What do telomerase inhibitors do?
Inhibition of telomerase prevents the maintenance of telomere length in telomerase-positive cells. As a result, telomerase may shorten, leading to eventual replicative senescence or apoptosis.
Do Normal cells have telomerase?
Since first discovered in Tetrahymena thermophila in 1985 (82), telomerase activity was found to be absent in most normal human somatic cells but present in over 90% of cancerous cells and in vitro-immortalized cells (124, 210).
What happens when telomerase is inhibited?
Inhibiting telomerase, an enzyme that rescues malignant cells from destruction by extending the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, kills tumor cells but also triggers resistance pathways that allow cancer to survive and spread, scientists report in the Feb. 17 issue of Cell.
Which cells use telomerase and which cells inhibit it?
Telomerase represents a highly specific target for transformed cells, as its reverse transcriptase activity is silenced in most normal adult somatic cells, except in some stem-like cells and T cells which transiently activate telomerase during proliferation [2].
What is the function of telomerase?
Telomerase is the enzyme responsible for maintenance of the length of telomeres by addition of guanine-rich repetitive sequences. Telomerase activity is exhibited in gametes and stem and tumor cells.
What are the functions of telomere?
Their job is to stop the ends of chromosomes from fraying or sticking to each other, much like the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces. Telomeres also play an important role in making sure our DNA gets copied properly when cells divide.
What are the functions of telomeres?
What are the functions of telomerase?
The function of telomerase is to add more nucleotides to the telomeres, regenerating these protective “caps” and helping the vital regions of our DNA to avoid damage. Studies have shown that artificially adding telomerase to mice whose cells don’t naturally produce it can reverse their premature symptoms of aging.