Chimeric molecule and nucleic acid encoding same
The present invention relates, in general, to telomeres, and, in particular, to a method or effecting telomere elongation in mammalian cells. The invention further relates to a protein suitable for use in such a method and to nucleic acid sequences encoding same.
1. An isolated nucleic acid sequence encoding a chimeric molecule comprising a polypeptide having telomerase catalytic activity fused to a telomere binding polypeptide wherein said nucleic acid sequence comprises the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1.
2. An expression construct comprising said nucleic acid sequence according to claim 1 operably linked to a promoter.
3. A vector comprising the nucleic acid sequence according to claim 1 .
4. The vector according to claim 3 wherein said vector is a viral vector.
5. The vector according to claim 4 wherein said viral vector is a retroviral vector, adeno-associated viral vector, lentiviral vector or adenoviral vector.
6. A liposome comprising the nucleic acid sequence according to claim 1 .
7. A composition comprising the nucleic acid sequence according to claim 1 encapsulated in a polymer.
8. An isolated cell comprising the nucleic acid sequence according to claim 1 .
9. The cell according to claim 8 wherein said cell is a stem or progenitor cell.
10. The cell according to claim 8 wherein said cell is an epithelial cell or a fibroblast.
11. The cell according to claim 8 wherein said cell is a muscle cell, nervous system cell, or keratinocyte.
12. The cell according to claim 8 wherein said cell is a human cell.
13. The cell according to claim 8 wherein said cell is immortal.
14. A method of producing a protein comprising culturing said cell according to claim 8 under conditions such that said nucleic acid sequence is expressed and said molecule is thereby produced.