9SWN | pdb_00009swn

Cryo-EM structure of yeast telomerase holoenzyme

Experimental Data Snapshot

  • Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
  • Resolution: 3.00 Å
  • Aggregation State: PARTICLE 
  • Reconstruction Method: SINGLE PARTICLE 

wwPDB Validation   3D Report Full Report


This is version 1.0 of the entry. See complete history. 


Literature

Cryo-electron microscopy structure of the budding yeast telomerase holoenzyme.

Hu, H., Neumann, H., Teplitz, G.M., Franco-Echevarria, E., Chartrand, P., Wellinger, R.J., Nguyen, T.H.D.

(2026) Science 391: eadz5344-eadz5344

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adz5344
  • Primary Citation Related Structures: 
    9SWN, 9SWO

  • PubMed Abstract: 

    Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that synthesizes telomeric repeats at chromosome ends, safeguarding genome integrity. We present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the budding yeast telomerase, which exhibits substantial divergence from its ciliate and vertebrate counterparts. The structure reveals a stable core formed by telomerase RNA TLC1; the three ever shorter telomere (Est) proteins, Est1, Est2 and Est3; and the Pop1/Pop6/Pop7 complex (Pop1/6/7). TLC1, Est3, and Pop1/6/7 serve critical roles in complex assembly. We identified a zinc finger (ZnF) motif in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) subunit Est2 that is crucial for telomerase function. Structure prediction suggests the presence of ZnFs in TERT from diverse species. These findings offer insights into the functional organization of yeast telomerase and underscore the evolutionary diversity of telomerase holoenzymes.

    • Organizational Affiliation: 
    • MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.

Macromolecules

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Entity ID: 1
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Telomere replication protein EST3A [auth C]181Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMutation(s): 0 
Gene Names: EST3, YIL009C-A
UniProt
Find proteins for Q03096 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain ATCC 204508 / S288c))
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Go to UniProtKB:  Q03096
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UniProt GroupQ03096
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Entity ID: 2
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Ribonucleases P/MRP protein subunit POP6B [auth E]158Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMutation(s): 0 
EC: 3.1.26.5
UniProt
Find proteins for P53218 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain ATCC 204508 / S288c))
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Entity ID: 3
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Telomere elongation protein EST1C [auth G]699Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMutation(s): 0 
Gene Names: EST1, YLR233C, L8083.15
UniProt
Find proteins for P17214 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain ATCC 204508 / S288c))
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Entity ID: 4
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Ribonucleases P/MRP protein subunit POP7D [auth F]140Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMutation(s): 0 
EC: 3.1.26.5
UniProt
Find proteins for P38291 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain ATCC 204508 / S288c))
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Entity ID: 5
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Ribonucleases P/MRP protein subunit POP1E [auth D]875Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMutation(s): 0 
EC: 3.1.26.5
UniProt
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Entity ID: 7
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Telomerase reverse transcriptaseG [auth A]884Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMutation(s): 0 
Gene Names: EST2, YLR318W, L8543.12
EC: 2.7.7.49
UniProt
Find proteins for Q06163 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain ATCC 204508 / S288c))
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Entity ID: 6
MoleculeChains LengthOrganismImage
TLC1 RNAF [auth B]1,157Saccharomyces cerevisiae
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Experimental Data & Validation

Experimental Data

  • Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
  • Resolution: 3.00 Å
  • Aggregation State: PARTICLE 
  • Reconstruction Method: SINGLE PARTICLE 
EM Software:
TaskSoftware PackageVersion
MODEL REFINEMENTREFMAC5.8.0430
RECONSTRUCTIONcryoSPARC4.5

Structure Validation

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Entry History & Funding Information

Deposition Data

Funding OrganizationLocationGrant Number
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)United KingdomMC_UP_1201/19
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)European Union--

Revision History  (Full details and data files)

  • Version 1.0: 2026-04-08
    Type: Initial release