端粒酶在端粒延长中的机制研究及其作为药物靶标的进展

Mechanic Study on Telomere Elongation via Telomerase and Progress on Drug Discovery Dasing on Telomerase

端粒酶是由RNA模板和蛋白亚基组成的核酸-蛋白复合物,是染色体末端维持DNA长度和染色体稳定性必需的一种逆转录酶。它可以通过逆转录合成得到DNA以延长缩短了的端粒DNA。该机制发生于细胞周期的S期,在分裂活跃的细胞(如癌细胞)中普遍存在,但具体过程的作用机制仍有待探索。最新的研究在分子层面发现了端粒与端粒酶之间发生作用的关键蛋白及其机制。笔者在综述了端粒和端粒酶的结构、功能的基础上,进一步介绍了运用单分子成像技术研究端粒酶关键蛋白的研究结果,以及端粒和端粒酶在肿瘤诊疗和抗衰老等方面的研究进展和应用前景。

Telomerase is a complex compound of RNA templates and protein subunits. It＇s a type of reverse transcriptase for the maintenance of DNA length and chromosome stability at the chromosome ends. Telomerase can elongate shortened telomere DNA by reversing transcription.This mechanism occurs in the S phase of the cell cycle,which is prevalent in the actively dividing cells,such as cancer cells.However,the mechanisms of the specific process remain to be explored.Recent research at single molecular level discovered some key proteins in the interaction between telomere and telomerase.This article further introduced the research process of using single molecule imaging technology to study the key proteins of telomerase,as well as the progress and application prospects of telomere and telomerase in the treatment or diagnosis of cancer and ageing.