Abstract
Given the constitutive expression of telomerase in the majority of human tumors, telomerase inhibition is an attractive, broad-spectrum therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Therapeutic strategies for inhibiting telomerase activity have included both targeting components of telomerase (the protein component, TERT, or the RNA component, TERC) or by directly targeting telomere DNA structures. Recently a combination telomerase inhibition therapy has been studied also. The TERT promoter has been used to selectively express cytotoxic gene(s) in cancer cells and a TERT vaccine for immunization against telomerase has been tested. The 10% to 15% of immortalized cancer cells that do not express telomerase use a recombination-based mechanism for maintaining telomere structures that has been called the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). In view of the increasing study of telomerase inhibitors as anticancer treatments, it will be crucial to determine whether inhibition of telomerase will select for cancer cells that activate ALT mechanisms of telomere maintenance.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 378-390 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Rejuvenation Research |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2006 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aging
Cite this
Targeting telomerase. / Siddiqa, Aisha; Cavazos, David A.; Marciniak, Robert A.
In: Rejuvenation Research, Vol. 9, No. 3, 09.2006, p. 378-390.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Targeting telomerase
AU - Siddiqa, Aisha
AU - Cavazos, David A.
AU - Marciniak, Robert A
PY - 2006/9
Y1 - 2006/9
N2 - Given the constitutive expression of telomerase in the majority of human tumors, telomerase inhibition is an attractive, broad-spectrum therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Therapeutic strategies for inhibiting telomerase activity have included both targeting components of telomerase (the protein component, TERT, or the RNA component, TERC) or by directly targeting telomere DNA structures. Recently a combination telomerase inhibition therapy has been studied also. The TERT promoter has been used to selectively express cytotoxic gene(s) in cancer cells and a TERT vaccine for immunization against telomerase has been tested. The 10% to 15% of immortalized cancer cells that do not express telomerase use a recombination-based mechanism for maintaining telomere structures that has been called the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). In view of the increasing study of telomerase inhibitors as anticancer treatments, it will be crucial to determine whether inhibition of telomerase will select for cancer cells that activate ALT mechanisms of telomere maintenance.
AB - Given the constitutive expression of telomerase in the majority of human tumors, telomerase inhibition is an attractive, broad-spectrum therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Therapeutic strategies for inhibiting telomerase activity have included both targeting components of telomerase (the protein component, TERT, or the RNA component, TERC) or by directly targeting telomere DNA structures. Recently a combination telomerase inhibition therapy has been studied also. The TERT promoter has been used to selectively express cytotoxic gene(s) in cancer cells and a TERT vaccine for immunization against telomerase has been tested. The 10% to 15% of immortalized cancer cells that do not express telomerase use a recombination-based mechanism for maintaining telomere structures that has been called the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). In view of the increasing study of telomerase inhibitors as anticancer treatments, it will be crucial to determine whether inhibition of telomerase will select for cancer cells that activate ALT mechanisms of telomere maintenance.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33746689124&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33746689124&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/rej.2006.9.378
DO - 10.1089/rej.2006.9.378
M3 - Article
C2 - 16859479
AN - SCOPUS:33746689124
VL - 9
SP - 378
EP - 390
JO - Rejuvenation Research
JF - Rejuvenation Research
SN - 1549-1684
IS - 3
ER -