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Updated: Dec 13, 2025
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Utilizing Murine Inducible Telomerase Alleles in the Studies of Tissue Degeneration/Regeneration and Cancer
Published on: April 13, 2015
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Telomeres and telomerase in oncogenesis
Tomasz Trybek1, Artur Kowalik2, Stanisław Góźdź3,4
1Endocrinology Clinic, Holycross Cancer Center, 25-734 Kielce, Poland.
Oncology Letters
|July 30, 2020
Summary
Telomeres protect chromosomes, but their shortening causes cell aging. Cancer cells activate telomerase to maintain telomeres, enabling uncontrolled growth, making telomerase a key cancer therapy target.
Area of Science:
- Genetics and Molecular Biology
- Cancer Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Telomeres, located at chromosome ends, prevent degradation.
- Telomerase activity is typically repressed in somatic cells, leading to telomere shortening and senescence.
- Cancer cells often activate telomerase for uncontrolled proliferation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the organization and function of telomeres.
- To elucidate the role of telomeres and telomerase in carcinogenesis.
- To summarize advances in telomerase-targeted cancer therapy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of telomere and telomerase biology.
- Analysis of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) activation mechanisms in cancer.
- Examination of current and emerging telomerase-inhibiting therapeutic strategies.
Main Results:
- Telomere length maintenance by telomerase is crucial for cancer cell immortality.
- TERT activation has roles beyond telomere elongation in cancer development.
- Targeting telomerase offers a promising avenue for cancer treatment.
Conclusions:
- Understanding telomere and telomerase biology is vital for cancer research.
- Telomerase activation is a hallmark of most cancers.
- Telomerase inhibitors represent a significant therapeutic strategy for various cancers.
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