Telomere and Telomerase in Cancer

The linear ends of chromosome are protected by specialized ribonucleoprotein (RNP) termed as telomere. These specialized terminal elements with tandem repeated sequence are the protective cap that alleviate end replication problem and cell senescence. The telomere length maintenance is essential to avoid cell death and apoptosis. Telomere shortening has been related to chronic stress due to several factors, which include not only psychological stress but also diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Telomerase enzyme which maintains telomere length is the major factor responsible for evading cell death. Telomere length maintenance and telomerase expression put together are the prerequisite for immortality, an essential character for cancer cells. Understanding the mechanism of telomere and telomerase functions paves way for eradicating the diseases such as cancer

SCREENING AND PRODUCTION OF ANTICARCINOGENIC ENZYME FROM ESCHERICHIA COLI CTLS20: L - ASPARAGINASE

Objective: The objective of this study was attempted to screen the production of L-asparaginase from bacteria isolated from soil samples and its enzymatic activity.Methods: Screening of L-asparaginase was performed using phenol red indicator growth medium from which the positive strains were chosen based on the colour change. The enzyme production of L-asparaginase was established by submerged fermentation followed by the molecular detection of the efficient bacterial strains.Results: The enzyme production was undertaken by submerged fermentation with the evaluation of enzymatic activity and protein content. This revealed that the strain Escherichia coli CTLS20 produced a higher yield of L-asparaginase (30.22 IU/mg), 16.91 µg/ml of protein with the specific activity of 1.787 IU/mg when compared with other bacterial strains. The efficient bacterial strains were also confirmed by 16S rRNA sequence as Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumnnii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and the phylogenetic tree construction revealed the evolutionary relationship of the bacterial strains.Conclusion: This study indicated that the bacterial strain E. coli CTLS20 had the ability for the higher production of L-asparaginase. This novel higher yielding bacterial asparaginase is highly desirable as better alternatives in cancer therapy.Keywords: Soil, L-asparaginase, Submerged fermentation, E. coli, Phylogenetic tre