Journal
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
Volume 41, Issue 3, Pages 1047-1061Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.120.315695
Keywords
aging; atherosclerosis; cardiovascular diseases; oxidative stress; T-lymphocytes; telomerase; telomere
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Funding
- Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (MCIN) [PID2019-108489RB-I00]
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) [AC17/00067]
- European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, Una manera de hacer Europa)
- Progeria Research Foundation [PRF 2019-77]
- ISCIII
- MCIN
- Pro CNIC Foundation
- British Heart Foundation [PG/18/25/33587]
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre based at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [SFB1116, HA2868/14-1, AL288/5-1]
- TA-Science for the TACTIC trial (Telomerase Activator to Reverse Immunosenescence in Acute Coronary Syndrome)
- Newcastle University
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Shortened telomeres have been associated with various chronic diseases, particularly coronary artery disease, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. The role of telomerase in cardiovascular pathology is debated, with potential as a therapeutic target. Mitochondrial telomerase reverse transcriptase's antioxidative function may have atheroprotective effects, suggesting it as a possible target for clinical trials.
Shortened telomeres have been linked to numerous chronic diseases, most importantly coronary artery disease, but the underlying mechanisms remain ill defined. Loss-of-function mutations and deletions in telomerase both accelerate telomere shortening but do not necessarily lead to a clinical phenotype associated with atherosclerosis, questioning the causal role of telomere length in cardiac pathology. The differential extranuclear functions of the 2 main components of telomerase, telomerase reverse transcriptase and telomerase RNA component, offer important clues about the complex relationship between telomere length and cardiovascular pathology. In this review, we critically discuss relevant preclinical models, genetic disorders, and clinical studies to elucidate the impact of telomerase in cardiovascular disease and its potential role as a therapeutic target. We suggest that the antioxidative function of mitochondrial telomerase reverse transcriptase might be atheroprotective, making it a potential target for clinical trials.
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