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Telomere Binding Proteins and Disease

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Telomeres and Telomerase in Ageing, Disease, and Cancer

An increasingly growing number of human diseases including cancer and age-related diseases have been associated to telomeric dysfunction. The progressive telemore loss that occurs with aging in humans is proposed to contribute to the pathobiology of age-related diseases. Evidence for this comes from the study of mouse models that reproduce the corresponding full-blown human pathology only when in the setting of critically short telemores. Moreover, telomerase itself, as well as several telomere-binding proteins, has been found altered in human pathologies. Here, we will review recent findings suggesting that the length and function of telomeres are a biological determinant in the development of certain human diseases associated with aging, particularly from the perspective of mouse models for telomere dysfunction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Centre, 3 Melchor Fernández Almagro, E-28029, Madrid, Spain

    Maria A. Blasco

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  1. Maria A. Blasco
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  1. University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89091, Ulm, Germany

    K. Lenhard Rudolph

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Blasco, M.A. (2008). Telomere Binding Proteins and Disease. In: Rudolph, K.L. (eds) Telomeres and Telomerase in Ageing, Disease, and Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73709-4_12

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