title: Advances in the understanding of dyskeratosis congenita.
abstract: Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare inherited syndrome exhibiting marked clinical and genetic heterogeneity. It is characterised by mucocutaneous abnormalities, bone marrow failure and a predisposition to cancer. Bone marrow failure is the principal cause of premature mortality. Studies over the last 10 years have demonstrated that DC is principally a disease of defective telomere maintenance. All DC patients have very short telomeres and the genetically characterised cases of DC have mutations in six genes which either encode components of the telomerase complex (DKC1, TERC, TERT, NOP10, NHP2) or shelterin (TINF2); these are important in the elongation and protection of the telomeric end, respectively. These advances have led to the recognition of cryptic forms of DC, such as presentations with aplastic anaemia and myelodysplasia. They have also increased our understanding of normal haematopoiesis and provided new insights to the aetiology of some cases of aplastic anaemia and related haematological disorders.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Paediatrics, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK. a.walne@qmul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Walne
authors.forename: Inderjeet
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dokal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019871:Dyskeratosis Congenita / Q000235:genetics*; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D023421:Models, Animal; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics*; D017411:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear / Q000235:genetics; D020718:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nucleolar / Q000235:genetics; D000089804:Shelterin Complex; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D034501:Telomere-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C112148:DKC1 protein, human; C416929:NHP2 protein, human; C416930:NOP10 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D017411:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear; D020718:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nucleolar; D000089804:Shelterin Complex; D034501:Telomere-Binding Proteins; C422952:telomerase RNA; D012313:RNA; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase