Expression of Telomerase RNA, Telomerase Activity, and Telomere Length in Human Gliomas

1997 ◽  
Vol 239 (3) ◽  
pp. 830-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Morii ◽  
Ryuichi Tanaka ◽  
Kiyoshi Onda ◽  
Itaru Tsumanuma ◽  
Jyunichi Yoshimura
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Human Gliomas

scholarly journals Structural Features of the Telomerase RNA Gene in the Naked Mole Rat Heterocephalus glaber

Acta Naturae ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Evfratov ◽  
E. M. Smekalova ◽  
A. V. Golovin ◽  
N. A. Logvina ◽  
M. I. Zvereva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Promoter Regions ◽  
Heterocephalus Glaber ◽  
Mole Rat ◽  
Naked Mole Rat

Telomere length, an important feature of life span control, is dependent on the activity of telomerase (a key enzyme of the telomere-length-maintaining system). Telomerase RNA is a component of telomerase and, thus, is crucial for its activity. The structures of telomerase RNA genes and their promoter regions were compared for the long-living naked mole rat and different organisms. Two rare polymorphisms in Heterocephalus glaber telomerase RNA (hgTER) were identified: AG in the first loop of pseudoknot P2b-p3 (an equivalent of 111nt in hTR) and GA in the scaRNA domain CR7-p8b (an equivalent of 421nt in hTR). Analysis of TER promoter regions allowed us to identify two new transcription factor binding sites. The first one is the ETS family site, which was found to be a conserved element for all the analyzed TER promoters. The second site is unique for the promoter region of TER of the naked mole rat and is a binding site for the SOX17 transcription factor. The absence of one Sp1 site in the TER promoter region of the naked small rat is an additional specific feature of the promoter area of hgTER. Such variation in the hgTER transcription regulation region and hgTER itself could provide increased telomerase activity in stem cells and an extended lifespan to H. glaber.

Telomerase interference in combination with docetaxel therapy for maximal prostate cancer inhibition: In vitro data for a novel therapeutic approach

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14596-e14596
Author(s):  
D. Sahu ◽  
T. Xu ◽  
R. Lau ◽  
L. Xue ◽  
A. Goldkorn
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer ◽  
Novel Therapeutic

e14596 Background: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) carries a median survival of 18 months with standard docetaxel based therapies. Telomerase interference (TI) is a promising novel therapeutic strategy that exploits the high telomerase activity in cancer cells by introducing a mutated telomerase RNA (MT-Ter) that encodes toxic telomeres and rapidly induces apoptosis. We investigated whether TI can be combined with docetaxel therapy to achieve greater growth inhibition in mCRPC. Methods: PC3 and DU145 mCRPC cell lines were treated with docetaxel in the presence of TI or vector control. TI was accomplished by concurrent lentiviral expression of 2 constructs: telomerase RNA with an altered template region (MT-Ter) and siRNA targeting wild-type telomerase RNA (anti-Ter siRNA). Telomere length and telomerase activity were assessed using RT-PCR and TRAP, respectively. Proliferation, apoptosis, and DNA damage were quantified using MTS, TUNEL, and 53bp1 staining, respectively. Statistical significance was calculated using a 2-sided t-test. Results: Docetaxel (10nM) induced 22% inhibition (p=0.01) of PC3 proliferation in the presence of vector control and 41% inhibition (p=0.001) in the presence of TI (results were similar in DU145 cells). This near-doubling of efficacy was attributable to an independent inhibitory effect (17% inhibition, p=0.04) from TI treatment alone, which occurred without change in bulk telomere length or telomerase activity. TI alone generated increased numbers of DNA damage foci (7/cell vs. 2/cell with vector control) while docetaxel alone did not generate significant increases in DNA damage. Both TI and docetaxel induced a marked increase in the rate of apoptosis. Conclusions: Docetaxel and TI each exerted a pro-apoptotic effect which, when combined, produced an additive inhibition of mCRPC proliferation. TI-mediated apoptosis ensued from DNA damage, consistent with its known telomeric-uncapping effect, while docetaxel-induced apoptosis was not associated with direct DNA damage, also consistent with known docetaxel mechanisms of action. These findings underscore the therapeutic promise of combining standard agents with TI to improve efficacy and reduce toxicity. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

scholarly journals Telomerase-Associated Protein TEP1 Is Not Essential for Telomerase Activity or Telomere Length Maintenance In Vivo

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 8178-8184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yie Liu ◽  
Bryan E. Snow ◽  
M. Prakash Hande ◽  
Gabriela Baerlocher ◽  
Valerie A. Kickhoefer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Rnp Complex ◽  
Successive Generations

