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Utilizing Murine Inducible Telomerase Alleles in the Studies of Tissue Degeneration/Regeneration and Cancer
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InTERTesting association between telomerase, mTOR and phytochemicals

Tabetha Sundin1, Patricia Hentosh

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.

Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine
|March 30, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Phytochemicals inhibit telomerase, an enzyme crucial for cancer cell immortality. This review explores how mTOR signaling and phytochemicals regulate telomerase activity, offering potential therapeutic strategies against cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Telomeres protect chromosome ends from degradation during DNA replication.
  • Telomerase, active in ~90% of human cancers, enables cancer cell immortality by adding telomeric repeats.
  • Phytochemicals like resveratrol and curcumin are known to inhibit telomerase activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in regulating telomerase activity.
  • To review the mechanisms by which phytochemicals inhibit telomerase.
  • To explore the interplay between mTOR signaling, telomerase, and phytochemicals in cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on telomere biology, telomerase regulation, and phytochemical effects.
  • Analysis of the physical and functional complex involving human TERT, HSP90, Akt, S6K, and mTOR.
  • Examination of mTOR's role as a master regulator of protein translation in telomerase control.

Main Results:

  • The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is integral to telomerase regulation, forming a complex with telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and other key proteins.
  • Phytochemicals exert inhibitory effects on telomerase through various mechanisms.
  • Akt, S6K, and mTOR are components of the TERT complex, indicating mTOR-mediated control of telomerase.

Conclusions:

  • mTOR signaling is a critical regulator of telomerase activity, influencing cancer cell proliferation and survival.
  • Phytochemicals represent a promising class of compounds for targeting telomerase in cancer therapy.
  • Understanding the intricate regulation of telomerase by mTOR and phytochemicals can lead to novel anti-cancer strategies.

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