Demonstration of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in human colorectal carcinomas by in situ hybridization

  • Authors:
    • Makoto Kammori
    • Hajime Kanauchi
    • Ken-Ichi Nakamura
    • Masaki Kawahara
    • Thomas K. Weber
    • Ken-Ichi Mafune
    • Michio Kaminishi
    • Kaiyo Takubo
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: January 1, 2002     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.20.1.15
  • Pages: 15-21
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Abstract

Telomerase activity is present in most malignant tumors and provides a mechanism for unlimited replication of neoplastic cells. Expression of the gene encoding human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), the telomerase catalytic subunit gene, is associated with telomerase activity, and it is overexpressed in most colorectal carcinomas. In the present study we assayed telomerase activity by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) and used in situ hybridization (ISH) and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to study hTERT expression in colorectal carcinomas and adjacent normal tissues. Telomerase activity was found in 30/35 (85.7%) of normal mucosae and 35/35 (100%) of adenocarcinomas, and RT-PCR detected hTERT in 33/35 (94.3%) of the carcinomas. ISH, on the other hand, detected weak but significant expression of hTERT in a significant percentage of lymphocytes infiltrating normal colorectal mucosa. hTERT gene expression was detected in the nuclei of adenocarcinoma cells in 27/35 (77.1%) of the lesions. The results of our comparison of telomerase activity and hTERT gene expression by RT-PCR-based ISH appeared contradictory, but a careful review suggested that the discrepancy was attributable to contamination by infiltrating lymphocytes. Our findings suggest that ISH-based analysis of hTERT gene expression is superior to both TRAP telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA RT-PCR analysis as a means of determining telomerase status during carcinogenesis.

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January 2002
Volume 20 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1019-6439
Online ISSN:1791-2423

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Spandidos Publications style
Kammori M, Kanauchi H, Nakamura K, Kawahara M, Weber TK, Mafune K, Kaminishi M and Takubo K: Demonstration of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in human colorectal carcinomas by in situ hybridization. Int J Oncol 20: 15-21, 2002.
APA
Kammori, M., Kanauchi, H., Nakamura, K., Kawahara, M., Weber, T.K., Mafune, K. ... Takubo, K. (2002). Demonstration of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in human colorectal carcinomas by in situ hybridization. International Journal of Oncology, 20, 15-21. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.20.1.15
MLA
Kammori, M., Kanauchi, H., Nakamura, K., Kawahara, M., Weber, T. K., Mafune, K., Kaminishi, M., Takubo, K."Demonstration of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in human colorectal carcinomas by in situ hybridization". International Journal of Oncology 20.1 (2002): 15-21.
Chicago
Kammori, M., Kanauchi, H., Nakamura, K., Kawahara, M., Weber, T. K., Mafune, K., Kaminishi, M., Takubo, K."Demonstration of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in human colorectal carcinomas by in situ hybridization". International Journal of Oncology 20, no. 1 (2002): 15-21. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.20.1.15