Soria J C, Rixe O
Département de médecine, Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif, France.
Bull Cancer. 1997 Oct;84(10):963-70.
The chromosome ends are specialized nucleoprotein structures called telomeres, which length predicts replicative capacity of cells. Activation of telomerase, the DNA polymerase that synthesizes telomeric repeats, seems to be necessary for cells to become immortal. Methods of measuring telomerase activity, now reliable and semiquantitative, have shown that telomerase is expressed in most human cancers, but not in normal somatic tissues. Research about regulation of telomere length and telomerase activity, highlights connexions between senescence and cancer. This article details diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic prospects linked to the study of telomerase activity.
染色体末端是一种被称为端粒的特殊核蛋白结构，其长度可预测细胞的复制能力。端粒酶是一种合成端粒重复序列的DNA聚合酶，细胞要获得永生似乎需要端粒酶的激活。目前测量端粒酶活性的方法可靠且具有半定量性质，这些方法表明端粒酶在大多数人类癌症中表达，但在正常体细胞组织中不表达。对端粒长度和端粒酶活性调控的研究突出了衰老与癌症之间的联系。本文详细介绍了与端粒酶活性研究相关的诊断、预后及治疗前景。
