hTERT-siRNA

hTERT-siRNA is a small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic approach designed to silence the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). hTERT is the catalytic subunit of the telomerase enzyme, which is critical for maintaining telomere length and is frequently upregulated in various cancers, including glioblastoma, to facilitate cellular immortality. By utilizing the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, hTERT-siRNA mediates the sequence-specific degradation of hTERT mRNA, thereby inhibiting telomerase activity. This inhibition leads to telomere shortening, induction of the DNA damage response, cell cycle arrest (typically in the G1/G0 phase), and apoptosis. Research has demonstrated that knockdown of hTERT via siRNA, often delivered through viral vectors like lentivirus, can significantly inhibit tumor cell growth and sensitize cells to other treatments.

Other names

human telomerase reverse transcriptase small interfering RNA