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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Immunol. 2019 Sep 19;345:103989. doi: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2019.103989

Figure 2. hTERT/Telomerase expression during T cell activation.

Figure 2.

T cell activation through the engagement of T cell receptor and co-stimulatory receptor or exposure to homeostatic cytokines (IL-7 or IL-15) or other mitogens induces upregulation of hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity. hTERT mRNA, both full-length (FL) and alternatively spliced products (ASPs), are more abundant in resting CD4+ compared to resting CD8+ T cells. In the resting state, T cells have detectable hTERT mRNA and protein (in the cytosol) without detectable telomerase activity. After activation, T cells increase expression of hTERT mRNA and protein which is translocated into nucleus and have detectable telomerase activity.