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. 2010 Feb 7;1(1):22–32. doi: 10.1007/s13238-010-0014-1

Chromatin and epigenetic regulation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene

Jiyue Zhu 1,✉, Yuanjun Zhao 1, Shuwen Wang 1
PMCID: PMC3683535  NIHMSID: NIHMS470666  PMID: 21203995

Abstract

Telomerase expression and telomere maintenance are critical for long-term cell proliferation and survival, and they play important roles in development, aging, and cancer. Cumulating evidence has indicated that regulation of the rate-limiting subunit of human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT) is a complex process in normal cells and many cancer cells. In addition to a number of transcriptional activators and repressors, the chromatin environment and epigenetic status of the endogenous hTERT locus are also pivotal for its regulation in normal human somatic cells and in tumorigenesis.

Keywords: telomerase, transcriptional regulation, chromatin, epigenetic regulation, cancer

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