肺鳞癌及腺癌端粒酶逆转录酶表达的原位定量分析及其病理学意义

目的通过定量检测肺癌组织端粒酶hTERT的表达水平,分析肺癌与hTERT表达的定量关系,为从hTERT的表达方面探讨肺癌的诊断问题提供实验依据。方法采用免疫组化阳性单位定量法检测12例肺癌组织癌细胞和9例非肿瘤性肺组织实质细胞端粒酶hTERT的表达水平。结果端粒酶hTERT在肺癌细胞中的表达水平高于肺非肿瘤性肺组织实质细胞(P=0.0001);肺鳞癌癌细胞端粒酶表达水平高于肺非肿瘤组织实质细胞的表达(P=0.0003);肺腺癌癌细胞端粒酶表达水平高于肺非肿瘤组织实质细胞的表达(P=0.0001);肺鳞癌与肺腺癌癌细胞端粒酶表达的阳性单位差异无显著性(P=0.2282)。结论端粒酶hTERT高表达与肺癌有关。肺组织中端粒酶hTERT表达的阳性单位可作为肺癌诊断的参考指标进行研究。     

肺癌组织中端粒酶基因与端粒酶活性关系的研究

目的 探讨肺癌组织中端粒酶基因hTR、hTERT与端粒酶活性的表达是否与肺癌的发生发展有关，深入了解端粒酶基因对端粒酶活性的调控是在基因水平还是在转录水平。方法 采用TRAP－PCR和RT－PCR方法分别检测68例肺癌组织及相应癌旁肺组织中端粒酶活性、端粒酶基因hTR和hTERP的表达。结果 68例肺癌组织中端粒酶阳性率为79．4％（54／68）,hTR阳性率为98．5％（67／68）,hTERT阳性率为91．2％（62／68）。68例癌旁组织中无一例表达端粒酶阳性，但大多数癌旁组织均表达hTR(62/68,91.2%)，仅7例hTERT表达阳性（10．3％），与hTR相比，hTERT同端粒酶具有更高的一致性，其一致率为89．0％（121／136），而ThTR与端粒酶的一致率为43．4％（59／136）。结论 端粒酶的活性可能在肺癌发生发展中起重要的作用。hTR与hTERT可能是在转录后或翻译后水平对端粒酶进行调控的。     

肝细胞癌端粒酶活性及hTERT mRNA表达与术后早期复发的关系

目的：研究肝细胞癌端粒酶活性及人端粒酶逆转录酶（hTERT）mRNA表达与肝细胞癌术后早期复发的关系。方法：采用ELISA—TRAP法检测60例肝癌组织及其癌旁组织端粒酶活性，RT—PCR法检测hTERT mRNA表达，5例正常肝脏组织作为对照。分析端粒酶活性及hTERT mRNA表达与临床病理之间的关系。结果：肝癌组织端粒酶活性及hTERT mRNA表达阳性率分别为86．7％（52／60）及90％（54／60），癌旁组织端粒酶活性及hTERT mRNA表达阳性率分别为40％（24／60）及43．3％（26／60）。正常肝脏组织均未检测到端粒酶活性及hTERT mRNA表达。癌旁组织端粒酶活性及hTERT mRNA表达与术后早期复发及包膜浸润、门静脉侵犯、肝内转移等恶性肿瘤的恶性生物学行为有关。结论：癌旁组织端粒酶活性及hTERT mRNA表达可能是肝细胞癌术后早期复发的预后指标。     

hTERT methylation is necessary but not sufficient for telomerase activity in colorectal cells

Colorectal cancers exhibit a high telomerase activity, usually correlated with the hypermethylation of the promoter of its hTERT catalytic subunit. Although telomerase is not expressed in normal tissue, certain proliferative somatic cells such as intestinal crypt cells have demonstrated telomerase activity. The aim of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between telomerase activity, levels of hTERT methylation and telomere length in tumoral and normal colorectal tissues. Tumor, transitional and normal tissues were obtained from 11 patients with a colorectal cancer. After bisulfite modification of genomic DNA, hTERT promoter methylation was analyzed by methylation-sensitive single-strand conformation analysis (MS-SSCA). Telomerase activity and telomere length were measured by a fluorescent-telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay and by Southern blotting, respectively. A significant increase of hTERT methylation and telomerase activity, and a reduction of the mean telomere length were observed in the tumor tissues compared to the transitional and normal mucosa. In the transitional and normal mucosa, telomerase activity was significantly lower than that in tumor tissues, even with high levels of hTERT methylation. Nevertheless, hTERT promoter methylation was not linearly correlated to telomerase activity. These data indicate that hTERT promoter methylation is a necessary event for hTERT expression, as is telomerase activity. However, methylation is not sufficient for hTERT activation, particularly in normal colorectal cells.     

Gene Expression for Suppressors of Telomerase Activity (Telomeric-repeat Binding Factors) in Breast Cancer

Mechanisms regulating telomerase activity and telomere length remain incompletely understood in human breast cancer. We therefore studied gene expression for telomeric-repeat binding factors (TRFs) in relation to telomerase activity, telomere length, and clinicopathologic factors in human breast cancer. Telomerase activity was detected in 65.8% of 38 breast cancers, but none of 16 non-cancerous samples. Terminal restriction fragments were longer in noncancerous than in cancerous tissues, but not significantly. Among 8 patients with both cancer and paired noncancerous tissue available for terminal restriction fragments length assay, terminal restriction fragments were shorter in cancers than in paired noncancerous samples in all but one. Significantly more mRNA encoding TRF1 and 2 was detected in noncancerous than in cancer tissues. Additionally, expression of TRF1 and 2 mRNA was significantly higher in cancers without detectable telomerase activity than in cancers showing activity. Expression of these genes tended to show a negative correlation with terminal restriction fragments length, but this was not statistically significant. No correlation was seen between TRF1 or 2 mRNA expression, and clinicopathologic factors except for TRF1 with respect to tumor size and progesterone receptor status. In addition to reactivation of telomerase activity, escape from negative regulation of this activity is needed to maintain telomere length during cell proliferation in breast cancer. Genes encoding telomerase inhibitors might be of value in gene therapy against human breast cancer.