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Yan S, Lin S, Qiu H, Wang X, He Y, Wang C, Huang Y. Regulation of telomerase towards tumor therapy. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:228. [PMID: 38111043 PMCID: PMC10726632 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01181-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is an aging-related disease, while aging plays an important role in the development process of tumor, thus the two are inextricably associated. Telomere attrition is one of the recognized hallmark events of senescence. Hence, targeting telomerase which could extends telomere sequences to treat tumors is widely favored. Cancer cells rely on high activity of telomerase to maintain a strong proliferative potential. By inhibiting the expression or protein function of telomerase, the growth of cancer cells can be significantly suppressed. In addition, the human immune system itself has a defense system against malignant tumors. However, excessive cell division results in dramatic shortening on telomeres and decline in the function of immune organs that facilitates cancer cell evasion. It has been shown that increasing telomerase activity or telomere length of these immune cells can attenuate senescence, improve cellular viability, and enhance the immunosuppressive microenvironment of tumor. In this paper, we review the telomerase-targeting progress using different anti-tumor strategies from the perspectives of cancer cells and immune cells, respectively, as well as tracking the preclinical and clinical studies of some representative drugs for the prevention or treatment of tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Yan
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- Lumiere Therapeutics Co., Ltd., Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Song Lin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Hongxin Qiu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Xining Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Yijun He
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Chuanle Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- Department of Oncology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Yan Huang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
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Al-Karmalawy AA, Nafie MS, Shaldam MA, Elmaaty AA, Antar SA, El-Hamaky AA, Saleh MA, Elkamhawy A, Tawfik HO. Ligand-Based Design on the Dog-Bone-Shaped BIBR1532 Pharmacophoric Features and Synthesis of Novel Analogues as Promising Telomerase Inhibitors with In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluations. J Med Chem 2023; 66:777-792. [PMID: 36525642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is an outstanding biological target for cancer treatment. BIBR1532 is a non-nucleoside selective telomerase inhibitor; however, it experiences ineligible pharmacokinetics. Herein, we aimed to design new BIBR1532-based analogues as promising telomerase inhibitors. Therefore, two novel series of pyridazine-linked to cyclopenta[b]thiophene (8a-f) and tetrahydro-1-benzothiophene (9a-f) were synthesized. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to investigate the telomerase inhibitory activity of candidates. Notably, 8e and 9e exhibited the best inhibition profiles. Moreover, 8e showed strong antitumor effects against both MCF-7 and A549 cancer cell lines. The effects of 8e on the cell cycle and apoptosis were measured. Besides, 8e was evaluated for its in vivo antitumor activity using solid Ehrlich carcinoma. The reduction in both the tumor weight and volume was greater than doxorubicin. Also, molecular docking and ADME studies were performed. Finally, a SAR study was conducted to gain further insights into the different telomerase inhibition potentials upon variable structural modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A Al-Karmalawy
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahram Canadian University, 6th of October City, Giza 12566, Egypt
| | - Mohamed S Nafie
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
| | - Moataz A Shaldam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
| | - Ayman Abo Elmaaty
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Port Said University, Port Said 42526, Egypt
| | - Samar A Antar
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University, New Damietta 34518, Egypt.,Center for Vascular and Heart Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, Virginia 24016, United States
| | - Anwar A El-Hamaky
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Saleh
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, The United Arab Emirates.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Elkamhawy
- BK21 FOUR Team and Integrated Research Institute for Drug Development, College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Haytham O Tawfik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
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3
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Tawfik HO, El-Hamaky AA, El-Bastawissy EA, Shcherbakov KA, Veselovsky AV, Gladilina YA, Zhdanov DD, El-Hamamsy MH. New Genetic Bomb Trigger: Design, Synthesis, Molecular Dynamics Simulation, and Biological Evaluation of Novel BIBR1532-Related Analogs Targeting Telomerase against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15040481. [PMID: 35455478 PMCID: PMC9025901 DOI: 10.3390/ph15040481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres serve a critical function in cell replication and proliferation at every stage of the cell cycle. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein, responsible for maintaining the telomere length and chromosomal integrity of frequently dividing cells. Although it is silenced in most human somatic cells, telomere restoration occurs in cancer cells because of telomerase activation or alternative telomere lengthening. The telomerase enzyme is a universal anticancer target that is expressed in 85–95% of cancers. BIBR1532 is a selective non-nucleoside potent telomerase inhibitor that acts by direct noncompetitive inhibition. Relying on its structural features, three different series were designed, and 30 novel compounds were synthesized and biologically evaluated as telomerase inhibitors using a telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay. Target compounds 29a, 36b, and 39b reported the greatest inhibitory effect on telomerase enzyme with IC50 values of 1.7, 0.3, and 2.0 μM, respectively, while BIBR1532 displayed IC50 = 0.2 μM. Compounds 29a, 36b, and 39b were subsequently tested using a living-cell TRAP assay and were able to penetrate the cell membrane and inhibit telomerase inside living cancer cells. Compound 36b was tested for cytotoxicity against 60 cancer cell lines using the NCI (USA) procedure, and the % growth was minimally impacted, indicating telomerase enzyme selectivity. To investigate the interaction of compound 36b with the telomerase allosteric binding site, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haytham O. Tawfik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt; (A.A.E.-H.); (E.A.E.-B.); (M.H.E.-H.)
