{"title":"Highlighting vulnerabilities in the alternative lengthening of telomeres pathway","authors":"Lisa M. Carson, Rachel L. Flynn","doi":"10.1016/j.coph.2023.102380","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>The alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway is a telomere elongation mechanism found in a small but often aggressive subset of cancers. Dependent on break-induced replication, telomere extension in ALT-positive cells relies on a baseline level of </span>DNA replication stress to initiate elongation events. This results in an elevated level of DNA damage and presents a possible vulnerability to be exploited in the development of ALT-targeted cancer therapies. Currently, there are no treatment options that target the ALT mechanism or that are specific for ALT-positive tumors. Here, we review recent developments and promising directions in the development of ALT-targeted therapeutics, many of which involve tipping the balance towards inhibition or exacerbation of ALT activity to selectively target these cells.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50603,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Pharmacology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10247456/pdf/","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Opinion in Pharmacology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471489223000334","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
The alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway is a telomere elongation mechanism found in a small but often aggressive subset of cancers. Dependent on break-induced replication, telomere extension in ALT-positive cells relies on a baseline level of DNA replication stress to initiate elongation events. This results in an elevated level of DNA damage and presents a possible vulnerability to be exploited in the development of ALT-targeted cancer therapies. Currently, there are no treatment options that target the ALT mechanism or that are specific for ALT-positive tumors. Here, we review recent developments and promising directions in the development of ALT-targeted therapeutics, many of which involve tipping the balance towards inhibition or exacerbation of ALT activity to selectively target these cells.
期刊介绍:
Current Opinion in Pharmacology (COPHAR) publishes authoritative, comprehensive, and systematic reviews. COPHAR helps specialists keep up to date with a clear and readable synthesis on current advances in pharmacology and drug discovery. Expert authors annotate the most interesting papers from the expanding volume of information published today, saving valuable time and giving the reader insight on areas of importance.