Cited by 3,056Telomeres, Telomerase, and SenescenceDNA Repair MechanismsDNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 57 of the 86 references it cites were found in a registry or an index, and 29 are not checked yet; none of the 66 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Shelterin: the protein complex that shapes and safeguards human telomeres

Open access
de Lange, Titia·2005·Genes & Development

Abstract

Added by telomerase, arrays of TTAGGG repeats specify the ends of human chromosomes. A complex formed by six telomere-specific proteins associates with this sequence and protects chromosome ends. By analogy to other chromosomal protein complexes such as condensin and cohesin, I will refer to this complex as shelterin. Three shelterin subunits, TRF1, TRF2, and POT1 directly recognize TTAGGG repeats. They are interconnected by three additional shelterin proteins, TIN2, TPP1, and Rap1, forming a complex that allows cells to distinguish telomeres from sites of DNA damage. Without the protective activity of shelterin, telomeres are no longer hidden from the DNA damage surveillance and chromosome ends are inappropriately processed by DNA repair pathways. How does shelterin avert these events? The current data argue that shelterin is not a static structural component of the telomere. Instead, shelterin is emerging as a protein complex with DNA remodeling activity that acts together with several associated DNA repair factors to change the structure of the telomeric DNA, thereby protecting chromosome ends. Six shelterin subunits: TRF1, TRF2, TIN2, Rap1, TPP1, and POT1

Checked 2026-10-06 · 29 references not checked yet

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1101/gad.1346005

Cites

57 of 86 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 66 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 53 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 37
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 2
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 17
52 of 52
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Shelterin loading at a telomere is approximately proportional to the number of TTAGGG repeats.

    “Since the amount of shelterin bound to a telomere is roughly proportional to the length of the TTAGGG repeat array, longer telomeres are proposed to have a greater probability of inhibiting telomerase.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Shelterin's inhibition of telomerase is stochastic and depends on how much shelterin is present at the telomere.

    “In the model, telomerase inhibition is a stochastic process influenced by the total amount of shelterin on a telomere.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Telomerase probably cannot act on a t-loop.

    “As the t-loop is unlikely to be a substrate for telomerase, telomeres are only shown in the”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    More shelterin on longer telomeres is assumed to raise the amount of POT1 loaded onto the overhang.

    “The presence of more shelterin on longer telomeres is proposed to increase the loading of POT1 on the telomeric overhang.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    When POT1 occupies the 3' end, it is assumed to prevent telomerase from extending the telomere.

    “POT1 bound to the 3Ј end is proposed to block telomerase from acting.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Shelterin is plentiful at chromosome ends and does not build up at other sites.

    “Shelterin is abundant at chromosome ends but does not accumulate elsewhere; it is present at telomeres throughout the cell cycle, and its known function is limited to telomeres.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The t-loop is unlikely to be a substrate for telomerase.

    “As the t-loop is unlikely to be a substrate for telomerase”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Interstitial telomeric DNA is not frequent in human cells but is abundant throughout chromosomes in many other vertebrates.

    “Chromosome internal telomeric DNA is not frequent in human cells, but in many other vertebrates, such sequences are abundant throughout the chromosomes.”
8 of 8

Claims other papers make about this one

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • The stated article count differs from the numbered reference list

    Minor

    The additional-information text states that the article cites 84 articles, but the reference list is numbered through 85.

  • The cis/trans labels appear reversed for the two recombination reactions

    Minor

    The comparison assigns the cis reaction to T-SCE and the trans reaction to t-loop HR, in that order. Elsewhere, T-SCE is described as exchange between sister telomeres, whereas t-loop HR occurs within a telomere's own loop.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. 2000, Cold Spring Harb. Symp. Quant. Biol., LXV, 265
  2. 1992, Mol. Cell. Biol., 12, 4834

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Metadata

Authors
de Lange, T.
Venue
Genes & Development
Published
2005-09-15
Volume
19
Issue
18
Pages
2100-2110
ISSN
  • 0890-9369 (ISSN-L)
  • 1549-5477
OpenAlex
W2160185049
Cited by
3,056
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 74 · 2025: 97 · 2024: 114 · 2023: 140 · 2022: 106 · 2021: 196 · 2020: 140 · 2019: 150 · 2018: 138 · 2017: 182 · 2016: 175 · 2015: 164 · 2014: 162 · 2013: 164 · 2012: 156
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Genes & Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1f31gm016642-01, CA76027, GM49046)
  • National Cancer Institute (CA76027-8, R01CA076027)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM49046-12, GM16642-7)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA Repair Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
Keywords
shelterin, telomeres, telomere protection, TRF1, TRF2, POT1, TIN2, TPP1, Rap1, TTAGGG repeats, telomerase, DNA repair, chromosome end protection
MeSH terms
Shelterin Complex, Antigens, Surface, Binding Sites, DNA Damage, Humans, Membrane Glycoproteins, Models, Biological, Peptide Hydrolases, Protein Binding, Proteins, Cell Adhesion Molecules, Telomere, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Tandem Repeat Sequences, rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins, Protein Subunits, Telomere-Binding Proteins, Telomeric Repeat Binding Protein 1, Telomeric Repeat Binding Protein 2, Chromosomal Instability, Multiprotein Complexes

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