Abstract
Telomeres are essential for maintenance of stable chromosomes. We measured telomere lengths in apple and cherry trees to reveal the mechanism to control telomere lengths. As a result, telomere lengths were kept constant among different parts in a plant, and suggesting the lengths did not change for at least 20 years-cell divisions. Therefore, in contrast to animals whose telomeres shorten during cell divisions, it was considered that there was a precise mechanism to control telomere lengths in plants.
Next, using tomato plants, we isolated a cDNA for telomere-binding protein (TBP) thought to be responsible for the control of telomere lengths. This putative TBP of tomato (LeTBP) contained 689 amino acids and had a Myb-like motif at the C-terminus region. Truncated LeTBP protein comprising the Myb-like motif was expressed in E.coli, and used in a gel shift assay. This protein was confirmed to bind specifically to double-stranded telomeric oligonucleotide.
