Telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) (hTERT)

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is the rate-limiting catalytic subunit of the telomerase enzyme, which maintains chromosomal integrity by adding telomeric DNA repeats to chromosome ends (UniProt: O14746). While hTERT is typically repressed in healthy adult somatic cells, it is overexpressed in over 85% of human cancers, facilitating cellular immortality and uncontrolled proliferation (NCBI: PMC6769131). Because of its widespread expression across different tumor types and its essential role in cancer cell survival, hTERT is considered a universal tumor-associated antigen for immune recognition. Therapeutic approaches targeting hTERT include telomerase inhibitors like imetelstat, which binds to the RNA template of telomerase, and cancer vaccines like UV1 and GV1001, which prime the immune system to recognize and destroy hTERT-expressing cells (PubMed: 31503957). These immunotherapies leverage the fact that hTERT peptides are processed and presented on the cell surface via Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules, allowing for targeted destruction by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes.

Other names

TERTTelomerase catalytic subunitEST2TCS1TP2hEST2

Direct inhibition of telomerase enzymatic activity or induction of a T-cell mediated immune response against hTERT-derived peptides presented on the surface of tumor cells.