Interestingly, we found that expression of TER and TERT together resulted in extension of lifespan and higher levels of telomerase and longer telomeres than expression of TERT alone in both AD DC and normal cells.
Telomerase complex genes mutations (DKC1, TERC, TERT, and NOP10) lead to premature telomere shortening and are responsible for different forms of dyskeratosis congenita.
This is the first study of its kind in DC lymphocytes and the first to demonstrate that transduction with TERC alone can improve cell survival and telomere length without the need for exogenous TERT.
As with DC, mutations in genes encoding factors required for telomere maintenance, such as telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), have been found in patients with HHS.