Recently, recurrent mutations within the core promoter of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene generating consensus binding sites for ETS transcription factor family members were described in melanomas and other malignancies (e.g. bladder cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma).
A melanoma-associated molecular pathway was identified, where Ran, Aurora Kinase A (AurkA) and TERT were up-regulated, while c-myc and PTEN were down-regulated.
In contrast to the initial report and promoter mutations in the TERT gene, our analysis suggests that SDHD promoter mutations are a relatively rare event in melanoma (4% of tumors) of unclear clinical and prognostic relevance.
Alterations in pathways including BRAF, CDKN2A, and TERT contribute to the development of melanoma, but the sequence in which the genetic alterations occur and their prognostic significance remains unclear.
Hot spot mutations in the promoter region of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT promoter mutations) occur frequently in tumors of neuroectodermal origin such as melanoma and glioma.
In the melanoma dataset, two pancreatic cancer susceptibility variants were associated: NR5A2 (rs12029406; OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01-1.92; P = 0.04) and CLPTM1L-TERT (rs401681; OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.34; P = 0.04).
The recent identification of driver mutations in the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene with UV-induced cytidine-to-thymidine transitions in cutaneous melanoma prompted us to investigate whether these mutations also occur in uveal melanoma.
Recurrent and mutually exclusive C>T or CC>TT transition mutations were identified in the promoter region of the reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit of the telomerase gene (TERT) in melanoma recently, and it was suggested that they enhanced the expression of TERT gene and played important roles in the melanoma pathogenesis.
Mutation in the core promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene was determined to be a frequent event in malignant melanoma and other cancers.
Two recent publications report the identification of a set of recurrent mutations in melanoma in the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT) that appears to be the result of mutagenesis from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
We also obtained significant results when we tested the association between rs401681 variant (TERT-CLPTM1L locus) with melanoma risk (Odds ratio, OR; 95% confidence interval, CI=1.24 (1.08-1.43); p-value, 3×10(-3)).
In particular, mutations of the telomere binding proteins alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX) or death-domain associated protein (DAXX) have been shown to underlie a telomere maintenance mechanism not involving telomerase (alternative lengthening of telomeres), and point mutations in the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene increase telomerase expression and have been shown to occur in melanomas and a small number of other tumors.
Here, we describe two independent mutations within the core promoter of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), the gene coding for the catalytic subunit of telomerase, which collectively occur in 50 of 70 (71%) melanomas examined.
After correction for multiple testing within each gene, two SNPs in the TERT gene (rs2853676 and rs2242652) and one SNP in the TRF1 gene (rs2981096) showed significant associations with the risk of melanoma.
Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction experiments were performed using primers within the reverse transcriptase domain of human telomerase reverse transcriptase and revealed the presence of multiple alternatively spliced transcripts in melanoma specimens.