Lin Y, Miyamoto H, Fujinami K, Uemura H, Hosaka M, Iwasaki Y, Kubota Y
Department of Urology, Yokohama City University, School of Medicine, 3-9, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236, Japan.
Clin Cancer Res. 1996 Jun;2(6):929-32.
Telomerase can synthesize telomeric DNA repeats onto chromosome ends. Telomere length and telomerase activity have recently been implicated in the control of the proliferative capacity of normal and malignant cells. The expression of telomerase activity is concomitant with the attainment of immortality in tumor tissues and cells. Thus, enzyme activity may indicate a prevalent or even ubiquitous tumor producer. In this report, telomerase activity was analyzed in 40 human bladder cancers, 7 normal tissues, and 2 bladder epithelia with dysplasia using a PCR-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay. Telomerase activity was detected in almost all bladder tumors (97.5%); only one sample, which was in an early stage, did not express telomerase activity. None of the normal tissues displayed telomerase activity. One of the two bladder epithelia with dysplasia expressed low telomerase activity. The expression of telomerase activity has a clear association with the pathological grade and clinical stage. Most of the tumors with high telomerase activity were in an advanced grade and had deep invasion. Thus, telomerase activity might be suggested to represent an additional required event in the multigenetic process of tumorigenesis in human bladder cancer.
端粒酶能够在染色体末端合成端粒DNA重复序列。端粒长度和端粒酶活性最近被认为与正常细胞和恶性细胞的增殖能力控制有关。端粒酶活性的表达与肿瘤组织和细胞获得永生化相伴。因此，酶活性可能表明一种普遍甚至广泛存在的肿瘤产生因素。在本报告中，使用基于聚合酶链反应（PCR）的端粒重复序列扩增协议分析法，对40例人类膀胱癌、7例正常组织以及2例发育异常的膀胱上皮进行了端粒酶活性分析。几乎所有膀胱癌（97.5%）都检测到了端粒酶活性；只有一个早期样本未表达端粒酶活性。正常组织均未显示端粒酶活性。2例发育异常的膀胱上皮中有1例表达了低水平的端粒酶活性。端粒酶活性的表达与病理分级和临床分期有明显关联。大多数端粒酶活性高的肿瘤处于高级别且有深层浸润。因此，端粒酶活性可能被认为是人类膀胱癌多基因致癌过程中另一个必要事件。
