title: Alternative Splicing of hTERT Pre-mRNA: A Potential Strategy for the Regulation of Telomerase Activity.
abstract: The activation of telomerase is one of the key events in the malignant transition of cells, and the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is indispensable in the process of activating telomerase. The pre-mRNA alternative splicing of hTERT at the post-transcriptional level is one of the mechanisms for the regulation of telomerase activity. Shifts in splicing patterns occur in the development, tumorigenesis, and response to diverse stimuli in a tissue-specific and cell type-specific manner. Despite the regulation of telomerase activity, the alternative splicing of hTERT pre-mRNA may play a role in other cellular functions. Modulating the mode of hTERT pre-mRNA splicing is providing a new precept of therapy for cancer and aging-related diseases. This review focuses on the patterns of hTERT pre-mRNA alternative splicing and their biological functions, describes the potential association between the alternative splicing of hTERT pre-mRNA and telomerase activity, and discusses the possible significance of the alternative splicing of the hTERT pre-mRNA in the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of cancer and aging-related diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China. superryan2016@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China. superryan2016@163.com.
authors.forename: Xuewen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin 300070, China. wyc_81@126.com.|Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China. wyc_81@126.com.
authors.forename: Yuchuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China. szxiaoming123@163.com.
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China. wangf@tmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300052, China. feiwang@tmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China. gengx@tmu.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China. gengx@tmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Geng
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012322:RNA Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase
keywords: aging; alternative splicing; cancer; human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) pre-mRNA; telomerase