端粒酶逆转录酶基因修饰人骨髓间质干细胞的实验研究

目的： 观察外源性hTERT基因的异位表达对人骨髓间质干细胞（MSCs）端粒酶活性及细胞生命周期的影响。方法： 将携带有增强型绿色荧光蛋白（EGFP）报告基因和人端粒酶逆转录酶（hTERT）目的基因的质粒pEGFP-hTERT通过脂质体转染法转入人骨髓MSCs中，并用G418筛选法进行抗性克隆的筛选与扩增。通过RT-PCR和PCR-ELISA对转染前后hTERT mRNA的表达情况及其对端粒酶活性的影响进行检测。将转染细胞在EGF和bFGF的联合诱导下向神经元样细胞定向诱导分化，并用RT-PCR进行鉴定。结果： 未转染的人骨髓MSCs hTERT mRNA表达阴性，且端粒酶呈阴性而转染hTERT基因的人骨髓MSCs hTERTmRNA表达阳性，且端粒酶呈阳性。转染hTERT基因的人骨髓MSCs在体外已连续传到第35代，而未转染的人骨髓MSCs传到第20-25代左右已衰老死亡。 转染hTERT基因的人骨髓MSCs经EGF和bFGF的联合诱导后，较多细胞出现了典型的神经元样形态，且经RT-PCR检测表明，神经元特征性蛋白微管相关蛋白（MAP₂）和神经丝亚单位M（NF-M）表达增强。结论： 外源性hTERT基因可以在人骨髓MSCs中获得异位表达，并能诱导人骨髓MSCs的端粒酶活性。外源性hTERT基因的异位表达不仅可以使人骨髓间质干细胞的寿命明显延长而且不影响其维持干细胞的多向分化潜能特性。     

Telomerase promoter reprogramming and interaction with general transcription factors in the human mesenchymal stem cell

The human adult mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) does not express telomerase and has been shown to be the target for neoplastic transformation after transduction with hTERT. These findings lend support to the stem cell hypothesis of cancer development but by supplying hTERT, the molecular events required to upregulate hTERT expression in cancer development are missed. Therefore, the hMSC is ideal for the identification of molecular mechanisms regulating telomerase gene expression in stem cells. This study shows that the repression of hTERT expression in hMSC is chromatin based and that modifications of the chromatin environment lead to reactivation of telomerase gene expression. It is shown that repression of hTERT expression in hMSCs is due to promoter-specific histone hypoacetylation coupled with low Pol II and TFIIB trafficking. This repression is overcome by treatment with Trichostatin A (TSA), an HDAC inhibitor, concomitant with increases in promoter-specific histone acetylation and increases in Pol II and TFIIB tracking. hTR expression is also increased in TSA-treated hMSCs, concomitant with changes in Pol II and TFIIB dynamics.     

Bypass of senescence, immortalization, and transformation of human hematopoietic progenitor cells

We attempted to extend the lifespan of CD34+ stem/progenitor cells in human cord blood (CB) by transduction with lentiviral vectors carrying the human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) and/or the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6 and E7 oncogenes. We found that hTERT was incapable of prolonging the replicative capacity of CB cells maintained under serum-free conditions in the presence of stem cell factor, Flt3 ligand, thrombopoietin, and interleukin-3 beyond 4 months (n=3). However, transduced CB cells cultured in the same cytokine cocktail constitutively expressing HPV16 E6/E7 alone (n=2) or in concert with hTERT (n=9) continued to proliferate, giving rise to permanent (>2 years) cell lines with a CD45+ CD34- CD133+/- CD44+ CD235a+ CD71+ CD203+ CD33+ CD13+ myeloerythroid/mast cell progenitor phenotype. Notably, CB cell cultures expressing only HPV16 E6/E7 went through a crisis period, and the resulting oligoclonal cell lines were highly aneuploid. By comparison, the CB cell lines obtained by coexpression of HPV16 E6/E7 plus hTERT exhibited near-diploid karyotypes with minimal chromosomal aberrations, concomitant with stabilization of telomere length, yet were clonally derived. The immortalized E6/E7 plus hTERT-expressing CB cells were not tumorigenic when injected intravenously or subcutaneously into sublethally irradiated immunodeficient nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice but could be converted to a malignant state by ectopic expression of a v-H-ras or BCR-ABL oncogene. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms governing the senescence checkpoint of primitive human hematopoietic precursors and establish a paradigm for studies of the multistep process of human leukemogenesis.     

