News Releases & Research Results A new oncogenic function of the cell immortalizing enzyme telomerase - Development of a novel cancer treatment -

The results of collaborative research conducted by Chief Kenkichi Masutomi of the Division of Cancer Stem Cell, National Cancer Center Research Institute; Associate Professor Taro Yamashita of the Department of General Medicine, Kanazawa University Hospital; Professor Shuichi Kaneko of the Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University; and Professor Yukinari Kato of the Department of Antibody Drug Development, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine.

• A new function deeply involved in cellular malignant transformation was discovered for the cell immortalizing enzyme "telomerase*."
  * An enzyme to extend telomeres, i.e., structures at the ends of chromosomes.
• This new function is more active in severer malignant liver and pancreas cancers and is controlled by a switching mechanism.
• The results of research should facilitate the development of a novel cancer treatment that controls the new function of telomerase.

This research project was conducted with the support of the Basis for Supporting Innovative Drug Discovery and Life Science Research (BINDS) and the Research Program on Hepatitis by AMED.

The results of research were published in the British scientific journal, Nature Communications, on March 25.

Yasukawa M., et al. CDK1 dependent phosphorylation of hTERT contributes to cancer progression Nature Communications
DOI：10.1038/s41467-020-15289-7