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Ets2 transcription factor, telomerase activity and breast cancer
Author(s) -
Dwyer Julie M,
Liu JunPing
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1440-1681
pISSN - 0305-1870
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1681.2009.05236.x
Subject(s) - telomerase , telomere , telomerase reverse transcriptase , transcription factor , biology , protein subunit , breast cancer , gene , telomerase rna component , cancer research , transcriptional regulation , genetics , cancer
Summary 1. The enzyme telomerase maintains telomeres (ends of chromosomes) by synthesizing telomeric DNA at each end of the chromosomes. Its association with telomeres has implicated telomerase in cell immortalization. 2. Numerous studies have shown significant levels of telomerase activity in 85% of various types of cancer. Transcriptional control of the catalytic subunit, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), dominates regulation of telomerase. Although several major factors have been identified in regulating TERT, they cannot explain all the transcriptional activity of the hTERT gene. 3. The Ets transcription factor (TF) family is becoming a regular feature in tumourigenesis, particularly in breast cancer. However, the roles and mechanisms of different Ets TFs are largely unknown. 4. The present minireview discusses the research that identified Ets as a regulator of telomerase required for breast cancer cell survival and proliferation, highlighting the discoveries central to understanding the molecular acts used by Ets TFs to mediate TERT gene transcription.