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The telomerase enzyme and liver renewal

Cell-tracing analysis reveals that a disperse group of cells in the mouse liver express the enzyme telomerase, which preserves chromosome ends. These cells contribute to liver maintenance and regeneration.
  1. Kenneth S. Zaret

    1. Kenneth S. Zaret is in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.

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The enzyme telomerase maintains the length of specialized repetitive structures called telomeres, which are found at the ends of chromosomes. When they become damaged or shortened, telomeres can stop cells from dividing1. Most cells in adult humans have very low or undetectable levels of telomerase and relatively short telomeres, and therefore have a limited ability to replicate2. However, elevated telomerase levels are seen in various animal and human stem cells that must retain their replicative capacity for self-renewal3. Telomerase defects are associated with tissue scarring (fibrosis) in the livers of both mice and humans4,5, but which cells in the liver express telomerase, and whether they act as stem cells, has been unclear. In a paper in Nature, Lin et al.6 characterize this cell population in mice.

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Nature 556, 181-182 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-02684-w

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