- Correspondence: (H.O.T.); (D.D.Z.)
| | - Anwar A. El-Hamaky
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt; (A.A.E.-H.); (E.A.E.-B.); (M.H.E.-H.)
| | - Eman A. El-Bastawissy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt; (A.A.E.-H.); (E.A.E.-B.); (M.H.E.-H.)
| | - Kirill A. Shcherbakov
- Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya St. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (K.A.S.); (A.V.V.); (Y.A.G.)
| | - Alexander V. Veselovsky
- Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya St. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (K.A.S.); (A.V.V.); (Y.A.G.)
| | - Yulia A. Gladilina
- Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya St. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (K.A.S.); (A.V.V.); (Y.A.G.)
| | - Dmitry D. Zhdanov
- Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya St. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (K.A.S.); (A.V.V.); (Y.A.G.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Miklukho-Maklaya St. 6, 117198 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (H.O.T.); (D.D.Z.)
| | - Mervat H. El-Hamamsy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt; (A.A.E.-H.); (E.A.E.-B.); (M.H.E.-H.)
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Fragkiadaki P, Renieri E, Kalliantasi K, Kouvidi E, Apalaki E, Vakonaki E, Mamoulakis C, Spandidos DA, Tsatsakis A. Τelomerase inhibitors and activators in aging and cancer: A systematic review. Mol Med Rep 2022; 25:158. [PMID: 35266017 PMCID: PMC8941523 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2022.12674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The main aim of the present systematic review was to summarize the most frequently used telomerase regulators with an impact on aging and cancer that are referred to in in vitro and in vivo studies. For this purpose, a systematic review of the available literature on telomerase regulators referred to in articles from PubMed and Scopus libraries published from 2002 to 2021 and in accordance with PRISMA 2020 criteria, was conducted. Articles were included if they met the following criteria: They referred to telomerase modulators in aging and in cancer and were in vitro and/or in vivo studies, while studies that did not provide sufficient data or studies not written in English were excluded. In the present systematic review, 54 publications were included, of which 29 were full-text published studies, 11 were full-text reviews, 10 structure-based design studies and 4 abstracts are reported in this review. Telomerase regulators were then categorized as synthetic direct telomerase inhibitors, synthetic indirect telomerase inhibitors, synthetic telomerase activators, natural direct telomerase activators, natural telomerase inhibitors and natural indirect telomerase activators, according to their origin and their activity. On the whole, as demonstrated herein, telomerase regulators appear to be promising treatment agents in various age-related diseases. However, further in vivo and in vitro studies need to be performed in order to clarify the potentiality of telomerase as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Persefoni Fragkiadaki
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece.,Spin‑Off Toxplus S.A., Heraklion 71601, Greece
| | - Elisavet Renieri
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Katerina Kalliantasi
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Elisavet Kouvidi
- Genesis Genoma Lab, Genetic Diagnosis, Clinical Genetics and Research, Athens 15232, Greece
| | - Evita Apalaki
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology (IGP), Uppsala University, 75105 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elena Vakonaki
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece.,Spin‑Off Toxplus S.A., Heraklion 71601, Greece
| | - Charalampos Mamoulakis
- Department of Urology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Demetrios A Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Aristidis Tsatsakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece.,Spin‑Off Toxplus S.A., Heraklion 71601, Greece
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5
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Al-Share B, Hammad N, Diab M. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: molecular drivers and the role of targeted therapy. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2021; 40:355-371. [PMID: 33398620 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-020-09948-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Prognosis from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) continues to be poor despite the many efforts channeled to improve its management. Although the mainstay treatment is still traditional chemotherapy, recent advances highlighted a promising potential for targeted therapy in the management of this disease. Those advances emphasize the significance of timely genomic profiling of tumor tissue as well as germline testing of patients to identify potential markers of targeted therapy. While targeted therapy is reserved for a relatively small subset of patients with PDAC, ongoing research is uncovering additional markers, and targeted agents, that will hopefully translate to better outcomes for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bayan Al-Share
