title: Telomeres and telomerase in aging, regeneration and cancer.
abstract: The finding that telomere shortening limits the replicative lifespan of primary human cells has fueled speculations that telomere shortening plays a role during aging and regeneration of tissues in vivo. Support for this hypothesis comes from studies showing telomere shortening in a variety of human tissues as a consequence of aging and chronic disease. Studies in telomerase-deficient mice have given first experimental support that telomere shortening limits the replicative potential of organs and tissues in vivo and have identified telomerase as a promising target to treat regenerative disorders induced by telomere shortening. A potential downside of such an approach could be the development of malignant tumors, which has been linked to reactivation of telomerase in human cancers. In telomerase-deficient mice, telomere shortening showed a dual role in tumorigenesis, enhancing the initiation of tumors by induction of chromosomal instability but inhibiting tumor progression by induction of DNA-damage responses. The success in using telomerase activation for the treatment of regenerative disorders could depend on which of the mechanisms of telomere shortening is dominantly effecting carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medical School Hannover Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Meta Wulandari
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Djojosubroto
authors.forename: Yoon Sik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Han-Woong
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Karl Lenhard
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Rudolph
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019098:Telomerase