The Telomeric Repeat-containing RNAs (TERRA) participate in the homeostasis of telomeres in higher eukaryotes.
Here, we investigated the expression of TERRA in
Leishmania
spp. and
Trypanosoma brucei
and found evidences for
its expression as a specific RNA class. The trypanosomatid TERRA are heterogeneous in size and partially polyadenylated.
The levels of TERRA transcripts appear to be modulated through the life cycle in both trypanosomatids investigated,
suggesting that TERRA play a stage-specific role in the life cycle of these early-branching eukaryotes.
