Abstract
Telomeres are TTACCC repetitive motifs found at the ends of vertebrate chromosomes. In humans, telomeres are protected by shelterin, a complex of six proteins (de Lange [2005] Genes Dev. 19: 2100-2110). Since (Müller [1938] Collecting Net. 13: 181-198; McClintock [1941] Genetics 26: 234-282), their function in maintaining chromosome stability has been intensively studied. This interest, especially in cancer biology, stems from the fact that telomere dysfunction is linked to genomic instability and tumorigenesis (Gisselsson et al. [2001] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98: 12683-12688; Deng et al. [2003] Genes Chromosomes Cancer 37: 92-97; DePinho and Polyak [2004] Nat. Genetics 36: 932-934; Meeker et al. [2004] Clin. Cancer Res. 10: 3317-3326). In the present overview, we will discuss the role of telomeres in genome stability, recent findings on three-dimensional (3D) changes of telomeres in tumor interphase nuclei, and outline future avenues of research.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 904-915 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Cellular Biochemistry |
Volume | 97 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Apr 2006 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- 3D nucleus
- Breakage-bridge-fusion cycle
- Chromosomes
- Genomic instability
- Oncogenes
- Telomeres
- Telomeric aggregates