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Chapter category: Gene Expression

Mitochondrial Telomeres: Alternative Solutions to the End-Replication Problem

This chapter appears in the following book:

Telomerases, Telomeres and Cancer

Edited by: Guido Krupp and Reza Parwaresch
ISBN: 0-306-47437-9
» Get more information about this book at landesbioscience.com «

Chapter authors:
Jozef Nosek and Lubomir Tomaska


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Linear and circular genomes may appear to be evolutionarily distant. However, there are numerous cases in which closely related organisms with nearly identical genomes can be found arranged either as a circle or as a linear molecule with specialized telomeric structures. Mitochondrial genomes provide one such example. Although a typical mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is portrayed as a circular molecule, the mitochondrial genomes in many organisms are linear DNA molecules of defined length. The close similarity in genetic organization and homology of the coding sequences between the linear and circular mitochondrial genomes suggest a close relationship and argue against the possibility that linear genomes represent an independent evolutionary line. Moreover, the diversity of mitochondrial telomeres may reflect the variable pathways that operate within the mitochondria to solve the problem of linear DNA replication. Studies of how the linear genophores acquire and maintain telomeres may provide a unique window into understanding the most fundamental mechanisms involved in telomere maintenance.

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