Telomerase Cajal body protein 1 depletion inhibits telomerase trafficking to telomeres and induces G1 cell cycle arrest in A549 cells

Telomerase Cajal body protein 1 (TCAB1) is a telomerase holoenzyme, which is markedly enriched in Cajal bodies (CBs) and facilitates the recruitment of telomerase to CBs in the S phase of the cell cycle. This recruitment is dependent on TCAB1 binding to a telomerase RNA component. The majority of cancer cells are able to grow indefinitely due to telomerase and its mechanism of trafficking to telomeres. In the present study, a certain level of TCAB1 expression in A549 human lung cells was identified and TCAB1 knockdown exhibited a potent antiproliferative effect on these cells, which was coupled with a decrease in the cell density and activity of the cellular enzymes. In addition, TCAB1-depletion was demonstrated to inhibit telomerase trafficking to telomeres in the A549 cells, leading to subsequent G1 cell cycle arrest without inducing apoptotic cell death. Overall, these observations indicated that TCAB1 may be essential for A549 cell proliferation and cell cycle regulation, and may be a potential candidate for the development of a therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinomas.