Telomeres act as protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, essential for maintaining DNA stability and regulating cell lifespan. When these mechanisms malfunction, it can lead to cancer by enabling uncontrolled cell growth. The study, a collaboration between ABI and IMB with researchers Meline Hakobyan, Arsen Arakelyan, and Hans Binder, utilized RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas across 33 types of cancer to explore how cells manage their telomeres. Researchers focused on two main maintenance pathways: telomerase (TEL) and alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT).
Tumors were categorized into five groups based on their activity in these pathways: ALT high TEL high, ALT high TEL low, ALT low TEL high, ALT middle TEL middle, and ALT low TEL low. These classifications reveal the diverse strategies cancers employ to maintain their telomeres, underscoring the variability in this regulatory process.
Additionally, gene analysis demonstrated that these strategies are intricately linked to fundamental cellular processes such as cell cycle regulation (in both TEL and ALT pathways), DNA replication (TEL), and chromosome dynamics (ALT). This underscores how telomere maintenance is closely intertwined with mechanisms governing cell growth and stability.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107392