Rvb2/reptin physically associates with telomerase in budding yeast

Abstract

Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that maintains linear telomeres at a constant length. Here, we report that in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rvb2, a highly conserved member of the AAA+ family of ATPases, physically associates with telomerase/Est2 in vivo, both expressed from their endogenous promoter. Importantly, in genetic settings leading to a failure to recruit telomerase at telomeric ends, Rvb2 still associated with Est2. On the other hand, Rvb2 was present in immunoprecipitates of crosslinked telomeric chromatin even in the presumed absence of telomerase at the telomeres. Finally, we could also isolate RVB2 mutant alleles conferring slight, but stable, telomere shortening.