反义端粒酶RNA对人胃癌细胞端粒长度及端粒酶活性调控的研究

 目的　探讨反义端粒酶RNA(hTR)对人胃癌细胞 端粒长度(TRF)及端粒酶活性的调控作 用。方法　应用反义hTR真核表达载体经脂质体介导转染胃癌细胞SGC7901 ,通过分子杂交及端粒重复扩增PCR方法检测hTR表达及端粒、端粒酶活性变化。结 果　经HYR筛选,转染细胞形成稳定克隆,反义hTR表达增强、正义hTR表达下调,平 均TRF缩短、端粒酶活性受抑。结论　反义hTR对胃癌细胞TRF及端粒酶活性 的调控可能是通过其对hTR模板的“封闭”而发挥作用的,反义hTR可以作为胃癌基因治疗的 一种新靶点。     

HPV18 E6 E7基因诱发的人胎儿食管上皮永生化和恶性转化细胞端粒长度和端粒酶活性

目的：探讨端粒长度、端粒酶活性以及端粒酶亚单位组分（hTERT、hTR）的表达与食管上皮细胞永生化和恶性转化之间的关系。方法：对HPV18E6E7基因诱发的人胎儿食管上皮永生化细胞系SHEE和恶性转经细胞系SHEEC,通过Southern blot检测端粒长度（TRF）,TRAP法测定端粒酶活性,RT－PCR研究端粒酶催化亚单位（hTERT)端粒酶RNA成分（hTR）的表达。结果：SHEE细胞和SHEEC细胞的端料平均长度比正常食管上皮细胞的明显缩短,但稳定维持在一定长度范围内。SHEE细胞和SHEEC细胞均具有端料酶活性,并均有hTERT和hTR表达。结论：端粒酶表达活化使端粒维持在一定长度是永生化食管上皮细胞SHEE和恶性转化细胞SHEEC能够稳定分裂增殖的重要因素之一。     

Antiadhesive effects of GRN163L--an oligonucleotide N3'->P5' thio-phosphoramidate targeting telomerase

We determined previously that a novel human telomerase RNA (hTR) antagonist, GRN163L, inhibited the tumorigenic potential of A549-luciferase (A549-luc) lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Further studies revealed that A549-luc cells were also morphologically altered by GRN163L. A549-luc cells treated before cell attachment with a single dose of GRN163L only weakly attached to the substrate and remained rounded, whereas control mismatch-treated cells exhibited typical epitheloid appearance and adhesion properties. These morphologic changes were independent of hTR expression and telomerase inhibition and were unrelated to telomere length. This effect is dependent on the molecular properties of the lipid moiety, the phosphorothioate backbone, and the presence of triplet-G sequences within the GRN163L structure. Altered adhesion was manifested by a 50% reduction in rapid cellular attachment and a 3-fold decrease in total cell spreading surface area. Administration of a single dose of GRN163L (15 mg/kg) at the time of cell inoculation, using an in vivo model of lung cancer metastasis, resulted in significant reductions in tumor burden at days 13, 20, and 27 of tumor progression. Thus, the potent antimetastatic effects of GRN163L may be related, in part, to the antiadhesive effects of this novel cancer therapeutic conferred via specific structural determinants and that these effects are independent of telomerase inhibition or telomere shortening.     

2-5A antisense therapy directed against human telomerase RNA inhibits telomerase activity and induces apoptosis without telomere impairment in cervical cancer cells

Human telomerase RNA (hTR), an important component of telomerase, is a possible target of telomerase-based cancer gene therapy. The present study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of antisense hTR therapy using newly developed 2-5A (5'-phosphorylated 2'-5'-linked oligoadenylate)-linked oligonucleotides against cervical cancer cells. ME180 and SiHa cells were treated with 2-5A-linked antisense hTR designed to complement the region of hTR between residues 76 and 94. The hTR expression, telomerase activity, cell viability, and apoptosis were then examined. The 2-5A anti-hTR effectively degraded hTR and inhibited telomerase activity. The 2-5A mutant anti-hTR and the anti-hTR without 2-5A were not capable of inhibiting telomerase activity. Inhibition of telomerase by 2-5A anti-hTR rapidly decreased cell viability only in telomerase-positive cells within 3-6 days after the treatment, when telomere length has not yet been shortened. This inhibition was associated with apoptosis, possibly through activation of caspase family members. These findings suggest that 2-5A-linked antisense-hTR therapy has a potent telomerase-inhibitory effect associated with a cytocidal effect from caspase-induced apoptosis, and may therefore be a potential tool in telomerase-based gene therapy against cervical cancers.     

PAX8 regulates telomerase reverse transcriptase and telomerase RNA component in glioma

Paired box (PAX) developmental genes are frequently expressed in cancers and confer survival advantages on cancer cells. We have previously found that PAX genes are deregulated in glioma. We have now investigated the expression of PAX genes in glioma and their role in telomere maintenance. The mRNA level of PAX8 showed a positive correlation with telomerase activity in glioma biopsies (r(2) = 0.75, P < 0.001) and in established glioma cell lines (r(2) = 0.97, P = 0.0025). We found that PAX8 is able to coordinately transactivate the promoter for both the telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) and the telomerase RNA component (hTR) genes. By electrophoretic mobility shift assay, quantitative PCR, and a telomerase activity assay, we show that PAX8 binds directly to the hTERT and hTR promoters, up-regulating hTERT and hTR mRNA, as well as telomerase activity. Additionally, PAX8 small interfering RNA down-regulated hTERT and hTR. Collectively, these results show that PAX8 may have a role in telomerase regulation.     

