART, and TAHRE belonging to three different families. However, closer inspection reveals that the two quite different telomere systems share quite a few components and regulatory circuits. Here we present the current knowledge on Drosophila telomeres and discuss the possible mechanisms of telomere length control.

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  1. Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow, 119334, Russia

    Larisa Melnikova & Pavel Georgiev

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  1. Larisa Melnikova
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  2. Pavel Georgiev
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Correspondence to Pavel Georgiev.

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Melnikova, L., Georgiev, P. Drosophila telomeres: the non-telomerase alternative. Chromosome Res 13, 431–441 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-005-0992-7

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