Androgen depletion activates telomerase in the prostate of the nonhuman primate, Macaca mulatta.
BACKGROUND
The activity of telomerase, an enzyme that synthesizes telomeric repeats at the ends of chromosomes, is not detectable in normal human prostate. However, the majority of human prostate cancers exhibit telomerase activity. Since androgens play a major role in prostate tumorigenesis, we investigated the effect of androgen-depletion on the expression of telomerase activity in the prostate.


METHODS
Adult male rhesus monkeys were either bilaterally castrated or subjected to sham surgery (n = 5 each). Approximately 6 weeks later, the animals were killed and the different regions of the prostate gland were removed and frozen immediately. Telomerase activity was assayed using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol.


RESULTS
All five regions of the prostate from sham operated control animals failed to exhibit telomerase activity. In the castrated monkey, all regions of the prostate, except for the anterior lobe, expressed high levels of telomerase activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that in monkeys, androgen-ablation leads to up-regulation of telomerase activity. The negative-regulation of telomerase activity by androgens is probably lost during prostate tumorigenesis.
Ravindranath
N
N
Department of Cell Biology and Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
Ioffe
S L
SL
Marshall
G R
GR
Ramaswamy
S
S
Plant
T M
TM
Dym
M
M
D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration / Q000662:veterinary; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000502:physiology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D019098:Telomerase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology
D000728:Androgens; D019098:Telomerase