Researchers Jack Griffith and Taghreed Al-Turki from the UNC School of Medicine have discovered that telomeres, located at the ends of chromosomes, possess enough genetic information to produce two small proteins with potentially potent biological properties. Telomeres, previously believed to be
Newly discovered telomeric protein VR, is seen accumulating in nuclei in human osteosarcoma cancer cells stained in red. Credit: Griffith Lab, UNC Lineberger
“Based on our research, we think simple blood tests for these proteins could provide a valuable screen for certain cancers and other human diseases,” said Griffith, the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. “These tests also could provide a measure of ‘telomere health,’ because we know telomeres shorten with age.”
Scientists first identified telomeres about 80 years ago, and because of their monotonous sequence, the established dogma in the field held that telomeres could not encode for any proteins, let alone ones with potent biological function.molecule containing a six-base repeat which by a novel mechanism could generate a series of toxic proteins consisting of tworepeating one after the other.
“We think it’s possible that as we age, the amount of VR and GL in our blood will steadily rise, potentially providing a new biomarker for biological age as contrasted to chronological age,” said Al-Turki, a postdoctoral researcher in the Griffith lab. “We think inflammation may also trigger the production of these proteins.”
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