Resistance to senescence induction and telomere shortening by a G-quadruplex ligand inhibitor of telomerase

The molecular mechanisms induced by G-quadruplex ligands to trigger senescence in mammalian cells are still unknown, although the critical role of telomerase is highly suspected. JFA2 cells selected for resistance to senescence induced by the G-quadruplex ligand 12459 presented an overexpression of hTERT transcript that correlated to a functional increase in telomerase activity and telomere length. Consistently, treatment with 12459 failed to trigger senescence and telomere shortening in JFA2 cells. Resistant cells also presented cross-resistance for senescence induction to telomestatin, another G-quadruplex ligand from a different series, but not to other anticancer agents, indicating the selectivity of the resistance mechanism. We, thus, provide evidence that telomerase activity and telomere length are key cellular determinants of the resistance to G-quadruplex ligands.