Telomerase activity of the Lugol-stained and -unstained squamous epithelia in the process of oesophageal carcinogenesis

Up-regulation of telomerase has been reported in many cancers. Our aim was to characterize telomerase activity in various states of the oesophagus to facilitate better understanding of carcinogenesis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. During endoscopic examinations, we obtained 45 Lugol-stained normal epithelia, 31 Lugol-unstained epithelia (14 oesophagitis, 7 mild dysplasia, 5 severe dysplasia and 5 intramucosal cancer) and 9 advanced cancer. Telomerase activity was semi-quantified by a telomeric repeat amplification protocol using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA was examined by in situ hybridization. In the Lugol-stained normal epithelia, telomerase activity increased in proportion to the increase of severity of the accompanying lesions, with a rank order of advanced cancer, intramucosal cancer, mild dysplasia and oesophagitis. In the Lugol-unstained lesions and advanced cancer, telomerase activity was highest in advanced cancer. Up-regulation of telomerase in normal squamous epithelium may be a marker of progression of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Copyright 2001 Cancer Research Campaign © 2001 Cancer Research Campaignhttp://www.bjcancer.co

Carcinoma de células escamosas oral - contribuição de vírus oncogênicos e alguns marcadores moleculares no desenvolvimento e prognóstico da lesão: uma revisão Oral squamous cell carcinoma - contribution of oncogenic virus and some molecular markers in the development and prognosis of the lesion: a review

O carcinoma de células escamosas oral é um evento de muitas etapas, cuja incidência cresce continuamente, particularmente em jovens, numa amplitude que não pode ser completamente explicada pelo aumento da exposição a fatores de risco, como o tabaco e o álcool. Recentes investigações moleculares sugerem que existem múltiplos eventos genéticos, e vírus oncogênicos que são capazes de alterar as funções normais de oncogenes e genes de supressão tumoral. O objetivo deste artigo foi revisar o conhecimento atual sobre o papel do papilomavírus humano (HPV), Epstein-Barr vírus (EBV), P53 e telomerase no desenvolvimento e prognóstico do carcinoma de células escamosas oral.<br>Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a multistep event that continues to increase in incidence, particularly in the young, and to an extent that cannot be fully explained by increased exposure to known risk factors, as tobacco or alcohol. Recent molecular investigations suggest that there are multiple genetic events, and oncogenic virus that are able to alter the normal functions of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. The aim of the present article was to review the current knowledge on the role of Human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), P53 and telomerase in the development and prognosis of the oral squamous cell carcinoma

Dysregulated expression of the major telomerase components in leukaemic stem cells

Telomere loss is rapid during the progression of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and correlates with prognosis. We therefore sought to measure expression of the major telomerase components (hTR and hTERT) in CD34&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; cells from CML patients and normal controls, to determine if their altered expression may contribute to telomere attrition &lt;i&gt;in vivo&lt;/i&gt;. High-purity (median 94.1%) &lt;i&gt;BCR-ABL&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; CD34&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; cells from CML (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt;=16) and non-CML (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt;=14) patients were used. CML samples had a small increase in telomerase activity (TA) compared to normal samples (approximately 1.5-fold, &lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt;=0.004), which was inversely correlated with the percentage of G&lt;sub&gt;0&lt;/sub&gt; cells (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt;=0.02) suggesting TA may not be elevated on a cell-to-cell basis in CML. Consistent with this, hTERT mRNA expression was not significantly elevated; however, altered mRNA splicing appeared to play a significant role in determining overall full length, functional hTERT levels. Interestingly, Q-RT-PCR for hTR demonstrated a mean five-fold reduction in levels in the chronic phase (CP) CML samples (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt;=0.002), raising the possibility that telomere homeostasis is disrupted in CML. In summary, the molecular events regulating telomerase gene expression and telomere maintenance during the CP of CML may influence the disease progression observed in these patients