Telomerase reactivation in cancers: Mechanisms that govern transcriptional activation of the wild-type vs. mutant TERT promoters

Transcriptional activation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene is a rate-limiting determinant in the reactivation of telomerase expression in cancers. TERT promoter mutations represent one of the fundamental mechanisms of TERT reactivation in cancer development. We review recent studies that elucidate the molecular mechanisms underscoring activation of mutant TERT promoters.