Telomerase activity analysis of esophageal carcinoma using microdissection-TRAP assay.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate telomerase activity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its preneoplasia lesions, and to study the relationships between telomerase activity and cancer differentiation, cancer invasiveness, and lymphatic metastasis.


METHODS
Telomerase activity in esophageal SCC tissues, adjacent dysplasia tissues and normal epithelia from the surgical edge were assessed by microdissection-TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol)-silver staining assay.


RESULTS
Telomerase activity was detected in 37 (82.2%) of 45 esophageal tumors, 23 (79.3%) of 29 dysplasias, and 2 (5%) of 40 normal epithelia. There was a significant difference in activity between dysplasia and normal epithelium, as well as between tumor and normal epithelium. Twenty-six (92.9%) of 28 tumors with lymphatic metastasis had detectable telomerase activity compared to 11 (64.7%) of 17 non-lymphatic metastasis tumors. These relationships were statistically significant (P < 0.05), but the one between telomerase activity and tumor grade was not.


CONCLUSIONS
Telomerase activity was high both in esophageal SCC and their preneoplasia lesions. The telomerase activity in SCC tissue was related to lymphatic metastasis, but not to cancer differentiation.
Li
Chun
C
Department of Pathology, Shantou University Medical College, China. chli@stu.edu.cn
Liang
Yingrui
Y
Wu
Mingyao
M
Xu
Liyan
L
Cai
Weijia
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004210:Dissection; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011230:Precancerous Conditions; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016615:Telomere
D019098:Telomerase