Telomerase Inhibitors: Potential Anticancer Agents

Telomerase activation is a hallmark of cancer. Telomerase is a specialized ribonucleoprotein complex that uses its RNA subunit to synthesize the repetitive G-rich DNA found at the 3 ends of chromosomes (Telomere(definition)). Most cancer cells upregulates telomerase to attain cellular immortalization and cell regulation, whereas, telomerase in normal human somatic cells have a limited proliferative capacity both In-vitro and In-vivo and undergo senescence(definition). Due to the differential expression pattern of telomerase between normal and tumor cells, telomerase has received significant attention as a universal cancer target. Additionally, since telomerase is expressed in stem cells during all stages of life, it has been linked to the process of aging and age-related diseases. Despite the great interest in telomerase, current understanding of telomerase and its regulation remains limited. Keywords: Aging, cancer, G-quadruplex, senescence, telomerase inhibitor, telomerase.