Highlighting vulnerabilities in the alternative lengthening of telomeres pathway.

Curr Opin Pharmacol

Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and Medicine, Cancer Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA. Electronic address:

Published: June 2023

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.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10247456PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coph.2023.102380DOI Listing

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