GenAge entry for TERT (Homo sapiens)

Gene name (HAGRID: 8)

HGNC symbol: TERT
Aliases: TRT; TP2; TCS1; hEST2; EST2
Common name: telomerase reverse transcriptase

Potential relevance to the human ageing process

Main reason for selection

Entry selected based on evidence directly linking the gene product to ageing in a cellular model system

Description

Telomerase repairs/elongates the telomeres and is crucial in cellular proliferation. TERT expression is sufficient to overcome cellular senescence in culture [24], but overexpression of TERT in mice does not extend longevity [30]. Most human cell lines have low or insignificant levels of TERT while cancer cells often have high levels [102]. TERT expression in primary human fibroblasts results in a linear increase in DNA methylation age with cell population doubling number, indicating that TERT may also play a role in regulating the epigenetic clock [4504].

Cardiac-specific Tert activation after myocardial infarction in adult mice results in attenuated cardiac dilation, improved ventricular function, smaller infarct scars and increased mouse survival [3624]. Tert expression in a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis improved lung function and lowered inflammation and fibrosis in addition to lowering DNA damage, apoptosis and senescence [4505]. In humans, mutations in TERT have been linked to aplastic anaemia [1465]. As such, TERT appears to be an important player in cellular proliferation, even if its relation to human ageing remains obscure.

Cytogenetic information

Cytogenetic band: 5p15.33
Location: 1,253,147 bp to 1,295,069 bp
Orientation: Minus strand

Display region using the UCSC Genome Browser (GRCh38/hg38)

Protein information

Gene Ontology

Process:

GO:0000723; telomere maintenance
GO:0001172; transcription, RNA-templated
GO:0006278; RNA-dependent DNA biosynthetic process
GO:0007004; telomere maintenance via telomerase
GO:0007005; mitochondrion organization
GO:0010629; negative regulation of gene expression
GO:0022616; DNA strand elongation
GO:0030177; positive regulation of Wnt signaling pathway
GO:0030422; production of siRNA involved in RNA interference
GO:0031647; regulation of protein stability
GO:0032092; positive regulation of protein binding

And 25 more GO terms

Cellular component:	GO:0000333; telomerase catalytic core complex GO:0000781; chromosome, telomeric region GO:0000783; nuclear telomere cap complex GO:0000784; nuclear chromosome, telomeric region GO:0005634; nucleus GO:0005654; nucleoplasm GO:0005697; telomerase holoenzyme complex GO:0005730; nucleolus GO:0005886; plasma membrane GO:0016605; PML body GO:0031379; RNA-directed RNA polymerase complex
	And 3 more GO terms

Function:

GO:0000049; tRNA binding
GO:0001223; transcription coactivator binding
GO:0003677; DNA binding
GO:0003720; telomerase activity
GO:0003721; telomerase RNA reverse transcriptase activity
GO:0003723; RNA binding
GO:0003964; RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity
GO:0003968; RNA-directed 5'-3' RNA polymerase activity
GO:0005515; protein binding
GO:0016779; nucleotidyltransferase activity
GO:0042162; telomeric DNA binding

And 4 more GO terms

Show all GO terms

Protein interactions and network

Protein-protein interacting partners in GenAge: TP53, TERC, AKT1, HSP90AA1, PML, TERF1, XRCC5, XRCC6, FOXO3, RELA, HSPA1A, YWHAZ, MDM2, MTOR, ATR, STUB1
STRING interaction network

Retrieve sequences for TERT

ORF: ORF
CDS: CDS

Homologs in model organisms

Danio rerio: tert
Mus musculus: Tert
Rattus norvegicus: Tert
Saccharomyces cerevisiae: EST2
Schizosaccharomyces pombe: trt1

In other databases

GenAge model organism genes

A homolog of this gene for Mus musculus is present as Tert

LongevityMap

This gene is present as TERT

CellAge

This gene is present as TERT