Maintaining the telomere and its implication in cancer

Abstract

Genomic instability has been proposed as one of the emerging hallmarks of cancer. However, molecular mechanisms which cause genomic or chromosomal instability still elude us in various cancers. One of the causes for this genomic instability is dysfunction of the telomere. Telomere dysfunction is associated with an increased risk for different cancers, which results, in principle, due to telomere shortening and loss of telomeric proteins which caps and guard telomeres to distinguish it from double-stranded breaks. In this review, we highlight existing understanding of telomeres, telomerase and their role in cancer progression.