癌症治疗的目的

端粒酶与癌症密切相关,抑制端粒酶的活性主抑制癌细胞的生长,反义核酸、核酶、细胞分化剂、逆录酶抑制剂和鸟嘌呤四联体等都可以在不同程度上抑制端粒酶活性,在癌症治疗中具有很大应用潜力。     

以hTR模板区为靶点的抗肿瘤药物设计策略

端粒酶几乎在所有的人类癌细胞中均异常表达,它的持久活性对肿瘤的增殖是必需的。因此,抑制端粒酶活性代表了一种新的癌症治疗机制。端粒酶全酶复合物有多处可以做为抑制剂的靶点,包括hTR、hTERT、引物锚定位点等。本文对以端粒酶RNA模板区为靶点的抗肿瘤药物设计策略进行了综述,包括对该区域进行点突变、使用反义寡核苷酸封闭模板区、改变端粒酶RNA空间构象等,并探讨了目前抑制端粒酶活性研究中存在的一些问题。     

端粒酶的研究进展

端粒酶(Telomerase)是一种反转录酶,由RNA和蛋白质组成.对端粒酶的研究已成为一大研究热点,尤其是端粒酶与癌症及衰老的关系倍受科学家们的关注.就端粒酶的研究进展作一综述.     

端粒与端粒酶研究进展

细胞分裂中染色体因其末端（端粒）的DNA不能完全复制而短缩,使细胞逐渐失去增殖能力而衰老．端粒酶可延长染色体末端DNA,端粒酶的活化使细胞无限增殖．85％左右的恶性肿瘤端粒酶表达阳性,生殖细胞和无限繁殖的细胞系中端粒酶表达也呈阳性．文章综述了端粒的构成和功能、端粒酶在端粒合成中的作用,介绍了端粒酶活性的测定方法、细胞恶变与端粒酶激活的关系,并论及通过抑制端粒酶活性来治疗癌症的可能性．     

端粒酶和端粒酶抑制剂研究进展

端粒酶是一种将端粒区的重复序列加到染色体末端的逆转录酶。端粒酶核蛋白复合物包含了两个基本组分:一个催化蛋白亚单位(hTERT)和一个模板RNA(hTR)。早期的研究讨论了端粒酶及其抑制剂与癌症的关系,由于绝大多数癌症多发于老年期,通常伴随着衰老,预计受癌症困扰的人数会在未来不断增加,而端粒酶激活在细胞的永生化及癌变过程中发挥重要作用,有可能成为癌症治疗的新靶点。端粒酶在绝大多数肿瘤细胞中都有表达,而大部分正常的体细胞中无端粒酶的活性。     

以端粒酶为靶标抗癌药物筛选模型建立及端粒酶抑制剂筛选

新药研究与开发离不开筛选模型 ,而筛选模型的关键是寻找、确定和制备药物筛选靶———药靶 .近来研究表明 ,端粒酶与恶性肿瘤的发生和发展有着密切的关系 ,端粒酶在恶性肿瘤细胞中表达率占80 %～ 90 % ,而在正常体细胞中不表达[1～ 4 ] .这表明端粒酶在维持肿瘤细胞的增殖中起着重要作用 .抑制端粒酶的活性有可能抑制肿瘤的生长 ,因而端粒酶被认为是恶性肿瘤诊断和治疗的新靶标 .以端粒酶为抗癌药物作用的靶标 ,建立抗癌药物筛选模型 ,在分子水平上筛选针对端粒酶的抑制剂 ,进而获得特异性高、针对性强、毒副作用小的新型广谱的抗癌药物 ,…     

端粒酶反义cDNA对乳腺癌细胞恶性表型的影响

 为了进一步探讨端粒酶在肿瘤发生中的作用 ,实验应用反义核酸技术研究端粒酶反义cDNA对乳腺癌细胞MCF 7恶性表型的影响 采用的方法包括 :基因重组、脂质体共转染法获得端粒酶反义重组病毒 ,病毒感染MCF 7后 ,检测细胞的生长曲线、细胞周期及集落形成能力 结果表明 ,与对照组细胞相比 ,反义病毒感染后的MCF 7细胞恶性表型明显降低 提示端粒酶RNA的反义cDNA的导入 ,可以显著抑制乳腺癌细胞恶性表型     

人端粒酶催化亚基基因启动子调控的肿瘤细胞特异表达载体

为获得端粒酶阳性肿瘤细胞特异表达载体用于癌症的基因治疗 ,克隆并构建了人端粒酶催化亚基 (hTERT)基因启动子调控的萤光素酶报告载体 .用脂质体转染法将其分别转染肿瘤细胞和正常细胞 ,检测其在肿瘤细胞和正常细胞中的转录活性 .hTERT启动子在所检测的 4种端粒酶阳性的肿瘤细胞中具有明显的转录活性 ,平均为阳性对照的 4 4 3% ;而在端粒酶阴性的正常人胚肺成纤维细胞中则无明显的转录活性 .提示hTRET启动子的转录活性在端粒酶阳性的肿瘤细胞中明显上调 ,由hTERT启动子构建的载体可能是一种新颖和有前景的肿瘤细胞特异性表达的基因治疗载体     

