克隆动物的端粒长度研究进展

Research of Telomere Length in Cloned Animals

端粒是真核染色体分子末端的DNA区域,是由重复的DNA序列和端粒结合蛋白形成的DNA-蛋白复合物,对于染色体的复制和稳定起着重要作用。近年来研究结果表明,端粒长度的缩短与人类疾病和衰老密切相关。同时,体细胞核移植(somatic cell nuclear transfer,SCNT)作为一种有效的无性生殖手段,越来越多的在科研和生产中得到应用。由于体细胞核移植通常采用体细胞作为核供体细胞,因而供体细胞的端粒长度、核移植后重组胚的端粒在胚胎早期是否会被修复、端粒长度是否有变化等问题,对于研究克隆动物的重编程、发育生物学都有着重要的指导意义。作者将对端粒的结构和端粒长度的机理研究、在克隆哺乳动物中对端粒长度的探索研究,以及近几年来关于端粒方面的一些研究进展加以阐述。

Telomeres are composed of repeated DNA sequences and specific DNA-binding proteins,which form a nucleoprotein complex at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes,and play an important role in the replication and stability of the telomeres.Recent researches indicate that telomere-shorten is closely related to disease and aging of the human.Being considered as an available instrument of agamogenesis,somatic cell nuclear transfer（SCNT） is widely applied in research and production.However,restricted by the fact that donor cells are always adult somatic cells, which contain shortened telomeres, it is significant to ensure whether telomeres of cloned animals are restored in the embryogenesis or not. In this article, authors review the latest researches about the structure of telomere, telomere maintain mechanism and telomere length of cloned mammals.