Telomere Length and Genomic Stability as Indicators of Breast Cancer Risk

Abstract

Telomeres are repetitive sequences that protect the ends of linear chromosomes and shorten during each cell division. Very short telomeres have been associated with changes in gene expression (in yeast) and decreased genomic stability. In the first year we published the first proof that silencing effects can occur at human telomeres. In the second year we have shown that expression of telomeric genes spontaneously switches on and off. We have begun an experiment to test the effect of telomere length and time in culture on immortalization frequency and we have developed several in situ techniques to examine human subtelomeres. Only 5-10% of breast cancers are hereditary and very little is known about the factors influencing sporadic cases. Further study of gene expression near telomeres will help determine whether telomere length could play a role in the progression of breast cancer.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416639

Entities

People

  • Joseph A. Baur

Organizations

  • University of Texas at Dallas

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Antigens
  • Breast Cancer
  • Cell Division
  • Cell Line
  • Cells
  • Chromosome Structures
  • Chromosomes
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Epithelial Cells
  • Frequency
  • Gene Expression
  • Genetic Phenomena
  • Genetic Structures
  • Genetics
  • Neoplasms
  • Tumor Cell Line

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

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  • Molecular Biology and Genetics