Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 14, 2025

Semi-quantitative Detection of RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase Activity of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Protein
Published on: June 12, 2018
[Viruses and telomerase]
1Équipe télomérase, lymphome viro-induit, UPR086-Base, Centre de recherches INRA de Tours, 37380 Nouzilly, France.
Abstract:
The involvement of viral infections in the genesis of cancers is currently established. However, the narrow correlation between viruses and the activation of telomerase was defined only recently. The telomerase activity is detected in more than 85 % of human cancers and would take part to immortalization processes, associated with cellular transformation. The active minimal complex of telomerase is composed of a RNA subunit comprising a template sequence which is reverse-transcribed onto telomeres by a proteic component TERT. A disregulation of telomerase activity was observed consecutively to infection by viruses from various families. This phenomenon would mainly rest on modulation of the expression and the nuclear targeting of TERT by viral proteins or further to viral genome integrations close to the TERT gene. Moreover, the Marek's Disease herpesvirus, responsible of T-lymphomas in chickens, is particular in that it encodes, within its genome, a viral telomerase RNA subunit, vTR, which induces a more greater telomerase activity than its avian cellular counterpart, cTR.
Related Concept Videos
Telomeres and Telomerase
Viruses with RNA Genomes
Retroviruses
Replicative Cell Senescence
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Retrovirus Life Cycles

