Mechanisms underlying the activation of TERT transcription and telomerase activity in human cancer: old actors and new players.

ABSTRACT: Long-lived species Homo sapiens have evolved robust protection mechanisms against cancer by repressing telomerase and maintaining short telomeres, thereby delaying the onset of the majority of cancer types until post-reproductive age. Indeed, telomerase is silent in most differentiated human cells, predominantly due to the transcriptional repression of its catalytic component telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene. The lack of telomerase/TERT expression leads to progressive telomere erosion in dividing human cells, whereas critically shortened telomere length induces a permanent growth arrest stage named replicative senescence. TERT/telomerase activation has been experimentally shown to be essential to cellular immortalization and malignant transformation by stabilizing telomere leng

SUBMITTER: Yuan X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6756069 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature