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Role of arsenic, lead and cadmium on telomere length and the risk of carcinogenesis: a mechanistic insight

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Abstract

Integrity of telomeres, the protective structures that cap the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes are crucial for the maintenance of chromosomal integrity and cell survival. Loss in telomere length homeostasis is a hallmark of various disease manifestations including cancer. Environmental or occupational exposure to heavy metal contaminants is known to disrupt this homeostasis. This study aims to substantiate the effects of heavy metal toxicity, particularly three heavy metal toxicants: arsenic, lead and cadmium on telomere length and to comprehend the mechanistic insights in depth. The mechanisms involved in telomere length alterations in response to heavy metal toxicity are still not clearly understood. Recent studies indicate epigenetic de-regulations in response to heavy metal toxicity and interestingly, telomere length is also regulated by epigenetic modifications. Environmental exposure induced epigenetic alterations might be one of the mechanism involved in telomere dysfunction. Telomeres are a prognostic marker in carcinogenesis, and hence further in-depth studies are indeed important in this field for future therapeutic purposes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to University of Calcutta (Project Code BI: 166/21, support to PB, senior author), and University Grants Commission (for providing Senior Research Fellowship to PB).

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  1. Department of Environmental Science, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019, West Bengal, India

    Ankita Das, Pritha Bhattacharjee & Pritha Bhattacharjee Sr.

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700019, India

    Pritha Bhattacharjee

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This article is based on the presentation made during 18th All India Congress of Cytology and Genetics and International Symposium on “Translating Genes and Genomes” held at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata in collaboration with Archana Sharma Foundation of Calcutta during January 29–31, 2018.

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Das, A., Bhattacharjee, P. & Bhattacharjee, P. Role of arsenic, lead and cadmium on telomere length and the risk of carcinogenesis: a mechanistic insight. Nucleus 62, 99–107 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13237-019-00280-5

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