Silencing of hTERT blocks growth and migration of anaplastic thyroid cancer cells

Mutations in the hTERT promoter responsible for constitutive telomerase activity are the most frequent genetic alteration detected in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), and proposed as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in these tumours. In this study we analyzed hTERT expression in a series of human ATCs and investigated the effects of small-interfering RNA-mediated silencing of hTERT on viability and migration and invasive properties of three human ATC cell lines. Expression of hTERT mRNA resulted increased in 8/10 ATCs compared to normal thyroid tissues. Silencing of hTERT in CAL-62, 8505C and SW1736 cells did not modify telomere length but determined a significant decrease (about 50%) of cell proliferation in all cell lines and a great reduction (about 50%) of migration and invasion capacity. These finding demonstrate that hTERT may be considered as a molecular target for ATC treatment.