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    Science. 2012 Jun 22;336(6088):1549-54. doi: 10.1126/science.1218370.

    Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates telomerase in stem cells and cancer cells.

    Source

    Department of Molecular Embryology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.

    Abstract

    Telomerase activity controls telomere length and plays a pivotal role in stem cells, aging, and cancer. Here, we report a molecular link between Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the expression of the telomerase subunit Tert. β-Catenin-deficient mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells have short telomeres; conversely, ES cell expressing an activated form of β-catenin (β-cat(ΔEx3/+)) have long telomeres. We show that β-catenin regulates Tert expression through the interaction with Klf4, a core component of the pluripotency transcriptional network. β-Catenin binds to the Tert promoter in a mouse intestinal tumor model and in human carcinoma cells. We uncover a previously unknown link between the stem cell and oncogenic potential whereby β-catenin regulates Tert expression, and thereby telomere length, which could be critical in human regenerative therapy and cancer.

    Comment in

    PMID:
    22723415
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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