The Missing Piece: Functional Telomerase Restored in the Beetle Model

Genome Biology and Evolution 2026 Open access

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Authors: Petr Fajkus, Barbora Štefanovie, Michal Závodník, Kateřina Havlová, Miloslava Fojtová, Vratislav Peška, Jiřı́ Fajkus
DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evag069
Cited by: 2
References: 27

Abstract

The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum yielded the first resolved telomerase reverse transcriptase structure but lacked a known telomerase RNA. We identify two telomerase RNA paralogs in Tribolium, confirm their expression, and reconstitute active telomerase in vitro. Extending this approach across Coleoptera, we detect telomerase RNA homologs in diverse beetle lineages, with conserved cores but lineage-specific template and telomeric DNA variants. Our findings establish Tribolium as a powerful model for telomerase biochemistry, illuminate the evolutionary plasticity of beetle telomere maintenance, and reveal a consistent lack of telomerase in several derived Scarabaeoidea subfamilies, pinpointing its evolutionary loss within this beetle clade.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Telomeres Telomerase and Senescence Chromosomal and Genetic Variations Nuclear Structure and Function

Publication details

Journal / source
Genome Biology and Evolution
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Volume
18
Issue
3
Publication date
1 March 2026
Language
EN