Telomeres and Telomerase
A special issue of Methods and Protocols (ISSN 2409-9279).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 18586
Special Issue Editor
Interests: exosomes; microenvironment; telomeres; telomerase; hematological cancers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The importance of telomeres and telomerase has been acknowledged since Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak won the Nobel prize in physiology in 2009. Telomeres, the end parts of linear chromosomes, together with their cognate proteins, mask the ends of chromosomes from being identified as double strand breaks that otherwise would be repaired by DNA repair mechanisms, thus conferring genomic stability. In addition, they serve as mitotic clocks, as they are getting gradually shorter with each cell division, until they reach a critical length which signals the cells to senesce. When this process is perturbed, the cells continue to divide, and telomeres become dysfunctional, allowing the accumulation of mutations, some of which may be cancerous. If some of these cells upregulate telomerase, telomeres will not be further shortened, and the cancer clone will be perpetuated. Telomerase is the reverse transcriptase that elongates telomeres by synthesizing TTAGGG repeats (in humans) at their ends. It is considered the hallmark of cancer, since it is specific mainly for cancer cells (90% of all types of cancers possess high telomerase activity, but in almost all somatic cells, the enzyme is repressed) and is vital for their endless replicative potential. As such, telomerase is considered a valid and efficient anticancer drug target.
Interestingly, apart from their canonical roles in telomere maintenance, telomerase possess numerous "extra-curricular activities" related to cell proliferation and more.
In addition to the above, due to the dependence of the cell proliferative potential on telomere lengths, the field of telomeres and telomerase is also highly relevant to aging. Therefore, activating telomerase may have to impinge on degenerative diseases related to old age.
In this Special Issue on “Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer and Aging”, we welcome original studies and review articles presenting novel findings at the basic and translational levels of research in this field. Specifically, we are interested in the following issues: 1. the roles of shelterin and other proteins in telomere lengths regulation; 2. telomerase as an anticancer drug target; 3. extracurricular activities of telomerase; and 4. the role of telomerase in various degenerative diseases.
Hopefully, the papers published in this Special Issue will contribute to our understanding of this important and interesting field.
Dr. Orit Uziel
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Methods and Protocols is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Telomere
- Shelterin complex
- Telomerase
- Cancer
- Aging
- Extracurricular activities of telomerase
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
