Regulation of telomerase expression in human lymphocytes.
The function of lymphocytes is highly dependent on the ability of cell to divide. Among the various factors that regulate this cellular process, telomerase-dependent maintenance of telomere length has recently drawn considerable attention. Unlike most normal human somatic cells that express telomerase only during development but not after differentiation, lymphocytes express telomerase during development and retain the ability to express telomerase after maturation in response to antigenic challenge. How telomerase is regulated and its precise role in lymphocytes is not fully understood. The recent progress in characterizing regulation of telomerase expression in human lymphocytes is discussed.
Weng
Nan-ping
NP
Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 5600 Nathan Shock Drive, Box 21, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000201:enzymology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology; D008954:Models, Biological; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D019098:Telomerase