title: Role for telomerase in pulmonary hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cells exhibiting dysregulated growth may express telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), the dual function of which consists of maintaining telomere length, in association with the RNA template molecule TERC, and controlling cell growth. Here, we investigated lung TERT in human and experimental pulmonary hypertension (PH) and its role in controlling pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PA-SMC) proliferation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Marked TERT expression or activity was found in lungs from patients with idiopathic PH and from mice with PH induced by hypoxia or serotonin-transporter overexpression (SM22-5HTT(+) mice), chiefly within PA-SMCs. In cultured mouse PA-SMCs, TERT was expressed on growth stimulation by serum. The TERT inhibitor imetelstat and the TERT activator TA65 abrogated and stimulated PA-SMC growth, respectively. PA-SMCs from PH mice showed a heightened proliferative phenotype associated with increased TERT expression, which was suppressed by imetelstat treatment. TERC(-/-) mice at generation 2 and TERT(-/-) mice at generations 2, 3, and 4 developed less severe PH than did wild-type mice exposed to chronic hypoxia, with less distal pulmonary artery muscularization and fewer Ki67-stained proliferating PA-SMCs. Telomere length differed between TERC(-/-) and TERT(-/-) mice, whereas PH severity was similar in the 2 strains and across generations. Chronic imetelstat treatment reduced hypoxia-induced PH in wild-type mice or partially reversed established PH in SM22-5HTT(+) mice while simultaneously decreasing TERT expression. Opposite effects occurred in mice treated with TA65.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Telomerase exerts telomere-independent effects on PA-SMC growth in PH and may constitute a treatment target for PH.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mouraret
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Amal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Houssaïni
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Shariq
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abid
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Rozenn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quarck
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marcos
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Aurelien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parpaleix
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gary-Bobo
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dubois-Randé
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Derumeaux
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boczkowski
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delcroix
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Blasco
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lipskaia
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Amsellem
authors.affiliation: INSERM U955, DHU A-TVB and Département de Physiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France and Université Paris-Est Créteil, France (N.M., A.H., S.A., E.M., A.P., G.G.-B., G.D., J.B., L.L., V.A., S.A.); Respiratory Division, University Hospitals of Leuven and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (R.Q., M.D.); Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor and Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France (J.-L.D.-R.); and Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Madrid, Spain (M.A.B.).
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adnot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D008875:Middle Aged; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019098:Telomerase / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D009536:Niacinamide; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase; C509187:Tert protein, mouse; C519562:imetelstat
keywords: hypertension, pulmonary; muscle; telomerase; vascular remodeling