Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma
Acral Lentiginous Melanoma is a rare and aggressive subtype of melanoma that commonly affects the palms, soles, and nail beds. It is more prevalent in individuals with darker skin tones, including Asian, African, and Hispanic populations. Unlike cutaneous melanomas, acral melanoma is not associated...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Pharmacological Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825001252 |
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| author | Vishnu Sravan Bollu Yu-Chi Chen Fan Zhang Krishne Gowda Shantu Amin Arun K. Sharma Todd D. Schell Jiyue Zhu Gavin P. Robertson |
| author_facet | Vishnu Sravan Bollu Yu-Chi Chen Fan Zhang Krishne Gowda Shantu Amin Arun K. Sharma Todd D. Schell Jiyue Zhu Gavin P. Robertson |
| author_sort | Vishnu Sravan Bollu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Acral Lentiginous Melanoma is a rare and aggressive subtype of melanoma that commonly affects the palms, soles, and nail beds. It is more prevalent in individuals with darker skin tones, including Asian, African, and Hispanic populations. Unlike cutaneous melanomas, acral melanoma is not associated with UV exposure and has a distinct genetic and molecular profile, underscoring the need for tailored research and treatment strategies. Standard treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies, have shown limited success for this melanoma subtype, highlighting the urgency of developing more effective interventions. Telomerase is an enzyme that extends telomeres and is a key target in acral melanoma which exhibits’ high telomerase activity, driven by mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase TERT promoter, which contributes to uncontrolled tumor cell proliferation, cancer cell immortality, and resistance to conventional therapies. Therefore, targeting telomerase presents a promising therapeutic avenue for acral melanoma patients who do not respond well to current treatments. Several approaches for targeting telomerase deregulation have been developed, and their potential for the management of acral melanoma is discussed in this review. Specifically, the promise of telomerase-targeted therapies for acral melanoma is emphasized and explores how these strategies could improve outcomes for patients with this challenging skin cancer. By focusing on the role of telomerase in tumorigenesis and treatment resistance, telomerase-targeted strategies hold potential as a foundational component of therapies for acral melanoma, complementing existing approaches. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e7ebd983e56f4a689cb8419d3d056d14 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1096-1186 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmacological Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-e7ebd983e56f4a689cb8419d3d056d142025-08-20T03:13:52ZengElsevierPharmacological Research1096-11862025-05-0121510770010.1016/j.phrs.2025.107700Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanomaVishnu Sravan Bollu0Yu-Chi Chen1Fan Zhang2Krishne Gowda3Shantu Amin4Arun K. Sharma5Todd D. Schell6Jiyue Zhu7Gavin P. Robertson8Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Spokane, WA 99202, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Pathology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Spokane, WA 99202, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Dermatology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Pathology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Department of Surgery, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Foreman Foundation for Melanoma Research, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Melanoma Therapeutics Program, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Correspondence to: Departments of Pharmacology, Pathology, Dermatology and Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.Acral Lentiginous Melanoma is a rare and aggressive subtype of melanoma that commonly affects the palms, soles, and nail beds. It is more prevalent in individuals with darker skin tones, including Asian, African, and Hispanic populations. Unlike cutaneous melanomas, acral melanoma is not associated with UV exposure and has a distinct genetic and molecular profile, underscoring the need for tailored research and treatment strategies. Standard treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies, have shown limited success for this melanoma subtype, highlighting the urgency of developing more effective interventions. Telomerase is an enzyme that extends telomeres and is a key target in acral melanoma which exhibits’ high telomerase activity, driven by mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase TERT promoter, which contributes to uncontrolled tumor cell proliferation, cancer cell immortality, and resistance to conventional therapies. Therefore, targeting telomerase presents a promising therapeutic avenue for acral melanoma patients who do not respond well to current treatments. Several approaches for targeting telomerase deregulation have been developed, and their potential for the management of acral melanoma is discussed in this review. Specifically, the promise of telomerase-targeted therapies for acral melanoma is emphasized and explores how these strategies could improve outcomes for patients with this challenging skin cancer. By focusing on the role of telomerase in tumorigenesis and treatment resistance, telomerase-targeted strategies hold potential as a foundational component of therapies for acral melanoma, complementing existing approaches.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825001252TelomeraseAcral melanomaTherapeutic managmentTelomere dysfunctionTERT |
| spellingShingle | Vishnu Sravan Bollu Yu-Chi Chen Fan Zhang Krishne Gowda Shantu Amin Arun K. Sharma Todd D. Schell Jiyue Zhu Gavin P. Robertson Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma Pharmacological Research Telomerase Acral melanoma Therapeutic managment Telomere dysfunction TERT |
| title | Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma |
| title_full | Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma |
| title_fullStr | Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma |
| title_short | Managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma |
| title_sort | managing telomerase and telomere dysfunction in acral melanoma |
| topic | Telomerase Acral melanoma Therapeutic managment Telomere dysfunction TERT |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825001252 |
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