Fukushima Takao, Yoshino Atsuo, Katayama Yoichi, Watanabe Takao, Kusama Kaoru, Moro Itaru
Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-Kamimachi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan.
Cancer Lett. 2002 Dec 10;187(1-2):191-98. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3835(02)00357-9.
Telomerase, one of the reverse transcriptases that extend telomere length, has been suggested to facilitate tumorigenesis and tumor immortality. Little is yet known, however, concerning the clinical significance of telomerase expression in brain tumors. We found in the present study that telomerase expression may contribute to malignant progression and can be an important indicator of high grade diffusely infiltrating astrocytomas, and its quantitated activity level reflects their growth potential. Telomerase expression and its quantitated activity level are also a good predictor of clinical course as compared with other biological markers and clinical factors.
端粒酶是一种可延长端粒长度的逆转录酶，被认为可促进肿瘤发生和肿瘤永生。然而，关于端粒酶在脑肿瘤中表达的临床意义，目前所知甚少。我们在本研究中发现，端粒酶表达可能有助于恶性进展，并且可能是高级别弥漫性浸润性星形细胞瘤的一个重要指标，其定量活性水平反映了它们的生长潜力。与其他生物学标志物和临床因素相比，端粒酶表达及其定量活性水平也是临床病程的良好预测指标。
