What is the role of telomeres in cancer development and progression?
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Telomeres and telomerase play crucial roles in cancer development and progression. Telomeres, protective structures at chromosome ends, prevent genomic instability and limit cell division. Telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomere length, is typically inactive in healthy cells but highly active in cancer cells, allowing them to divide indefinitely. This immortality leads to tumor formation and progression by evading cell death mechanisms and acquiring malignant properties like metastasis. Telomerase activity is a biomarker for cancer, making it a potential target for cancer therapy. Both short and long telomeres have been associated with cancer risk, with longer telomeres facilitating the acquisition of cancer-initiating mutations. Understanding telomere dynamics is crucial for diagnosing, treating, and potentially preventing cancer.
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| Papers (5) | Insight |
|---|---|
| Telomeres play a crucial role in cancer by enabling cellular immortality through telomerase reactivation, promoting tumor formation, progression, and evasion of cell death, a hallmark of cancer. | |
| Telomeres play a dual role in cancer: short telomeres drive clonal hematopoiesis, while long telomeres increase cancer risk, impacting cancer evolution through distinct mechanisms. | |
| Telomeres play a complex role in cancer, with both short and long lengths associated with increased cancer risk due to genomic instability and cell proliferation potential. | |
| Telomeres protect chromosomes and prevent fusion. Telomerase maintains genomic stability by extending telomeres, preventing cellular aging. Activation of telomerase can lead to cancer by preserving genomic stability in rapidly dividing cells. | |
| Telomeres play a crucial role in cancer by shortening with each cell division. Telomerase maintains telomere length, allowing cancer cells to divide indefinitely, leading to immortality and tumor formation. |
Related Questions
Can telomere length be used as a biomarker for cancer risk assessment and prognosis?5 answersTelomere length shows promise as a biomarker for cancer risk assessment and prognosis. Studies on colorectal cancer, breast cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and breast carcinomasuggest associations between telomere length and cancer outcomes. While no significant link was found between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and colorectal cancer risk, shorter LTL was correlated with poorer survival rates in colorectal cancer patients. In breast cancer, longer telomeres were generally associated with better outcomes. Additionally, LTL was significantly linked to NPC development and certain patient characteristics. Telomere length differences between benign and malignant breast tissues were also observed, with potential implications for cancer evaluation. These findings collectively support the potential of telomere length as a valuable biomarker for cancer risk assessment and prognosis.
What is telomere?5 answersTelomeres are specialized structures at the ends of linear chromosomes that consist of repetitive DNA sequences and associated protein complexes. They serve to protect chromosome ends from degradation and recognition as DNA breaks. Telomeres shorten during each cycle of DNA replication and cell division, and critically short telomeres can lead to permanent cell cycle arrest or cell death. Telomere maintenance is crucial for cellular division and viability. Dysregulated telomere maintenance is a universal property of cancer cells, while telomere shortening is associated with aging and telomere biology disorders. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme, and the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) are two mechanisms that can lengthen telomeres. Telomerase modulation has emerged as a potential anti-aging or anti-cancer strategy.
Cancer treatments that target telomere activity5 answersTelomerase inhibitors have been identified as potential therapeutic candidates for cancer treatment. Targeting telomerase activity can lead to the shortening of telomeres, resulting in replicative senescence and cell death in cancer cells. Various telomerase inhibitors have been developed, including nucleotide-based proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) that degrade telomeric repeat-binding factor 1/2 (TRF1/2), key components of the shelterin complex that regulate telomere length. Inhibition of telomerase can be achieved through the use of natural and synthetic compounds, vaccines, oncolytic viruses, and suppression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) activity. Recent efforts have also focused on targeting TERT gene expression driven by TERT promoter mutations. However, the development of telomerase inhibitors has faced challenges, and there are currently no clinically approved strategies targeting telomerase for cancer treatment. Future research and advancements in structural models of human telomerase may lead to the development of effective telomerase-directed therapies.
What is the role of apoptosis in the development of cancer?5 answersApoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays a crucial role in the development of cancer. Defects in apoptotic pathways can lead to the survival and proliferation of cancer cells, as well as resistance to anti-cancer drugs. The Bcl-2 family of proteins and caspases are central players in the apoptotic mechanism and regulate cell death. Imperfections in these master regulators can result in deficient apoptotic signaling and inadequate apoptosis in cancer cells, ultimately contributing to carcinogenesis. Additionally, apoptosis acts as a defense mechanism against immune responses and eliminates damaged cells, making it an important process for maintaining homeostasis and preventing cancer development. Understanding the mechanisms of defective apoptosis in cancer can help in the development of novel therapeutic agents and treatment modalities. The antagonistic relationship between apoptosis and polyploidy, where defects in apoptosis can lead to genome instability and cancer progression, further highlights the significance of apoptosis in cancer development.
How are telomeres related to healthspan?5 answersTelomeres are dynamic chromosome-end structures that play a crucial role in aging and longevity. Short and dysfunctional telomeres are associated with reduced lifespan and the incidence of age-related diseases. Telomere length is influenced by various factors such as stress, mindset, lifestyle, and genetic and environmental factors. Telomeres are sensitive to stress and can be affected by exposure to biochemical pathways involved in stress-related depression, potentially contributing to an "accelerated aging" phenotype. Telomere attrition during early life is linked to the health and lifespan of adults. Lifestyle factors can affect telomere length, and progressive shortening of telomeres can impact the health and lifespan of an individual. By understanding and modulating telomere dynamics, individuals may have the opportunity to influence their aging and health span, potentially extending their life and health span.
What is the activity of telomerase in cancer cells?5 answersTelomerase plays an important role in abnormal cell proliferation, metastasis, stem cell maintenance, and immortality in different types of cancer. TERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity were significantly increased in over 80% of human cancers from tissue specimens. Telomerase activity is closely associated with cancers, and accurate measurement of telomerase activity is critical to clinical diagnosis and therapeutics. Active telomerase is essential for stem cells and most cancers to maintain telomeres. Telomerase is an important mechanism by which cancers escape replicative senescence, and cancer stem cells express telomerase, suggesting their preferential tumorigenesis. Telomerase activity in cancer cells is crucial for their growth, proliferation, and maintenance of telomeres, and targeting telomerase has potential therapeutic implications in cancer treatment.