Unlike GABPB, we demonstrated that MYC could bind to the promoter of TERT and activate it in a TERT promoter mutation-independent manner. This is consistent with the previous finding that MYC bound to the E-box motif in the TERT promoter and upregulated TERT expression30. The present study demonstrated that the BRAF V600E/MAPK pathway could also upregulate TERT expression through MYC in a TERT promoter mutation-independent manner, but this was less robust than the TERT promoter mutation-dependent regulation. This provides a mechanism in which BRAF V600E/MAPK pathway can moderately upregulate TERT in cells that do not harbor TERT promoter mutations. Thus, the BRAF V600E/MAPK pathway can upregulate the TERT gene through both TERT promoter mutation-dependent and -independent pathways.