Telomerase beyond telomeres.
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 12154355.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/nrc862.
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Abstract
The role of telomerase in actively proliferating cells is assumed to be restricted to maintaining of telomeres above a minimum-length threshold, thereby preventing telomere exhaustion and chromosomal instability. However, forced telomerase expression in cells and mice with normal-length telomeres has shown that telomerase promotes growth and survival in a manner that is uncoupled from net telomere lengthening. These findings imply that telomerase might have a fundamental role in tumour growth and survival, even at stages when telomeres are sufficiently long.
Medical subject headings
- Neoplasms
- Telomerase
- Telomere