Telomerase activity and metastasis: expansion of cells having higher telomerase activity within culture lines and tumor tissues.
Tumor cells with metastatic potential may have a high telomerase activity that augments telomeric DNA repeats, allowing the cells to escape from the inhibition of cell proliferation due to shortened telomeres. We examined the expression level of telomerase activity using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol among a series of cell lines obtained by repeated transplantation of a mouse fibrosarcoma. The lines could be grouped into three; one has no metastatic potential, and the other two show metastatic abilities after intravenous or subcutaneous injection. Comparison of their telomerase activity indicated that more malignant lines had higher activity. A similar relation was seen in metastatic nodules formed through clonal expansion from the heterogeneous population of inoculated cells; clonality was monitored in terms of variable patterns of subtelomeric repeats. The results suggest that a high level of telomerase activity may not be requisite for metastasis, but may confer a propensity to dominate in a tumor tissue.
Saito
Y
Y
First Department of Biochemistry, Niigata University School of Medicine.
Kosugi
S
S
Suda
T
T
Wakabayashi
Y
Y
Mishima
Y
Y
Hatakeyama
K
K
Kominami
R
R
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D002999:Clone Cells; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D019098:Telomerase