TELOMERASE ACTIVITY IN GERMLINE AND EMBRYONIC-CELLS OF XENOPUS

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein which synthesizes telomere repeats o nto chromosome ends. Telomerase activity is involved in telomere lengt h maimtenance. We used Xenopus laevis as a model system to study the e xpression of telomerase activity in germline cells and during early de velopment. We identified a non-processive telomerase activity in manua lly dissected nuclei of Xenopus stage VI oocytes. Telomerase activity was detected throughout oogenesis and embryogenesis. Telomerase was ac tive in both S and M phase cell cycle extracts, suggesting that telome rase activity is not regulated with chromosomal DNA replication.