THE ROLE OF TELOMERIC ACTIVITY AND TELOMERASES IN AGING WITH NEOPLASIC CHANGES

Abstract

The effect of telomeres on aging and cancer is very important. Telomere is a necessary structure forthe continuous preliferation of human cells and is vital for most cancer cells. Telomeric structureslocated at the ends of the chromosomes consist of TTAGGG repeat units. Telomere terminaltransferase is the enzyme responsible for telomere synthesis. It is also a large enzyme complex.Reverse transcriptase provides activation by strengthening the wearing parts after high telomere loss.In addition, it has been suggested that there are cancer cells that do not have telomerase activity butare able to extend the length of telomeres. In the timeframe of cellular division, telomerase enzymecan repair these errors if telomere sequences are lost. In cases where it is not repaired, the protectionof these areas is eliminated. Thus, shortening occurs at the ends of the chromosomes. It has beenresearched by scientists that this shortening causes cellular aging. Reverse transcriptase enzyme hasbeen reported to cause tumorigenic transformation of human epithelial cells and fibroblasts bycooperating with a number of oncogenes and suppressing several tumor suppressor genes. Studies ontelomere shortening prove that this enzyme can have a strong effect in the treatment of cancer and isan important development for many patients who are expecting hope. Studies conducted in recentyears are among the ideas that the structures and telomerase activity of telomere regions play an activerole in cell aging and cancer formation. In the light of all these data, there is not a complete solution ofaging, but studies are still ongoing today and major steps have been taken regarding cancer treatment.In this review, the definition of telomeres, their purpose, measurement methods and current studies aregiven.