Molecular Signaling Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Monash University Central Clinical School, AMREP, Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Reproduction. 2010 Aug;140(2):215-22. doi: 10.1530/REP-10-0008. Epub 2010 Jun 18.
Telomerase, an enzyme complex that binds the chromosome ends (telomeres) and maintains telomere length and integrity, is present in germ cells, proliferative granulosa cells, germline stem cells, and neoplastic cells in the ovary, but it is absent in differentiated or aged cells. Activation of telomerase in the ovary underpins both benign and malignant cell proliferation in several compartments, including the germ cells, membrana granulosa, and the ovarian surface epithelium. The difference in telomerase operation between normal and abnormal cell proliferations may lie in the mechanisms of telomerase activation in a deregulated manner. Recent studies have implicated telomerase activity in ovarian cancer as well as oogenesis and fertility. Inhibition of telomerase and the shortening of telomeres are seen in occult ovarian insufficiency. Studies of how telomerase operates and regulates ovary development may provide insight into the development of both germ cells for ovarian reproductive function and neoplastic cells in ovarian cancer. The current review summarizes the roles of telomerase in the development of oocytes and proliferation of granulosa cells during folliculogenesis and in the process of tumorigenesis. It also describes the regulation of telomerase by estrogen in the ovary.
端粒酶是一种酶复合物，它结合染色体末端（端粒），维持端粒长度和完整性，存在于生殖细胞、增殖性颗粒细胞、生殖干细胞和卵巢中的肿瘤细胞中，但不存在于分化或衰老的细胞中。端粒酶在卵巢中的激活支持包括生殖细胞、颗粒膜和卵巢表面上皮在内的几个区域中的良性和恶性细胞增殖。正常和异常细胞增殖中端粒酶作用的差异可能在于端粒酶以不受调节的方式激活的机制。最近的研究表明端粒酶活性与卵巢癌以及卵母细胞发生和生育力有关。在隐匿性卵巢功能不全中可见端粒酶抑制和端粒缩短。研究端粒酶的作用和调节卵巢发育的机制可能有助于了解卵巢生殖功能的生殖细胞和卵巢癌中的肿瘤细胞的发育。本综述总结了端粒酶在卵母细胞发育和卵泡发生过程中颗粒细胞增殖以及肿瘤发生过程中的作用。它还描述了雌激素对卵巢中端粒酶的调节。
