The Effect of ZSCAN4 on the Long Non-Coding RNA TERRA

Abstract

Telomeres are DNA repeats located at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with every cell division. As such, they function as biological clocks to limit the ability of cells to replicate indefinitely. Telomeres were regarded as transcriptionally silent; however, evidence suggests that as telomeres shorten, their chromatin converts to accessible euchromatin. Telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) are long non-coding RNAs transcribed from the sub-telomeres to the ends of chromosomes and has been suggested to be involved in telomere length regulation. Similarly, murine Zscan4 is involved in the regulation of telomere length, genomic stability, and the maintenance of the replicative lifespan of pluripotent stem cells. Our novel findings indicate that ZSCAN4 regulates TERRA expression and affects histone modifications in TERRA regions. Studying the effects of ZSCAN4 on TERRA will potentially uncover a novel mechanism in telomere maintenance and may hold implications for regenerative medicine and cancer therapeutics.