Recently we reported a differentiation-dependent inhibition of telomerase activity in human
epidermis. Consistent with this observation we found that in keratinocyte cultures calcium-
induced differentiation correlates with a decline in telomerase activity. To get further support
for a role of calcium in the regulation of telomerase and to elucidate the underlying
molecular mechanisms we investigated the effect of calcium on telomerase in the human
epidermal keratinocyte line HaCaT. Treatment with thapsigargin, which increases …