Targeting telomeres, the timekeepers of cells, could improve chemotherapy

In an unexpected finding, the Salk Institute and collaborators show how disabling telomere protection during cell division prompts cell death.

Telomeres, specialized ends of our chromosomes that dictate how long cells can continue to duplicate themselves, have long been studied for their links to the aging process and cancer. Now, a discovery at the Salk Institute shows that telomeres may be more central than previously thought to a self-destruct program in cells that prevents tumors, a function that could potentially be exploited to improve cancer therapies. Read more »

Sending out an SOS: How telomeres incriminate cells that can’t divide

Sending out an SOS: How telomeres incriminate cells that can’t divide

Salk scientists’ discovery explains how a class of chemotherapy drugs works

The well-being of living cells requires specialized squads of proteins that maintain order. Degraders chew up worn-out proteins, recyclers wrap up damaged organelles, and—most importantly—DNA repair crews restitch anything that resembles a broken chromosome. If repair is impossible, the crew foreman calls in executioners to annihilate a cell. As unsavory as this last bunch sounds, failure to summon them is one aspect what makes a cancer cell a cancer cell.
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