Re:Was cancer less likely in a pre-industrial world?
by Aerroon on Saturday May 15, 2021 @05:56PM
(#27169385)
>Are our telomeres long enough to allow for the development of cancer, or is it necessary for the system to be overridden, thus allowing cells to replicate indefinitely?
I'm not sure that it's actually telomere length itself that's the factor. I think it's more about telomerase.
Telomerase is the enzyme that lengthens telomeres. In cancer cells telomerase production is (usually) upregulated. This leads to cancer cells being able to continue dividing without telomere shortening being a problem.
However, this is just a guess. I'm not clear on the details of the processes.
I'm not sure that it's actually telomere length itself that's the factor. I think it's more about telomerase.
Telomerase is the enzyme that lengthens telomeres. In cancer cells telomerase production is (usually) upregulated. This leads to cancer cells being able to continue dividing without telomere shortening being a problem.
However, this is just a guess. I'm not clear on the details of the processes.