[Telomerase expression in various lesions of adrenal cortex].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expression of telomerase in various lesions of adrenal cortex.


METHODS
By autoradiography-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol, telomerase expression was detected in 36 samples of adrenocortical lesions, including 29 cases adrenocortical adenoma (8 Cushing's syndrome, 17 aldosteronism and 4 nonfunctional adenomas), 5 cases of hyperplasia of adrenal cortex (presented with Chushing' syndrome), 2 cases adrenocortical carcinoma, and 4 samples of normal adrenal cortex.


RESULTS
Of the 40 samples, 2 cases of adrenocortical carcinomas had telomerase expression, and the others had no telomerase expression detected.


CONCLUSIONS
No significant telomerase expression was found among different endocrine functional benign adrenocortical lesions. Telomerase expression may be used as an important marker of malignant adrenocortical tumor.
Mao
Quan-zong
QZ
Department of Urology, PUMC Hospital, CAMS, PUMC, Beijing 100730, China. Maoqz@csc.pumch.ac.cn
Rong
Shi
S
Fan
Jin-hai
JH
Ji
Zhi-gang
ZG
Li
Han-zhong
HZ
Zang
Mei-fu
MF
D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000201:enzymology*; D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D018246:Adrenocortical Adenoma / Q000201:enzymology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D019098:Telomerase / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019098:Telomerase