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ISSN 0016-3813 (Print)

2002, Number S1

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Gac Med Mex 2002; 138 (S1)

Telomerase in Cancer: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Implications

Shay JW

Language: English
References: 7
Page: 4
PDF size: 22.60 Kb.


Text Extraction

Maintenance of telomere stability is required for cells to escape from replicative senescence and proliferate indefinitely. Telomerase is upregulated/reactivated in nearly all human cancers. Telomerase catalyzes the synthesis and extension of telomeric TTAGGG repeats stabilizing telomere length. The correlation between telomerase activity and human tumors suggests that tumor growth almost universally requires reactivation of telomerase. There is experimental evidence from hundreds of independent laboratories that telomerase activity is present in nearly all human tumors but not in normal tissues. Thus, clinical telomerase research is focused on the development of methods for accurate diagnosis of cancer and on novel anti-telomerase cancer therapeutics.


REFERENCES

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  4. Herbert B-S, Pitts AE, Baker SI, Hamilton SE, Wright WE, Shay JW Corey DR. Inhibition of telomerase leads to eroded telomeres, reduced proliferation, and apoptosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1999; 96:14276-81.

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