ABSTRACT TEP1 is a mammalian telomerase-associated protein with similarity to the Tetrahymena telomerase protein p80. Like p80, TEP1 is associated with telomerase activity and the telomerase reverse transcriptase, and it specifically interacts with the telomerase RNA. To determine the role of mTep1 in telomerase function in vivo, we generated mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and mice lacking mTep1. ThemTep1-deficient (mTep1 −/−) mice were viable and were bred for seven successive generations with no obvious phenotypic abnormalities. All murine tissues frommTep1 −/− mice possessed a level of telomerase activity comparable to that in wild-type mice. In addition, analysis of several tissues that normally lack telomerase activity revealed no reactivation of telomerase activity in mTep1 −/− mice. Telomere length, even in later generations ofmTep1 −/− mice, was equivalent to that in wild-type animals. ES cells deficient in mTep1 also showed no detectable alteration in telomerase activity or telomere length with increased passage in culture. Thus, mTep1 appears to be completely dispensable for telomerase function in vivo. Recently, TEP1 has been identified within a second ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, the vault particle. TEP1 can also specifically bind to a small RNA, vRNA, which is associated with the vault particle and is unrelated in sequence to mammalian telomerase RNA. These results reveal that TEP1 is an RNA binding protein that is not restricted to the telomerase complex and that TEP1 plays a redundant role in the assembly or localization of the telomerase RNP in vivo.

scholarly journals Expression of Telomerase RNA Template, but Not Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase, Is Limiting for Telomere Length Maintenance In Vivo

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (16) ◽  
pp. 7024-7031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Jeffrey Chiang ◽  
Michael T. Hemann ◽  
Karen S. Hathcock ◽  
Lino Tessarollo ◽  
Lionel Feigenbaum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomere Maintenance ◽  
Gene Copy ◽  
Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Telomere Elongation

ABSTRACT Telomerase consists of two essential components, the telomerase RNA template (TR) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). The haplo-insufficiency of TR was recently shown to cause one form of human dyskeratosis congenita, an inherited disease marked by abnormal telomere shortening. Consistent with this finding, we recently reported that mice heterozygous for inactivation of mouse TR exhibit a similar haplo-insufficiency and are deficient in the ability to elongate telomeres in vivo. To further assess the genetic regulation of telomerase activity, we have compared the abilities of TR-deficient and TERT-deficient mice to maintain or elongate telomeres in interspecies crosses. Homozygous TERT knockout mice had no telomerase activity and failed to maintain telomere length. In contrast, TERT+/− heterozygotes had no detectable defect in telomere elongation compared to wild-type controls, whereas TR+/− heterozygotes were deficient in telomere elongation. Levels of TERT mRNA in heterozygous mice were one-third to one-half the levels expressed in wild-type mice, similar to the reductions in telomerase RNA observed in TR heterozygotes. These findings indicate that both TR and TERT are essential for telomere maintenance and elongation but that gene copy number and transcriptional regulation of TR, but not TERT, are limiting for telomerase activity under the in vivo conditions analyzed.

scholarly journals Telomerase activation in mouse mammary tumors: lack of detectable telomere shortening and evidence for regulation of telomerase RNA with cell proliferation.

1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 3765-3772 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Broccoli ◽  
L A Godley ◽  
L A Donehower ◽  
H E Varmus ◽  
T de Lange
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Mammary Tumorigenesis ◽  
Mammary Tumors ◽  
Mammary Glands ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Telomerase Rna ◽  
Proliferating Cells ◽  
Telomere Shortening ◽  
Mouse Mammary Tumors

Activation of telomerase in human cancers is thought to be necessary to overcome the progressive loss of telomeric DNA that accompanies proliferation of normal somatic cells. According to this model, telomerase provides a growth advantage to cells in which extensive terminal sequence loss threatens viability. To test these ideas, we have examined telomere dynamics and telomerase activation during mammary tumorigenesis in mice carrying a mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat-driven Wnt-1 transgene. We also analyzed Wnt-1-induced mammary tumors in mice lacking p53 function. Normal mammary glands, hyperplastic mammary glands, and mammary carcinomas all had the long telomeres (20 to 50 kb) typical of Mus musculus and did not show telomere shortening during tumor development. Nevertheless, telomerase activity and the RNA component of the enzyme were consistently upregulated in Wnt-1-induced mammary tumors compared with normal and hyperplastic tissues. The upregulation of telomerase activity and RNA also occurred during tumorigenesis in p53-deficient mice. The expression of telomerase RNA correlated strongly with histone H4 mRNA in all normal tissues and tumors, indicating that the RNA component of telomerase is regulated with cell proliferation. Telomerase activity in the tumors was elevated to a greater extent than telomerase RNA, implying that the enzymatic activity of telomerase is regulated at additional levels. Our data suggest that the mechanism of telomerase activation in mouse mammary tumors is not linked to global loss of telomere function but involves multiple regulatory events including upregulation of telomerase RNA in proliferating cells.

638: Clinical relevance of telomere length and telomerase activity in colorectal cancer

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. S152
Author(s):  
C. De Juan Chocano ◽  
T. Fernández-Marcelo ◽  
I. Pascua ◽  
J. Head ◽  
A. Sánchez-Pernaute ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Clinical Relevance ◽  
Telomerase Activity

Telomere length and telomerase activity: effect of ageing on human NK cells

2003 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erminia Mariani ◽  
Alessandra Meneghetti ◽  
Ivan Formentini ◽  
Simona Neri ◽  
Luca Cattini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nk Cells ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Telomerase Activity ◽  
Activity Effect
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document