Alternative lengthening of telomeres: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic outlooks

• Published in: Cell & bioscience Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 30
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jia-Min, Zou, Lee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 10.03.2020; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: ALT telomeric DNA synthesis; Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT); APBs; Biotechnology; Cancer; Cancer cells; Cancer research; Cancer treatment; Cell cycle; Chromosomes; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA damage; DNA replication; DNA synthesis; Health aspects; Molecular modelling; Phase separation; Proteins; Review; Stem cells; Telomerase; Telomere; Telomere maintenance mechanism; Telomeres; Tumors; Yeast; RAD52; BLM; Clinical therapy; FANCM; Phase separation; Telomere maintenance mechanism; Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT); ALT telomeric DNA synthesis; Telomere; APBs
• ISSN: 2045-3701; 2045-3701
• DOI: 10.1186/s13578-020-00391-6

To escape replicative senescence, cancer cells have to overcome telomere attrition during DNA replication. Most of cancers rely on telomerase to extend and maintain telomeres, but 4-11% of cancers use a homologous recombination-based pathway called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). ALT is prevalent in cancers from the mesenchymal origin and usually associates with poor clinical outcome. Given its critical role in protecting telomeres and genomic integrity in tumor cells, ALT is an Achilles heel of tumors and an attractive target for cancer therapy. Here, we review the recent progress in the mechanistic studies of ALT, and discuss the emerging therapeutic strategies to target ALT-positive cancers.