TY - JOUR
T1 - Telomeres and telomerase
T2 - three decades of progress
AU - Shay, Jerry W.
AU - Wright, Woodring E
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (AG01228), the Harold Simmons National Cancer Institute Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center support grant (CA142543) and the Southland Financial Corporation Distinguished Chair in Geriatric Research. This work was performed in laboratories constructed with support from the NIH (C06 RR30414). Owing to limited space, the authors apologize for not including all the advances in this field.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Nature Limited.
PY - 2019/5/1
Y1 - 2019/5/1
N2 - Many recent advances have emerged in the telomere and telomerase fields. This Timeline article highlights the key advances that have expanded our views on the mechanistic underpinnings of telomeres and telomerase and their roles in ageing and disease. Three decades ago, the classic view was that telomeres protected the natural ends of linear chromosomes and that telomerase was a specific telomere-terminal transferase necessary for the replication of chromosome ends in single-celled organisms. While this concept is still correct, many diverse fields associated with telomeres and telomerase have substantially matured. These areas include the discovery of most of the key molecular components of telomerase, implications for limits to cellular replication, identification and characterization of human genetic disorders that result in premature telomere shortening, the concept that inhibiting telomerase might be a successful therapeutic strategy and roles for telomeres in regulating gene expression. We discuss progress in these areas and conclude with challenges and unanswered questions in the field.
AB - Many recent advances have emerged in the telomere and telomerase fields. This Timeline article highlights the key advances that have expanded our views on the mechanistic underpinnings of telomeres and telomerase and their roles in ageing and disease. Three decades ago, the classic view was that telomeres protected the natural ends of linear chromosomes and that telomerase was a specific telomere-terminal transferase necessary for the replication of chromosome ends in single-celled organisms. While this concept is still correct, many diverse fields associated with telomeres and telomerase have substantially matured. These areas include the discovery of most of the key molecular components of telomerase, implications for limits to cellular replication, identification and characterization of human genetic disorders that result in premature telomere shortening, the concept that inhibiting telomerase might be a successful therapeutic strategy and roles for telomeres in regulating gene expression. We discuss progress in these areas and conclude with challenges and unanswered questions in the field.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41576-019-0099-1
DO - 10.1038/s41576-019-0099-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 30760854
AN - SCOPUS:85061579957
VL - 20
SP - 299
EP - 309
JO - Nature reviews. Genetics
JF - Nature reviews. Genetics
SN - 1471-0056
IS - 5
ER -