Chadeneau C, Hay K, Hirte H W, Gallinger S, Bacchetti S
Department of Pathology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Cancer Res. 1995 Jun 15;55(12):2533-6.
Shortening of telomeres may contribute to the control of the proliferative capacity of normal cells, and telomerase, the enzyme that elongates telomeric DNA, may be essential for unlimited cell proliferation. We have shown previously that telomerase activity is present in human cells immortalized in vitro and in metastatic ovarian carcinoma cells but is undetectable in normal cultured cells or normal tissues. We have determined the temporal pattern of telomerase activity during colorectal carcinogenesis in man. We report that telomerase activity is associated with acquisition of malignancy as it is detectable in colorectal carcinoma but not in adenomatous polyps. Mutations leading to reactivation or upregulation of the enzyme may represent an additional required event in the multistep development of colorectal cancer.
端粒缩短可能有助于控制正常细胞的增殖能力，而端粒酶，即延长端粒DNA的酶，对于细胞的无限增殖可能至关重要。我们之前已经表明，端粒酶活性存在于体外永生化的人类细胞和转移性卵巢癌细胞中，但在正常培养细胞或正常组织中无法检测到。我们已经确定了人类结直肠癌发生过程中端粒酶活性的时间模式。我们报告说，端粒酶活性与恶性肿瘤的获得有关，因为它在结直肠癌中可检测到，但在腺瘤性息肉中未检测到。导致该酶重新激活或上调的突变可能代表了结直肠癌多步骤发展中另一个必需的事件。
