The past decade has witnessed an explosion of knowledge concerning the structure and function of chromosome terminal structures-telomeres. Today's telomere research has advanced from a pure descriptive approach of DNA and protein components to an elementary understanding of telomere metabolism, and now to promising applications in medicine. These applications include 'passive' ones, among which the use of analysis of telomeres and telomerase (a cellular reverse transcriptase that synthesizes telomeres) for cancer diagnostics is the best known. The 'active' applications involve targeted downregulation or upregulation of telomere synthesis, either to mortalize immortal cancer cells, or to rejuvenate mortal somatic cells and tissues for cellular transplantations, respectively. This article reviews the basic data on structure and function of human telomeres and telomerase, as well as both passive and active applications of human telomere biology.

• MeSH
• antitumorózní látky farmakologie   MeSH
• buněčná diferenciace MeSH
• buněčné dělení MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nádory enzymologie   genetika   patologie   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese enzymů MeSH
• stárnutí genetika   MeSH
• telomerasa analýza   antagonisté a inhibitory   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• telomery chemie   enzymologie   fyziologie   MeSH
• tkáňové inženýrství MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antitumorózní látky MeSH
• telomerasa MeSH