Telomerase activation as a repair response to radiation-induced DNA damage in Y79 retinoblastoma cells

The molecular mechanism of telomerase activation induced by ionizing radiation (IR) remains poorly understood. We demonstrate that DNA damage induced by IR at doses of 2–5 Gy triggers activation of Akt, predominant to that of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), resulting in human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) phosphorylation and increased telomerase activity in Y79 cells. DNA damage induced by IR at doses greater than 10 Gy might trigger PP2A activation, predominant to that of Akt, resulting in hTERT dephosphorylation and decreased telomerase activity. Our results suggest that differential activation of Akt and PP2A may be responsible for telomerase regulation.