Altered telomere repeat binding factor
AssigneeThe Rockefeller University
InventorsTitia de Lange, Bas van Steensel, Alessandro Bianchi
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Abstract
The present invention provides an isolated altered vertebrate telomere repeat binding factor (A-TRF) that hinders the binding of a TRF to its specific telomere repeat sequence. Also included are the corresponding nucleic acids that encode the A-TRFs of the present invention, as well as the heterodimers formed by the association of an A-TRF with a TRF. In addition, pharmaceutical compositions containing the A-TRFs for treatment of diseases such as ataxia telangiectasia are also included. Methods of making, purifying and using the A-TRFs of the present invention are described. In addition, drug screening assays to identify drugs that mimic and/or complement the effect of the A-TRFs are presented.
Claims17
An isolated altered vertebrate telomere repeat binding factor (A-TRF) that:
- (a) contains a vertebrate telomere repeat binding factor (TRF) dimerization domain;
- and
- (b) impedes a TRF from binding to its specific telomere repeat sequence by forming a heterodimer with the TRF.
An isolated DNA binding domain of a TRF consisting of an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:10, and SEQ ID NO:10 comprising a conservative amino acid substitution thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.