质粒介导的RNAi抑制端粒酶活性

为了探讨靶向人端粒酶反转录酶（hTERT）基因的小干扰RNA（siRNA）表达载体是否具有抑制HeLa细胞端粒酶活性的能力，人工合成2条64个核苷酸（nt）的片段，其中19nt与hTERT基因1789-1807位碱基同源，将其退火、连接到质粒psUPER中，构建psUP—hTE。在psUP—hTE基础上，把该质粒的启动子和64nt插入片段酶切、克隆到质粒pEGFP—C1中生成pEGFP—hTE。从而获得新霉素抗性筛选质粒。将pEGFP—hTE用脂质体转染HeLa细胞，G418筛选后获得抗性克隆并将其收获、传代，用不同方法检测hTERT的mRNA和蛋白表达水平、HeLa细胞的端粒酶活性以及细胞的增殖能力。结果显示，pEGFP—hTE转染的HeLa细胞与对照组比较，hTERT的mRNA水平下降及蛋白表达减少、细胞端粒酶活性降低38％，但细胞增殖能力没有明显改变。以上结果表明，pEGFP—hTE能通过RNA干扰（RNAi）途径特异性抑制HeLa细胞hTERT基因的表达，从而有效抑制细胞端粒酶话性，这可能将为肿瘤生物治疗提供一条新的途径。     

hTERT基因反义核酸对Jurkat细胞端粒酶活性影响

目的:检测hTERT基因反义核酸对Jurkat细胞端粒酶活性的影响及其机制。方法:TRAP法检测端粒酶活性,流式细胞仪检测hTERT蛋白表达,逆转录-多聚酶链式反应检测hTERTmRNA表达。结果:检测端粒酶活性,Jurkat细胞吸光度A值为0.492±0.051,hTERT反义核酸作用48hA值降为0.351±0.051,hTERT反义核酸作用72hA值降为0.238±0.024;检测hTERT蛋白表达,Jurkat细胞hTERT蛋白阳性率89.513%±3.389%,hTERT反义核酸作用48hhTERT蛋白阳性率低至77.237%±2.872%,hTERT反义核酸作用72hhTERT蛋白阳性率低至47.767%±1.326%。而hTERT正义核酸无上述作用。hTERT反义核酸作用Jurkat细胞48h、72h对hTERTmRNA表达无影响。结论:hTERT反义核酸降低Jurkat细胞端粒酶活性,机制可能是降低hTERT蛋白表达量,对hTERTmRNA无影响。     

Expression of telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) mRNA does not predict survival in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that synthesizes telomeric repeats onto chromosomal ends using a segment of its RNA component as a template. Its activity has become an established indicator of the diagnosis, biological behavior, and prognosis of several tumors. However, few studies have investigated the diagnostic and prognostic importance of the expression of telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) mRNA in transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (TCC-UUT). We investigated the expression of hTERT mRNA using in situ hybridization in 125 cases of TCC-UUT, and also its relation with the expression of telomerase RNA component (hTERC), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunoreactivity, clinicopathologic parameters, and clinical outcome. A positive expression of hTERT mRNA was recognized in 93.6% of the samples and was apparent within the cytoplasm of tumor cells. In the normal urothelium examined in a few cases, its expression was barely detected. hTERT mRNA scores showed a significant association with hTERC score. However, no relationship was found between the expression of hTERT mRNA and clinicopathologic findings, PCNA index, or prognosis. These results suggest that the expression of hTERT mRNA does not predict prognosis in TCC-UUT.