# The Missing Piece: Functional Telomerase Restored in the Beetle Model

## TL;DR

Researchers discovered telomerase RNA in beetles, revealing how telomeres are maintained and how telomerase evolved in this insect group.

## Contribution

Identification of telomerase RNA paralogs in beetles and reconstitution of active telomerase in vitro.

## Key findings

- Telomerase RNA paralogs were identified and confirmed to be expressed in Tribolium castaneum.
- Telomerase RNA homologs were found in diverse beetle lineages with conserved cores and lineage-specific variants.
- Telomerase is absent in several derived Scarabaeoidea subfamilies, indicating evolutionary loss in this clade.

## 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.

Graphical Abstract