New roles of Rb1 in expansion of MDSCs in cancer

Telomerase supports the proliferation of progenitor cells and tumor cells by adding telomere repeats to chromosome ends. The low abundance and restricted expression pattern of telomerase have limited our knowledge of this important enzyme. A new telomerase protein, TCAB1, sheds light on the pathway that governs telomerase holoenzyme assembly and function in vivo. TCAB1 is a component of active telomerase and is required for the telomerase holoenzyme to accumulate in Cajal bodies and to elongate telomeres. These findings provide important new insights into how telomerase functions in cancer and in stem cell biology.     

Histochemical Localization of Superoxide Dismutase Activity in Rat Brain

Histochemical localization of superoxide anion (O₂^·−) scavenging activity in rat brain was visualized by the tissue-blotting technique. The activity was thought to mainly depend on Cu/Zn-SOD, because the localization of the activity was identical with the immunohistochemistry of Cu/Zn-SOD and the localization of its mRNA in the brain. Moreover, the activity was dramatically decreased after treatment of Cu (I) chelater. The activity was detected in pyramidal cells of the cortex, granular, and mitral cells of the olfactory bulbs, pyramidal cell layer CA1 to CA3, and dentate gyrus of hippocampus formation and granular cells of the cerebellum. Moreover, the activity was detected in the pontine nuclei of brain stem. Olfactory bulbs, hippocampus, and cerebellum were believed to be bestowed high brain functions, i.e., long-term potentiation and long-term depression. A part of the function was regulated by a retrograde neurotransmitter, nitric oxide (^·NO). Our findings suggest that the SOD is colocalized with NO synthase in olfactory bulbs, hippocampus, and cerebellum, where ^·NO plays the important roles. In contrast, low SOD activity was observed in the axonal neurofiber bundles, although the regions contain a lot of membrane lipids, which was thought to be peroxidized by O₂^·− and related radicals such as ^·OH in the regions. From these findings, it was suggested that the SOD did not only play a role in protecting the neurons from endogenously formed O₂^·−, but also play a role in preservation of beneficial natures of ^·NO in the brain.     

Dyrk2-associated EDD-DDB1-VprBP E3 Ligase Inhibits Telomerase by TERT Degradation

Telomerase maintains the telomere, a specialized chromosomal end structure that is essential for genomic stability and cell immortalization. Telomerase is not active in most somatic cells, but its reactivation is one of the hallmarks of cancer. In this study, we found that dual-specificity tyrosine-(Y)-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 2 (Dyrk2) negatively regulates telomerase activity. Dyrk2 phosphorylates TERT protein, a catalytic subunit of telomerase. Phosphorylated TERT is then associated with the EDD-DDB1-VprBP E3 ligase complex for subsequent ubiquitin-mediated TERT protein degradation. During the cell cycle, Dyrk2 interacts with TERT at the G2/M phase and induces degradation. In contrast, depletion of endogenous Dyrk2 disrupts the cell cycle-dependent regulation of TERT and elicits the constitutive activation of telomerase. Similarly, a Dyrk2 nonsense mutation identified in breast cancer compromises ubiquitination-mediated TERT protein degradation. Our findings suggest the novel molecular mechanism of kinase-associated telomerase regulation.     

Telomerase regulation and stem cell behaviour

Telomerase expression is restricted to a few cell types of the adult organism, most notably germ cells and stem/progenitor cells. Telomerase activity in germ cells is sufficient to prevent telomere shortening with age. Stem cells, however, do not have sufficient telomerase to prevent telomere shortening associated with continuous tissue renewal with increasing age. Indeed, telomerase levels in the adult organism are thought to be rate-limiting for longevity. This is supported by rare human syndromes caused by mutations in telomerase components, which are characterized by premature loss of tissue renewal and premature death. More recently, the role of telomerase and telomere length in stem cells is starting to be elucidated.     

应用mTR-/-鼠模型系统研究肿瘤发生机制的进展

端粒酶是真核细胞体内的一种核糖核酸蛋白质复合体,是一种特殊的DNA聚合酶,具有延伸DNA末端的功能,能够维持端粒长度和功能,TERT具有反转录酶活性。在大多数体细胞和原代细胞中,端粒酶活性很低,通常检测不到,但在肿瘤细胞中,端粒酶则被广泛激活,因此认为端粒酶与肿瘤的发生具有密切的关系,本介绍了应用端粒酶阴性鼠研究端粒酶与G链悬垂和P53在肿瘤的发生过程中的相互关系。