592 | id == 592
592 | category_id == 63
592 | category_order == 28
592 | category_name == Skin Health
592 | category_color == #C47AC0
592 | slug == TERT-melanoma
592 | title == Uncontrolled Cell Division in Melanoma (TERT)
592 | meta_description == TERT protects against cell death. Variants of TERT have been associated with melanoma. Read more here.
592 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>The <em>TERT</em> gene promotes unlimited cell division by protecting against cell damage and cell death. How might variants of <em>TERT</em> promote the development of melanoma, a form of skin cancer? Read more to find out.</strong></p>
592 | overall_score_text == Your Melanoma Score (based on TERT gene)
592 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/TERT-Melanoma.jpg
592 | author_id == 14
592 | author_name == Shany Lahan
592 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
592 | author_order == 5
592 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
592 | author_intro == <p>Shany received her MSc in Neuroscience from Western University.</p>    <p>Prior to joining SelfDecode, Shany conducted research related to Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, and taught science to undergraduate students. She believes that research should be accessible to everyone, regardless of scientific background. Shany joined SelfDecode&nbsp;with a mission to help others optimize their health and wellbeing &ndash; as well as help them understand the science behind it all.</p>
592 | reviewer == None
592 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
592 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
592 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
592 | publish_date == 2021
592 | publish_date == 1
592 | publish_date == 8
592 | avg_rating == 5.0
592 | tags_id == 164
592 | tags_name == Cancer
592 | tags_id == 1087
592 | tags_name == Cell Cycle
592 | tags_id == 768
592 | tags_name == Cell Death
592 | tags_id == 1086
592 | tags_name == Cell Division
592 | tags_id == 750
592 | tags_name == DNA Damage
592 | tags_id == 101
592 | tags_name == Longevity
592 | tags_id == 1100
592 | tags_name == Melanoma
592 | tags_id == 1101
592 | tags_name == Skin Cancer
592 | tags_id == 163
592 | tags_name == Telomerase
592 | tags_id == 162
592 | tags_name == Telomeres
592 | tags_id == 161
592 | tags_name == TERT Gene
592 | permissions_favorite == False
592 | permissions_rate == False
592 | content_article == <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">TERT</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes hTERT, part of an enzyme that helps protect cells against death. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">TERT </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in melanoma by increasing the production of hTERT and promoting unlimited cell proliferation. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by limiting hTERT production.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>TERT</em></strong><strong> and Melanoma</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/tert/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">TERT</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for hTERT, a part of the </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/telomerase-telomeres-aging/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">telomerase</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> enzyme. Telomerase can protect DNA essential to the production of proteins (genes), by adding non-essential DNA (telomeres) to the ends of condensed DNA structures (chromosomes). This ultimately prevents genes from becoming damaged [</span><a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/TERT"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Within our bodies, cells constantly divide in order to produce more cells. Unfortunately, telomeres shorten in length with every cell division, which can pave the way for DNA damage and consequent cell death [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896987/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the process of cell division is tightly controlled under normal conditions, cancer cells are able to bypass this regulation in order to divide uncontrollably [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896987/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&rsquo;s therefore no surprise that telomerase activity is often elevated in cancer, such as in a form of skin cancer called melanoma [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4423787/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">TERT </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">have been associated with melanoma. These variants may increase the production of hTERT, resulting in excessive telomerase activity and unlimited cell division</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/21983787"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06649-5"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>TERT</em></strong><strong> Results for Melanoma</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4176674829607538*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>TERT </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs401681/"><strong>rs401681</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/21983787"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Higher odds of melanoma</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Not associated with melanoma</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other Important SNPs:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>TERT </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs380286/"><strong>rs380286</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06649-5"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Higher odds of melanoma</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with melanoma</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>TERT </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs31490/"><strong>rs31490</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Higher odds of melanoma</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with melanoma</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*2225548386491993*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Preventing Melanoma</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*1205661614363109*</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Maintaining a Healthy Weight</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Levels of the hormone </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/the-root-causes-of-leptin-resistance-and-12-ways-to-reverse-it/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">leptin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are high in overweight and obese individuals. Leptin was found to significantly increase the production of hTERT in a study of breast cancer cells [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20171193/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In men, being obese or overweight has been associated with an increased risk of melanoma in 21 studies of almost 25,000 people [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11552707/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8166137/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23200191/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/a-comprehensive-list-of-effective-ways-to-lose-weight/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Weight loss</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may also help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs for melanoma, as seen in a study in mice [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5142287/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Maintaining a healthy weight may prevent melanoma by limiting the production of hTERT.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diet</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Reducing Glycemic Load</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">glycemic load</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a measure of how much a food increases blood sugar (</span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/glucose/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">glucose</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) levels without taking into account the rate at which it increases them (as the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">glycemic index</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> does).</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multiple cell studies found that restricting sugar may shorten telomere length, impair the growth and promote the death of cancer cells, and/or promote the development of healthy cells -- all by limiting the production of hTERT and consequently lowering the activity of telomerase [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6956372/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996891/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4118312/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two studies on an Italian population of over 1000 people associated the intake of high-glycemic-load foods such as refined flours, sweets, candy bars, and chocolate with an increased incidence of melanoma in women. Conversely, soluble fiber had a protective effect in a small study [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28196548/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769978/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16372927/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Reducing glycemic load may help prevent melanoma by limiting the production of hTERT.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Vitamin D</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a cell study, vitamin D was found to promote the death of ovarian cancer cells by lowering the production of hTERT, thereby decreasing telomerase activity [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15485861/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research has found no association between blood </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/35proven-health-benefits-vitamin-d-part-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">vitamin D</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> levels and risk of melanoma, but deficiency in this vitamin predicted a poorer outcome in 2 studies of over 1000 people with melanoma. In a large trial of women, supplementation with vitamin D and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/calcium-101/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">calcium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reduced the incidence of melanoma in those with a history of other skin cancer types [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4996491/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695831/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22880705/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2773226/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3157967/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Vitamin D may help prevent melanoma by lowering the production of hTERT.</span></p>
592 | content_snp_table_4176674829607538_key == 4176674829607538
592 | content_snp_table_4176674829607538_blur == True
592 | content_snp_table_4176674829607538_hidden == False
592 | content_learn_more_2225548386491993_key == 2225548386491993
592 | content_learn_more_2225548386491993_blur == True
592 | content_learn_more_2225548386491993_hidden == False
592 | content_learn_more_2225548386491993_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your TERT gene makes you somewhat more likely to develop melanoma. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of melanoma; it’s just one gene related to it. Maintaining a healthy weight, reducing glycemic load, and supplementing with vitamin D may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
592 | content_recommendation_1205661614363109_key == 1205661614363109
592 | content_recommendation_1205661614363109_blur == True
592 | content_recommendation_1205661614363109_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs31490,rs380286,rs401681
rsStatus = rs31490,CLPTM1L,chr5,1344343,G,A,T,,3,14,HET
rsStatus = rs380286,CLPTM1L,chr5,1320132,G,A,,,1,15,HET
rsStatus = rs401681,CLPTM1L,chr5,1321972,C,T,,,6,11,HET
