Tag Archives: alt

How the ends of chromosomes are maintained for cancer cell immortality — ScienceDaily

Telomeres stay intact in most cancer cell types by means of a specialized enzyme called telomerase that adds the repetitive telomere DNA sequences to the ends of chromosomes. Cancer cells can also use a second method involving a DNA-repair-based mechanism, called alternative lengthening of telomeres, or ALT for short. In general, cancer cells take over either type of telomere maintenance machinery to become immortal…

How the ends of chromosomes are maintained for cancer cell immortality

Telomeres stay intact in most cancer cell types by means of a specialized enzyme called telomerase that adds the repetitive telomere DNA sequences to the ends of chromosomes. Cancer cells can also use a second method involving a DNA-repair-based mechanism, called alternative lengthening of telomeres, or ALT for short. In general, cancer cells take over either type of telomere maintenance machinery to become immortal. …

Scientists identify factors that trigger ALT-ernative cancer cell growth

One strategy, which occurs in about 90 percent of cancers, requires increase production of a telomere-elongating enzyme called telomerase. A less understood strategy, employed by the remaining 10-15 percent of cancers, is called ALT (for Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres). Previously, biologists knew ALT existed simply because tumor cells could rebuild long, albeit unkempt-looking telomeres without telomerase. …