Fig. 1.

TERT facilitates the invasion-metastasis cascade. TERT promotes local invasion via MMPs, NF-κB, EMT, and ITGB1. TERT promotes intravasation via TGF-β and VEGF. TERT promotes CTCs survival in circulation via EMT and anti-oxidative stress and ER stress-induced apoptosis. TERT promotes extravasation via VEGF, MMPs, and CCL2. TERT promotes the formation of micrometastasis and the macrometastatic growth partially through EMT and hTERT/GNL3L/NS/BRG1 complex. The actions of TERT implicated in tumor metastasis are described in the text. ECM, extracellular matrix. BM, basement membrane.