- Department of Oncology, Wayne State University, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Nour Hammad
- Department of Oncology, Ascension Providence Hospital and Medical Center/Michigan State University/Collage of Human Medicine, Southfield, MI, USA
| | - Maria Diab
- Department of Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Trybek T, Kowalik A, Góźdź S, Kowalska A. Telomeres and telomerase in oncogenesis. Oncol Lett 2020; 20:1015-1027. [PMID: 32724340 PMCID: PMC7377093 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are located at the ends of chromosomes and protect them from degradation. Suppressing the activity of telomerase, a telomere-synthesizing enzyme, and maintaining short telomeres is a protective mechanism against cancer in humans. In most human somatic cells, the expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is repressed and telomerase activity is inhibited. This leads to the progressive shortening of telomeres and inhibition of cell growth in a process called replicative senescence. Most types of primary cancer exhibit telomerase activation, which allows uncontrolled cell proliferation. Previous research indicates that TERT activation also affects cancer development through activities other than the canonical function of mediating telomere elongation. Recent studies have improved the understanding of the structure and function of telomeres and telomerase as well as key mechanisms underlying the activation of TERT and its role in oncogenesis. These advances led to a search for drugs that inhibit telomerase as a target for cancer therapy. The present review article summarizes the organization and function of telomeres, their role in carcinogenesis, and advances in telomerase-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Trybek
- Endocrinology Clinic, Holycross Cancer Center, 25-734 Kielce, Poland
| | - Artur Kowalik
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Holycross Cancer Center, 25-734 Kielce, Poland
| | - Stanisław Góźdź
- The Faculty of Health Sciences, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-319 Kielce, Poland.,Oncology Clinic, Holycross Cancer Center, 25-734 Kielce, Poland
| | - Aldona Kowalska
- Endocrinology Clinic, Holycross Cancer Center, 25-734 Kielce, Poland.,The Faculty of Health Sciences, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-319 Kielce, Poland
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Chen X, Tang WJ, Shi JB, Liu MM, Liu XH. Therapeutic strategies for targeting telomerase in cancer. Med Res Rev 2019; 40:532-585. [PMID: 31361345 DOI: 10.1002/med.21626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Telomere and telomerase play important roles in abnormal cell proliferation, metastasis, stem cell maintenance, and immortalization in various cancers. Therefore, designing of drugs targeting telomerase and telomere is of great significance. Over the past two decades, considerable knowledge regarding telomere and telomerase has been accumulated, which provides theoretical support for the design of therapeutic strategies such as telomere elongation. Therefore, the development of telomere-based therapies such as nucleoside analogs, non-nucleoside small molecules, antisense technology, ribozymes, and dominant negative human telomerase reverse transcriptase are being prioritized for eradicating a majority of tumors. While the benefits of telomere-based therapies are obvious, there is a need to address the limitations of various therapeutic strategies to improve the possibility of clinical applications. In this study, current knowledge of telomere and telomerase is discussed, and therapeutic strategies based on recent research are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Jian Tang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Bo Shi
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Ming Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin-Hua Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China
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8
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Ngo G, Hyatt S, Grimstead J, Jones R, Hendrickson E, Pepper C, Baird D. PARP inhibition prevents escape from a telomere-driven crisis and inhibits cell immortalisation. Oncotarget 2018; 9:37549-37563. [PMID: 30680069 PMCID: PMC6331021 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeric crisis is the final replicative barrier to cell immortalisation; it is characterised by genome instability and cell death and is triggered when telomeres become critically short and are subjected to fusion. Pre-cancerous lesions, or early stage cancers, often show signs of a telomere crisis, suggesting that escape from telomere crisis is a prerequisite for disease progression. Telomeric crisis therefore represents an attractive, and as yet unexplored, opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Here, we show that two clinically approved PARP inhibitors, selectively eliminate human cells undergoing a telomere-driven crisis. Clonal populations of a colorectal cancer cell line (HCT116), or the plasma cell leukaemia cell line (JJN-3), expressing a dominant-negative telomerase, entered a telomere-driven crisis at defined population doubling points and telomere lengths. The addition of the PARP inhibitors, olaparib or rucaparib prevented these cells from escaping crisis. PARP inhibition did not alter cellular proliferation prior to crisis, rates of telomere erosion or the telomere length at which crisis was initiated, but affected repair of eroded telomeres, resulting in an increased in intra-chromosomal telomere fusion. This was accompanied by enhanced DNA damage checkpoint activation and elevated levels of apoptosis. We propose that PARP inhibitors impair the repair of dysfunctional telomeres and/or induce replicative stress at telomeres to inhibit escape from a telomere crisis. This is the first demonstration that a drug can selectively kill cells experiencing telomeric crisis. We propose that this type of drug, which we term 'crisolytic', has the potential to eliminate pre-cancerous lesions and tumours exhibiting short dysfunctional telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Ngo
