分子生物学国家重点实验室特邀报告 松阳洲教授
Telomere signaling networks in mammalian cells

 

Zhou Songyang

 

SYSU-BCM JointResearch Center for Biomedical Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China

 

Telomeres have been implicated in cancer and aging. In mammalian cells, the telomeres are bound by the core telomeric proteins TRF1, TRF2, RAP1, TIN2, TPP1, and POT1. Along with telomerase, these six telomeric proteins form large protein complexes and recruit different signaling molecules for telomere length control and the protection of telomeres from DNA damage.To bypass senescence and apoptosis triggered by telomere shortening, cancer cells upregulate telomerase expression and/orderegulate telomere-binding proteins for telomere maintenance. Therefore, understanding the factors that contribute to and regulate telomerase and telomeres would benefit tremendously our quest to develop effective diagnostics and treatment tools for cancers. We have recently identified several telomere-associating factors and will discuss how these factors regulate telomerase and telomeres.