端粒酶与前列腺癌

端粒是真核细胞染色体末端的特殊结构.端粒的不断缩短或丢失可阻止细胞的增殖.端粒酶是一种RNA依赖的DNA多聚酶,可以合成端粒DNA的重复片段与细胞永生化密切相关.研究发现,大多数肿瘤组织细胞中可检测到端粒酶活性,其被认为在肿瘤发生中起重要作用.本文主要综述端粒酶的主要特性及其在前列腺癌中的潜在作用.

Telomerase and prostate cancer

Telomeres are a special structure of chromosomal ends of somatic cells. Shortening and gradual loss of telomeres hold back cellular proliferation. Telomerase is RNA dependent DNA polymerase, acts to synthesize DNA repeat fragment of telomeres , which is associated with immortalization of cells. It was found that telomerase activity could be detected in most tumor tissue, which suggested that activation of telomerase may play an important role in tumorigenesis. Thus, in this article, we review the major character of telomerase and its potential role in prostate cancer.