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Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Utilizing Murine Inducible Telomerase Alleles in the Studies of Tissue Degeneration/Regeneration and Cancer
Published on: April 13, 2015
The role of telomeres and telomerase in endocrine tumors
Guennadi Kouniavsky1, Martha A Zeiger
1Division of Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
Abstract:
The enzyme, telomerase, is a reverse transcriptase that synthesizes the telomeric ends of linear chromosomes and compensate for the shortened telomere, thereby immortalizing the cell. It is present at the blastocyst stage of embryological development, low or undetectable in most somatic cells, and activated in cancer. Because of its strong association with cancer cell immortalization and proliferation, numerous attempts have been made to capitalize on its diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential. Herein we discuss the role of telomerase in normal, benign, and cancerous endocrine tissues.
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