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Telomeres, Telomerase and Cancer

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Some Aspects of Chromosome Structure and Functions

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Abstract

The enzyme telomerase is an object of much attention today. Telomerase activity has been found to be present in most malignant tumors (85%), but absent in most normal somatic tissues. Among normal tissues, activity is detected only in lymphocytes induced to proliferate, germline cells and stem cells. It also decreases with age. If telomerase could be used to detect a given stage of preinvasive neoplasia that could be treated with greater efficacy, it might have the potential to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality. Likewise, if telomerase could be used to identify invasive neoplasia earlier than is currently possible, it might have an impact on cancer mortality, assuming effective treatment is available. All these possibilites would be better understood, if the telomeres, their structure and functions are studied in detail.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh

    R. C. Sobti

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh

    Jaspreet Kochar

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh

    N. Capalash

  4. Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh

    S. Sharma

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  1. R. C. Sobti
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  2. Jaspreet Kochar
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  3. N. Capalash
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  4. S. Sharma
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

    R. C. Sobit

  2. Institute of Genetics, University of Essen, Universitaetsstrasse 5, D-45117, Essen, Germany

    G. Obe

  3. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Pels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Temple University School of Medicine Philadelphia, USA

    R. S. Athwal

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© 2002 Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi, India

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Sobti, R.C., Kochar, J., Capalash, N., Sharma, S. (2002). Telomeres, Telomerase and Cancer. In: Sobit, R.C., Obe, G., Athwal, R.S. (eds) Some Aspects of Chromosome Structure and Functions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0334-6_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0334-6_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-7057-4

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