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sam Hyatt
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Julia Grimstead
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Rhiannon Jones
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Eric Hendrickson
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Chris Pepper
- University of Sussex, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK
| | - Duncan Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
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Romaniuk A, Paszel-Jaworska A, Totoń E, Lisiak N, Hołysz H, Królak A, Grodecka-Gazdecka S, Rubiś B. The non-canonical functions of telomerase: to turn off or not to turn off. Mol Biol Rep 2018; 46:1401-1411. [PMID: 30448892 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-018-4496-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is perceived as an immortality enzyme that enables passing the Hayflick limit. Its main function is telomere restoration but only in a limited group of cells, including cancer cells. Since it is found in a vast majority of cancer cells, it became a natural target for cancer therapy. However, it has much more functions than just altering the metabolism of telomeres-it also reveals numerous so-called non-canonical functions. Thus, a question arises whether it is always beneficial to turn it off when planning a cancer strategy and considering potential side effects? The purpose of this review is to discuss some of the recent discoveries about telomere-independent functions of telomerase in the context of cancer therapy and potential side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Romaniuk
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznań, Poland
| | - Anna Paszel-Jaworska
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznań, Poland
| | - Ewa Totoń
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznań, Poland
| | - Natalia Lisiak
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznań, Poland
| | - Hanna Hołysz
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznań, Poland
| | - Anna Królak
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznań, Poland
| | | | - Błażej Rubiś
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznań, Poland.
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10
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Schrank Z, Khan N, Osude C, Singh S, Miller RJ, Merrick C, Mabel A, Kuckovic A, Puri N. Oligonucleotides Targeting Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23092267. [PMID: 30189661 PMCID: PMC6225148 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23092267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres and telomerase have become attractive targets for the development of anticancer therapeutics due to their involvement in cancer cell immortality. Currently, several therapeutics have been developed that directly target telomerase and telomeres, such as telomerase inhibitors and G-quadruplex stabilizing ligands. Telomere-specific oligonucleotides that reduce telomerase activity and disrupt telomere architecture are also in development as novel anticancer therapeutics. Specifically, GRN163L and T-oligos have demonstrated promising anticancer activity in multiple cancers types via induction of potent DNA damage responses. Currently, several miRNAs have been implicated in the regulation of telomerase activity and may prove to be valuable targets in the development of novel therapies by reducing expression of telomerase subunits. Targeting miRNAs that are known to increase expression of telomerase subunits may be another strategy to reduce carcinogenesis. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of current oligonucleotide-based anticancer therapies that target telomeres and telomerase. These studies may help design novel therapeutic approaches to overcome the challenges of oligonucleotide therapy in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Schrank
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Nabiha Khan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Chike Osude
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Sanjana Singh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Rachel J Miller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Collin Merrick
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Alexander Mabel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Adijan Kuckovic
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Neelu Puri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
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