title: PinX1 the tail on the chromosome.
abstract: The PinX1 protein inhibits telomerase, an enzyme that lengthens telomeres - the structures that protect the ends of chromosomes. Loss of PinX1 leads to increased telomere length along with defects in chromosome dynamics. In this issue of the JCI, Zhou et al. present novel evidence from human tumors and mouse models indicating that PinX1 is a clinically significant tumor suppressor. Importantly, the genome-destabilizing effects of PinX1 loss appear to depend on telomerase activity, raising new models and questions for how telomeres and telomerase contribute to the development of cancer.
authors: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. johnsonb@mail.med.upenn.edu
authors: F Brad
authors: FB
authors: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D043171:Chromosomal Instability; D005260:Female; D057895:Haploinsufficiency; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C440808:PINX1 protein, human; C474811:Pinx1 protein, mouse; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D019098:Telomerase