Telomere maintenance plays important roles in genome stability and cell proliferation. Tumor cells acquire replicative immortality by activating a telomere-maintenance mechanism (TMM), either telomerase, a reverse transcriptase, or the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism. Recent advances in the genetic and molecular characterization of TMM revealed that telomerase activation and ALT define distinct neuroblastoma (NB) subgroups with adverse outcomes, and represent promising therapeutic targets in high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB), an aggressive childhood solid tumor that accounts for 15% of all pediatric-cancer deaths. Patients with HRNB frequently present with widely metastatic disease, with tumors harboring recurrent genetic aberrations (MYCN amplification, TERT rearrangements, and ATRX mutations), which are mutually exclusive and capable of promoting TMM. This review provides recent insights into our understanding of TMM in NB tumors, and highlights emerging therapeutic strategies as potential treatments for telomerase- and ALT-positive tumors.
Keywords: ALT; ATRX; TERT; neuroblastoma; telomerase; telomere maintenance.