Satra M, Gatselis N, Iliopoulos D, Zacharoulis D, Dalekos G N, Tsezou A
Department of Biology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
J Viral Hepat. 2007 Jan;14(1):41-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2006.00769.x.
We determined, for the first time, the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA expression, using real-time quantitative PCR, in liver tissues from patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC; n = 13), chronic hepatitis B (n = 19) and C (n = 13). Liver tissues from the 45 patients and 17 patients without liver disease in whom liver biopsy was performed during cholecystectomy (control group), were investigated for telomerase activity (TA) and hTERT mRNA expression using the LightCycler technology. TA was detected in all HCC tissues compared with 15.6% of chronic hepatitis (P < 0.001) and none of controls (P < 0.001). TA levels and hTERT mRNA were higher in HCC compared with chronic hepatitis (P < 0.001) and normal livers (P < 0.001). hTERT mRNA expression was correlated with TA (P < 0.05). Chronic hepatitis patients who tested negative for TA and hTERT mRNA had significantly lower disease duration (58 +/- 85 months) compared with those tested positive (144 +/- 50 months; P < 0.05). Detection of TA and quantification of hTERT mRNA expression in liver tissues could be useful and additional markers for HCC diagnosis and may serve as prognostic markers for HCC development in chronic viral hepatitis patients. However, we were not able to draw general conclusions at this moment, as the number of chronic hepatitis patients positive for hTERT mRNA was relatively small. Real-time quantification of hTERT mRNA expression as a diagnostic/prognostic marker in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C and its relationship with hepatocarcinogenesis needs further evaluation.
我们首次采用实时定量聚合酶链反应，测定了肝细胞癌患者（n = 13）、慢性乙型肝炎患者（n = 19）和慢性丙型肝炎患者（n = 13）肝脏组织中的人端粒酶逆转录酶（hTERT）mRNA表达。使用LightCycler技术，对45例患者的肝脏组织以及17例在胆囊切除术时进行肝脏活检的无肝脏疾病患者（对照组）的肝脏组织，进行端粒酶活性（TA）和hTERT mRNA表达检测。与15.6%的慢性肝炎患者（P < 0.001）和所有对照组患者（P < 0.001）相比，所有肝细胞癌组织均检测到TA。与慢性肝炎（P < 0.001）和正常肝脏（P < 0.001）相比，肝细胞癌中的TA水平和hTERT mRNA更高。hTERT mRNA表达与TA相关（P < 0.05）。TA和hTERT mRNA检测呈阴性的慢性肝炎患者，其病程（58±85个月）显著短于检测呈阳性的患者（144±50个月；P < 0.05）。检测肝脏组织中的TA以及定量hTERT mRNA表达，可能是肝细胞癌诊断的有用补充标志物，并可作为慢性病毒性肝炎患者肝细胞癌发生的预后标志物。然而，由于hTERT mRNA呈阳性的慢性肝炎患者数量相对较少，我们目前尚无法得出一般性结论。对慢性乙型和丙型肝炎患者hTERT mRNA表达进行实时定量，作为诊断/预后标志物及其与肝癌发生的关系，需要进一步评估。
