Cross-species difference in telomeric function of tankyrase 1

Telomeres protect chromosome ends from being recognized as DNA double-strand breaks. Telomere shortening, which occurs due to incomplete replication of DNA termini, limits the proliferative capacity of human somatic cells and contributes as a barrier to carcinogenesis. In most human cancer cells, telomerase maintains telomere length whereas TRF1, a telomeric protein, represses telomere access to telomerase. Tankyrase 1 is a PARP that dissociates TRF1 from telomeres by poly(ADP-ribosyl)ating TRF1. Thus, by reducing TRF1 loading on chromosome ends, tankyrase 1 enhances telomere access to telomerase and causes telomere elongation. Recent studies of knockout mice suggest that tankyrases may not regulate telomere length in mice (Mus musculus). Consistent with this idea is that mouse TRF1 has no canonical tankyrase-binding motif. However, the presence of such a motif is not a prerequisite to bind tankyrase 1 in certain species. Here, we found that, in mice, tankyrase 1 does not bind or poly(ADP-ribosyl)ate TRF1. Accordingly, mouse TRF1 was resistant to tankyrase 1-mediated release from telomeres. These observations indicate that telomeric function of tankyrase 1 is not conserved in mice. We also found that the canonical tankyrase 1-binding motif in TRF1 is conserved in several mammals but not in rats. Since mice and rats have much higher telomerase activity in their somatic tissues and much longer telomeres than those in other mammals, these rodent species might have evolved to resign the tankyrase 1-mediated telomere maintenance system. Meanwhile, PARP inhibitors induced non-telomeric tankyrase 1 foci in the nuclei, suggesting another function of tankyrase 1 at non-telomeric loci.