E2F1: A potential negative regulator of hTERT transcription in normal cells upon activation of oncogenic c-Myc

Previous studies have revealed that the link between c-Myc and E2F1 pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating cell growth and death. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), activation of which is required for cell immortalization and transformation, has been confirmed to be a direct transcriptional target of c-Myc. It is of note that E2F1, which is also a direct transcriptional target of c-Myc, can bind the hTERT promoter and repress its expression. Thus, although oncogene c-Myc can be activated in normal cells, for the subsequent induction of E2F1, it may still be insufficient to trigger the expression of hTERT. This negative feedback regulation, if it exists, may be another mechanism for normal cells to control the transmission of c-Myc-mediated oncogenic signals. In this article, we reviewed current knowledge about the crosstalk among c-Myc, E2F1 and hTERT, with an emphasis on the hypothesis that E2F1 negatively regulates c-Myc-induced hTERT transcription. Additionally, we postulated that the miR-17-92 cluster-mediated regulation of c-Myc and E2F1 expression may be of particular importance for the repression of hTERT transcription.