Telomerase inhibitor

Abstract

Telomerase is a ribonucleprotein enzyme that extends telomeric repeats at the end of chromosome DNA. Telomere maintenance by telomerase leads to cellular immortality and carcinogenesis. Telomerase is activated in most malignant tumors while it is usually repressed in normal somati tissues, and telomerase activation is thought to be a critical step for cancer progression. These findings suggest that telomerase is a good target for cancer gene therapy. A variety of molecular technique have been used to inhibit telomerase activity in cancer cells. In this review, I introduce the representative methods which efficently inhibit telomerase activity and may have a potential for clinical application.