title: Expression of telomerase RNA, telomerase activity, and telomere length in human gliomas.
abstract: To understand the mechanisms of telomere maintenance in human gliomas, telomerase activity, telomerase RNA expression and telomere length of surgically excised glioma samples were analyzed. Sixty-five percent of gliomas exhibited telomerase activity, the occurrence of which was not related to their histological malignancy scale. Not only the telomerase-positive gliomas, but also the telomerase-negative gliomas and normal brain expressed telomerase RNA, suggesting that the presence of telomerase RNA component does not indicate the presence of telomerase activity. Compared with telomerase-positive gliomas, telomerase-negative gliomas had long heterogeneous telomeric terminal restriction fragments. These data suggest that in addition to the telomerase-dependent mechanism, a telomerase-independent mechanism for telomere maintenance may be present in human gliomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Niigata University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morii
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Onda
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsumanuma
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000235:genetics; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016615:Telomere / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D019098:Telomerase