The Nobel Prize for Medicine – spotlight on telomeres

[2 November 2009 - 11h44]

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded this year to three American researchers: Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for their work on the telomeres that protect our chromosomes… and therefore our cells!

The work of these three researchers has given us a better understanding of the way these DNA sequences function, and the way in which they protect our chromosomes.

The fact that our cells do not die each time they divide is precisely due to these pieces of DNA located at the ends of each chromosome. With each cell division, the telomeres become shorter, but the genetic information present on the chromosomes remains intact. So, the condition of our cells and their longevity depends on them.

And this is where telomerase comes in: telomerase is an enzyme that partially rebuilds telomeres after each division. If this enzyme is very active, the telomeres do not shorten at all. This means that the chromosomes are never damaged, the cells do not grow older and become “immortal”. However, the bad news is that this type of cell is cancerous. If, on the other hand, the telomerase is defective, the chromosomes are very quickly damaged and the cells die (too) rapidly.

Telomeres and telomerase are therefore targets of choice in the treatment of cancer. If telomerase can be inhibited, the cancer cells can be killed. Their control is also essential in diseases where, on the contrary, telomerase needs to be activated.

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