端粒酶是干扰素抗肿瘤的新靶点

端粒酶(telomerase)是一种具有逆转录活性的核糖核蛋白酶.端粒酶的异常活化是细胞永生化和肿瘤形成的关键步骤. 端粒酶活性与细胞周期及细胞凋亡调控密切相关;端粒酶由端粒酶逆转录酶、端粒酶RNA、端粒酶相关蛋白质组成,端粒酶逆转录酶是端粒酶活性的决定性组分.干扰素(interferon)是一种具有抗病毒、抗增殖、抗肿瘤和免疫调节等功能的细胞因子;近年研究表明,干扰素通过相关信号转导途径而调节端粒酶活性,诱导细胞凋亡,为肿瘤的生物治疗提供了新思路;但干扰素与端粒酶活性相关的抗肿瘤机制研究尚不充分. 本文综述干扰素通过调节端粒酶逆转录酶转录因子的表达和相互作用而抑制端粒酶活性、调节细胞周期并诱导细胞凋亡等抗肿瘤作用机制.     

端粒酶与癌症靶向治疗

端粒酶是癌组织中特异表达的关键酶,与肿瘤细胞无限增殖关系密切。端粒酶在癌细胞表面表达特异性抗原,是癌细胞的标记之一。靶向治疗作为癌症新兴的治疗方法,具有特异性强、副作用小等传统方法所不具有的优点。针对端粒酶这一特异靶点的靶向治疗可以利用免疫学基本原理,通过抗原的特异性识别有效杀伤癌细胞。已有许多端粒酶肽段应用于实验室及临床研究,具有广阔的应用前景;但应用免疫疗法也有其缺陷,端粒酶抗原免疫耐受的问题也是亟待解决的问题之一,在临床上的广泛应用还有一段路要走。     

端粒酶RNA组分的反义寡核苷酸对BEL—7404人肝癌细胞端粒酶活性的抑制和细胞凋亡的诱导

Telomerase activity was detected in all of four human hepatoma cells but absent in normal liver tissue. Telomerase activity of BEL-7404 human hepatoma cells was inhibited effectively by antisense oligonucleotide to telomerase RNA component at final concentration of 1 mumol/L, whereas sense and missense oligonucleotides have no effects on its activity. The inhibition of telomerase activity was weakened, as the concentration of antisense oligonucleotide decreased. Treating BEL-7404 human hepatoma cells 96 hours continuously by the antisense oligomers at final concentration of 5 mumol/L, the morphology of treated cells changed and apoptosis percent of the cells increased markedly.     

The Novel Retinoid, 9cUAB30, Inhibits Telomerase and Induces Apoptosis in HL60 Cells

Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein important to neoplastic immortality, is up-regulated in approximately 85% of cancers, including leukemias. In this study, 9cUAB30, a novel retinoic acid, resulted in differentiation of HL60 leukemia cells as indicated by morphologic changes characteristic of granulocytes. It also caused a down-regulation of hTERT gene expression and a decrease in telomerase activity. Telomerase inhibition was followed by loss of proliferative capacity, induction of apoptosis, and partial differentiation. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of 9cUAB30 at inhibiting telomerase activity by down-regulating hTERT gene expression in human leukemic cells.     

Telomerase activity in germline and embryonic cells of Xenopus.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein which synthesizes telomere repeats onto chromosome ends. Telomerase activity is involved in telomere length maintenance. We used Xenopus laevis as a model system to study the expression of telomerase activity in germline cells and during early development. We identified a non-processive telomerase activity in manually dissected nuclei of Xenopus stage VI oocytes. Telomerase activity was detected throughout oogenesis and embryogenesis. Telomerase was active in both S and M phase cell cycle extracts, suggesting that telomerase activity is not regulated with chromosomal DNA replication.     

Telomerase inhibitors as novel antitumor drugs

Telomerase activity is detected in most types of human tumors, but it is almost undetectable in normal somatic cells; therefore, telomerase is a promising therapeutic target. The present review describes various approaches to telomerase inhibition, namely, antisense therapy, RNA interference, and the use of ribozymes and agents interacting with the telomeric G-quadruplex. The use of these compounds in clinical research is analyzed in the review.     

Effects of triethylene tetraamine on telomerase activity and proliferation in HeLa cells

Telomerase, which is required to maintain telomeres, has attracted considerable attention as a target for anticancer therapy. In this study, we investigated the inhibition of HeLa cell telomerase activity and cell cycle progression by triethylene tetraamine (TETA), using a modified telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay, and flow cytometry. TETA inhibited telomerase activity in HeLa cell extracts, with an IC50 of about 7.8 microM. Coupled with this inhibition, TETA also increased the proportion of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle in a dose-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that TETA is a potent inhibitor of telomerase in micromolar concentrations, and inhibits the proliferation of HeLa cells by arresting them in G1.     

端粒生物学与肿瘤治疗

端粒的生物学功能主要是保护染色体末端,避免核酸酶对染色体末端的降解,防止染色体之间发生融合和重排。大多数人类肿瘤细胞通常通过端粒酶活性的重新激活来延长端粒,从而稳定染色体端粒DNA的长度。端粒酶是由端粒酶逆转录酶和端粒酶RNA模板组成的具有特殊逆转录活性的核糖核蛋白复合物。抑制端粒酶阳性细胞中的端粒酶活性会导致细胞凋亡或衰老。目前有多种以端粒和端粒酶为靶点来进行肿瘤治疗的策略。