Cancer cell mutation mystery

Medical Xpress (May 18) -- Approximately 85 percent of cancer cells obtain their limitless replicative potential through the reactivation of a specific protein called telomerase (TERT). A collaborative team of researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at the University of California, San Francisco has shown that highly recurrent mutations in the promoter of the TERT gene are the most common genetic mutations in many cancers, including adult glioblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Also: Science Codex (May 18), ScienceBlog (May 18), News-Medical (May 19).