Frequent somatic TERT promoter mutations in thyroid cancer: higher prevalence in advanced forms of the disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

TERT encodes the reverse transcriptase component of telomerase, which adds telomere repeats to chromosome ends, thus enabling cell replication. Telomerase activity is required for cell immortalization. Somatic TERT promoter mutations modifying key transcriptional response elements were recently reported in several cancers, such as melanomas and gliomas.

Objectives

The objectives of the study were: 1) to determine the prevalence of TERT promoter mutations C228T and C250T in different thyroid cancer histological types and cell lines; and 2) to establish the possible association of TERT mutations with mutations of BRAF, RAS, or RET/PTC.

Methods

TERT promoter was PCR-amplified and sequenced in 42 thyroid cancer cell lines and 183 tumors: 80 papillary thyroid ca

SUBMITTER: Landa I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3763971 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature