Expression of telomeric repeat binding factor 1 in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Telomeric repeat binding factor 1 (TRF1) is crucial for forming and maintaining the protective telomeric structure. However, the relationship between TRF1 and non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) is not well understood. With this background, we investigated the expressions of the mRNA encoded by the TRF1 gene in cancer tissue and the paired non-cancerous tissue. We also examined whether TRF1 expression is correlated with histopathological features. METHODS: From October 2004 to August 2005, 40 patients with NSCLCs had undergone curative operations, including 29 males and 11 females. There were 20 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 20 cases of adenocarcinoma. We measured the expression of TRF1 mRNA using RT-PCR on 40 surgically resected specimens and the paired non-cancerous tissues. RESULTS: TRF1 mRNA was significantly downregulated in cancer tissue compared with the paired non-cancerous tissue. Additionally, the expression of TRF1 mRNA was significantly associated with the grade of tumor differentiation. No significant difference of TRF1 mRNA level was found between sexes, or among different T-status, clinical stages, pathological subtypes, and lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Downregulation of TRF1 mRNA expression appeared in lung cancer tissue. TRF1 may play a significant role in cell differentiation in NSCLC.