Telomerase reverse transcriptase as a core regulator of brain health.
Abstract
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is the catalytic subunit of telomerase, the holoenzyme whose activity maintains telomeres. Beyond this canonical role, emerging evidence indicates that TERT participates in nontelomeric programs with broad relevance to brain health. TERT can function as a transcriptional co-regulator of genes linked to neuronal viability, synaptic plasticity, and neurodegeneration. During aging and in neurodegenerative states, the TERT locus becomes epigenetically repressed, resulting in altered gene expression programs relevant to neuronal resilience. Genetic and pharmacologic restoration of physiological TERT levels reverses multiple aging phenotypes and mitigates molecular and pathological features associated with neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. In this opinion article, we synthesize emerging evidence that positions TERT as a central coordinator of brain health and disease.
The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.
Research summary
The paper claims that TERT acts as a core transcriptional regulator of brain health and that restoring its expression mitigates neurodegenerative aging phenotypes. This is relevant because it proposes a mechanism for reversing age-related molecular decline in the brain, though as an opinion article synthesizing existing evidence rather than presenting novel primary data, its direct scientific impact is limited.
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