About: PINX1 is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 87 publications have been published within this topic receiving 21706 citations. The topic is also known as: LPTL & LPTS.
TL;DR: A highly sensitive assay for measuring telomerase activity was developed in this paper, which showed that telomerases appear to be stringently repressed in normal human somatic tissues but reactivated in cancer, where immortal cells are likely required to maintain tumor growth.
Abstract: Synthesis of DNA at chromosome ends by telomerase may be necessary for indefinite proliferation of human cells. A highly sensitive assay for measuring telomerase activity was developed. In cultured cells representing 18 different human tissues, 98 of 100 immortal and none of 22 mortal populations were positive for telomerase. Similarly, 90 of 101 biopsies representing 12 human tumor types and none of 50 normal somatic tissues were positive. Normal ovaries and testes were positive, but benign tumors such as fibroids were negative. Thus, telomerase appears to be stringently repressed in normal human somatic tissues but reactivated in cancer, where immortal cells are likely required to maintain tumor growth.
TL;DR: All major types of cancer have been screened and the presence of telomerase activity has been detected in the vast majority of cases, and a summary, in table form, of the current data is provided.
TL;DR: It is shown that the ectopic expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) in combination with two oncogenes results in direct tumorigenic conversion of normal human epithelial and fibroblast cells.
Abstract: During malignant transformation, cancer cells acquire genetic mutations that override the normal mechanisms controlling cellular proliferation. Primary rodent cells are efficiently converted into tumorigenic cells by the coexpression of cooperating oncogenes1,2. However, similar experiments with human cells have consistently failed to yield tumorigenic transformants3,4,5, indicating a fundamental difference in the biology of human and rodent cells. The few reported successes in the creation of human tumour cells have depended on the use of chemical or physical agents to achieve immortalization6, the selection of rare, spontaneously arising immortalized cells7,8,9,10, or the use of an entire viral genome11. We show here that the ectopic expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT)12 in combination with two oncogenes (the simian virus 40 large-T oncoprotein and an oncogenic allele of H-ras) results in direct tumorigenic conversion of normal human epithelial and fibroblast cells. These results demonstrate that disruption of the intracellular pathways regulated by large-T, oncogenic ras and telomerase suffices to create a human tumor cell.
TL;DR: Human cell lines that expressed hTR mutated in the template region generated the predicted mutant telomerase activity, and cells transfected with an antisense hTR lost telomeric DNA and began to die after 23 to 26 doublings.
Abstract: Eukaryotic chromosomes are capped with repetitive telomere sequences that protect the ends from damage and rearrangements. Telomere repeats are synthesized by telomerase, a ribonucleic acid (RNA)-protein complex. Here, the cloning of the RNA component of human telomerase, termed hTR, is described. The template region of hTR encompasses 11 nucleotides (5'-CUAACCCUAAC) complementary to the human telomere sequence (TTAGGG)n. Germline tissues and tumor cell lines expressed more hTR than normal somatic cells and tissues, which have no detectable telomerase activity. Human cell lines that expressed hTR mutated in the template region generated the predicted mutant telomerase activity. HeLa cells transfected with an antisense hTR lost telomeric DNA and began to die after 23 to 26 doublings. Thus, human telomerase is a critical enzyme for the long-term proliferation of immortal tumor cells.
TL;DR: In this paper, the homologous genes from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and human are identified and the proposed telomerase catalytic subunits represent a deep branch in the evolution of reverse transcriptases.
Abstract: Catalytic protein subunits of telomerase from the ciliate Euplotes aediculatus and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain reverse transcriptase motifs. Here the homologous genes from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and human are identified. Disruption of the S. pombe gene resulted in telomere shortening and senescence, and expression of mRNA from the human gene correlated with telomerase activity in cell lines. Sequence comparisons placed the telomerase proteins in the reverse transcriptase family but revealed hallmarks that distinguish them from retroviral and retrotransposon relatives. Thus, the proposed telomerase catalytic subunits are phylogenetically conserved and represent a deep branch in the evolution of reverse transcriptases.