Extended longevity of termite kings and queens is accompanied by extranuclear localization of telomerase in somatic organs and caste-specific expression of its isoforms

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00587967" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00587967 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/61388963:_____/25:00587967 RIV/60076658:12310/25:43910578 RIV/00216208:11310/25:10482473

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13418" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13418</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13418" target="_blank" >10.1111/1744-7917.13418</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Extended longevity of termite kings and queens is accompanied by extranuclear localization of telomerase in somatic organs and caste-specific expression of its isoforms

Original language description

Kings and queens of termites are endowed with an extraordinary longevity coupled with lifelong fecundity. We recently reported that termite kings and queens display a dramatically increased enzymatic activity and abundance of telomerase in their somatic organs when compared to short-lived workers and soldiers. We hypothesized that this telomerase activation may represent a noncanonical pro-longevity function, independent of its canonical role in telomere maintenance. Here, we explore this avenue and investigate whether the presumed noncanonical role of telomerase may be due to alternative splicing of the catalytic telomerase subunit TERT and whether the subcellular localization of TERT isoforms differs among organs and castes in the termite Prorhinotermes simplex. We empirically confirm the expression of four in silico predicted splice variants (psTERT1-A, psTERT1-B, psTERT2-A, psTERT2-B), defined by N-terminal splicing implicating differential localizations, and C-terminal splicing giving rise to full-length and truncated isoforms. We show that the transcript proportions of the psTERT are caste- and tissue-specific and that the extranuclear full-length isoform TERT1-A is relatively enriched in the soma of neotenic kings and queens compared to their gonads and to the soma of workers. We also show that extranuclear TERT protein quantities are significantly higher in the soma of kings and queens compared to workers, namely due to the cytosolic TERT. Independently, we confirm by microscopy the extranuclear TERT localization in somatic organs. We conclude that the presumed pleiotropic action of telomerase combining the canonical nuclear role in telomere maintenance with extranuclear functions is driven by complex TERT splicing.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10605 - Developmental biology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Insect Science

ISSN

1672-9609

e-ISSN

1744-7917

Volume of the periodical

32

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

21

Pages from-to

364-384

UT code for WoS article

001272936800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105002267236