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Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Telomerase Activity in the Various Regions of Mouse Brain: Non-Radioactive Telomerase Repeat Amplification Protocol TRAP Assay
Published on: September 2, 2014
Telomerase reverse transcriptase and neurodegenerative diseases
Xin Yu1, Meng-Meng Liu1, Cai-Yun Zheng1
1Key Laboratory of Major Chronic Diseases of Nervous System of Liaoning Province, Health Sciences Institute of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
Abstract:
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are chronic conditions that result in progressive damage to the nervous system, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Age is a major risk factor for NDs. Telomere shortening is a biological marker of cellular aging, and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) has been shown to slow down this process by maintaining telomere length. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) makes the brain a unique immune organ, and while the number of T cells present in the central nervous system is limited, they play an important role in NDs. Research suggests that NDs can be influenced by modulating peripheral T cell immune responses, and that TERT may play a significant role in T cell senescence and NDs. This review focuses on the current state of research on TERT in NDs and explores the potential connections between TERT, T cells, and NDs. Further studies on aging and telomeres may provide valuable insights for developing therapeutic strategies for age-related diseases.
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