Delivering antisense telomerase RNA by a hybrid adenovirus/ adeno-associated virus significantly suppresses the malignant phenotype and enhances cell apoptosis of human breast cancer cells

Activated telomerase is frequently detected in cancer cells and is able to maintain and stabilize the integrity of telomeres; it also contributes to unlimited divisions in cancer cells. Recently, a new generation of selective anticancer strategies is under development targeting the blockage of telomerase activity either at the protein level or telomerase RNA. Here, we report suppression of the malignant phenotype by the expression of the full-length antisense human telomerase RNA (hTR) delivered by a novel hybrid vector recombining adenovirus and adeno-associated virus (vAd-AAV). The hybrid vector vAd-AAV retained the unique traits from two parental viruses, such as high efficiency of gene transfer in mammalian cells and the ability to integrate into the genomic DNA of host cells. The stable expression of antisense hTR in MCF-7 cells significantly suppressed telomerase activity and progressively shortened telomere length for 30 population doublings (PD30). Expression of antisense hTR leads to a telomere-based growth arrest and the induction of spontaneous apoptosis. Antisense hTR decreased soft agar colony formation and reduced the cell proliferation, leading to exit from the cell cycle at G1 at PD15. The expression of antisense hTR also sensitized MCF-7 cells to apoptosis induced by sodium butyrate or serum starvation. Our study demonstrates that delivering antisense hTR by the hybrid Ad/AAV vector is an effective antineoplastic gene therapeutic strategy, which significantly suppresses the malignant phenotype and enhances apoptosis of human breast cancer cells.     

Inhibition of human telomerase enhances the effect of chemotherapeutic agents in lung cancer cells

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that maintains protective structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Earlier studies have reported that the presence of telomerase activity in tumors of patients with non-small cell lung cancer patients correlates with a high proliferation rate and advanced pathological stage. Thus, the modification of telomerase activity may be a potential therapeutic modality for the treatment of lung and other cancers. We introduced vectors encoding dominant negative (DN)-hTERT, or wild-type (WT)-hTERT, or a control vector expressing only a drug-resistance marker, into the A549 lung cancer cell line, and assessed the biological effect of telomerase inhibition on cellular immortality. Ectopic expression of DN-hTERT resulted in complete inhibition of telomerase activity and reduction of telomere length. The entire population of telomerase-inhibited A549 cells exhibited cytoplasmic blebbling and chromatin condensation, which are features of apoptosis. In contrast, A549 cells expressing wild-type hTERT, which differs from the mutants by only two amino acids, exhibited normal morphology. Evidence for apoptosis in the telomerase-inhibited cells was provided by flow cytometric analysis with APO2.7 monoclonal antibody. We also observed enhanced induction of apoptosis by chemotherapeutic reagents, including cisplatin, docetaxel and etoposide, in DN-hTERT-expressing A549 cells, as compared with WT-hTERT-expressing cells. These results demonstrate that disruption of telomere maintenance limits the cellular lifespan of lung cancer cells, and show that the combined use of chemotherapeutic agents and telomere maintenance inhibition may be effective in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.     

Long-term cultivation of colorectal carcinoma cells with anti-cancer drugs induces drug resistance and telomere elongation: an in vitro study

Background

The role of telomerase activation in the expression and/or maintenance of drug resistance is not clearly understood. Therefore, we investigated the relationships, among the telomerase activity, telomere length and the expression of multidrug resistance genes in colorectal cancer cell lines cultivated with anti-cancer drugs.

Methods

LoVo and DLD-1 cells were continuously grown in the presence of both CDDP and 5-FU for up to 100 days. Cell proliferation, telomerase activity, telomere length and the expression of multidrug resistance genes were serially monitored as the PDL increased.

Results

The expression of multidrug resistance genes tended to increase as the PDL increased. However, an abnormal aneuploid clone was not detected as far as the cells were monitored by a DNA histogram analysis. Tumor cells showing resistance to anti-cancer drugs revealed a higher cell proliferation rate. The telomere length gradually increased with a progressive PDL. The telomerase activity reached a maximum level at 15 PDL in LoVo cells and at 27 PDL in DLD-1 cells. An increase in the mRNA expression of the telomerase components, especially in hTERT and in hTR, was observed at the same PDLs.

Conclusions

These results suggest that a high telomerase activity and an elongation of telomeres both appear to help maintain and/or increase drug resistance in colorectal cancer cells. Cancer cells with long telomeres and a high proliferative activity may thus be able to better survive exposure to anti-cancer drugs. This is presumably due to an increased chromosome stability and a strong expression of both mdr-1 and MRP genes.     

Attenuation of Telomerase Activity by siRNA Targeted Telomerase RNA Leads to Apoptosis and Inhibition of Proliferation in Human Renal Carcinoma Cells

OBJECTIVE Telomerase is an attractive molecular target for cancer therapy because the activation of telomerase is one of the key steps in cell immortalization and carcinogenesis. RNA interference using small-interfering RNA (siRNA) has been demonstrated to be an effective method for inhibiting the expression of a given gene in human cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether inhibition of telomerase activity by siRNA targeted against human telomerase RNA (hTR) can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptotic cell death in human renal carcinoma cells (HRCCs). METHODS The siRNA duplexes for hTR were synthesized and 786-0 HRCCs were transfected with different concentrations of hTR-siRNA. The influence on the hTR mRNA level, telomerase activity, as well as the effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis was examined. RESULTS Anti-hTR siRNA treatment of HRCCs resulted in specific reduction of hTR mRNA and inhibition of telomerase activity. Additionally, significant inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis were observed. CONCLUSION siRNA against the hTR gene can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis by blocking telomerase activity of HRCCs. Specific hTR inhibition by siRNA represents a promising new option for renal cancer treatment.