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The roles of telomeres and telomerase in β‐cell regeneration
Author(s) -
Liew C. W.,
Holman A.,
Kulkarni R. N.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
diabetes, obesity and metabolism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.445
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1463-1326
pISSN - 1462-8902
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2009.01103.x
Subject(s) - telomere , telomerase , regeneration (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , evolutionary biology , genetics , dna , gene
Telomerase is a specialized reverse transcriptase that is responsible for extending and preserving the end of the chromosomes (telomeres). Telomerase plays a key role in regulating the lifespan of mammalian cells and is involved in critical aspects of cellular ageing processes. In this review, we will briefly summarize our current understanding of the functions of telomeres, telomerase and their regulation. Considering that compensatory islet hyperplasia and β‐cell regeneration play important roles in the prevention and/or delay of the onset of overt diabetes, we will also examine current literature regarding the effects of diabetes on telomere shortening and provide insights from our own studies on the role of telomerase in β‐cell regeneration.