TERT, a promoter of CNS malignancies

Bhuvic Patel, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Rukayat Taiwo, Stanford University
Albert H. Kim, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Gavin P. Dunn, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Abstract

As cells replicate their DNA during mitosis, telomeres are shortened due to the inherent limitations of the DNA replication process. Maintenance of telomere length is critical for cancer cells to overcome cellular senescence induced by telomere shortening. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is the rate-limiting catalytic subunit of telomerase, an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase that lengthens telomeric DNA to maintain telomere homeostasis.