Summary
Genetic experiments using a dominant-negative form of human telomerase (DN-hTERT) demonstrated that telomerase inhibition can result in telomeric shortening followed by proliferation arrest and cell death by apoptosis. Neoplastic cells from telomerase RNA null (mTERC−/−) mice showed enhanced chemosensitivity to doxorubicin or related double-strand DNA break (DSB)-inducing agents. Telomerase dysfunction, rather than telomerase inhibition, is proposed to be the principal determinant governing chemosensitivity specifically to DSB-inducing agents. We observed that imatinib and vincristine (VCR), in addition to DSB-inducing agents, also enhanced chemosensitivity in telomestatin-treated K562 cells. This observation suggests that combined use of telomerase inhibitors and imatinib or other chemotherapeutic agents may be a very useful approach to treatment of BCR-ABL-positive leukemia.
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Tauchi, T., Ohyashiki, J.H., Ohyashiki, K. (2007). Telomerase Inhibition Combined with Other Chemotherapeutic Reagents to Enhance Anti-Cancer Effect. In: Andrews, L.G., Tollefsbol, T.O. (eds) Telomerase Inhibition. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 405. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-070-0_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-070-0_14
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