Telomerase reverse transcriptase coordinates with the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through a feedback loop to define properties of breast cancer stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Telomerase and its core component, telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), are critical for stem cell compartment integrity. Normal adult stem cells have the longest telomeres in a given tissue, a property mediated by high hTERT expression and high telomerase enzymatic activity. In contrast, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have short telomeres despite high expression of hTERT, indicating that the role of hTERT in CSCs is not limited to telomere elongation and/or maintenance. The function of hTERT in CSCs remains poorly understood. Here, we knocked down hTERT expression in CSCs and observed a morphological shift to a more epithelial phenotype, suggesting a role for hTERT in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of CSCs. Therefore, in this study, we systematically explored the relationsh

SUBMITTER: El-Badawy A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6078341 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature