AURKB and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways converge to regulate <i>TERT</i> expression.

ABSTRACT: Telomere length maintenance, critical for cancer progression, can be driven by TERT promoter mutations (TERTp ^MUT ), which are markers of poor prognosis across multiple cancers. Their tumor-specificity also makes them attractive chemotherapeutic targets. Here, we identified previously uncharacterized pathways regulating TERTp ^MUT activity by inserting a luciferase reporter downstream of TERTp ^MUT in SW1736 anaplastic thyroid cancer cells via CRISPR-Cas9, generating SW1736^TERT/LUC, and screening a 218-kinase inhibitor library. Beyond MAPK regulation, we found co-regulatory roles for PI3K/AKT/mTOR1 signaling and the cell cycle via Aurora kinase B (AURKB). Further analyses using quantitative PCR, immu

SUBMITTER: Lim G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12356326 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature