title: Purification of diseased cells from Barrett's esophagus and related lesions by laser capture microdissection.
abstract: Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma (BEAC) arises from Barrett's esophagus (BE), a premalignant lesion caused by acid reflux (heartburn). Although the cancer is uncommon, its incidence is rapidly rising in western countries. Like most other cancers, BEAC cells also have elevated telomerase activity which maintains telomere length and supports continued proliferation of these cells. It is not clear if telomerase is activated early at premalignant (BE) stage, because reports of telomerase activity in Barrett's and normal esophagi have been controversial. We have shown that detection of telomerase and telomeres becomes easier and much more reliable if purified BE cells are used instead of tissue specimens. This chapter, therefore, emphasizes the importance of laser capture microdissection and provides the method to purify Barrett's esophagus related cells, using this technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Harvard (Dana Farber) Cancer Institute and VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA. masood_shammas@dfci.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Masood A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shammas
authors.forename: Manjula Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D057075:Enzyme Assays; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D042282:Microdissection / Q000379:methods*; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D012313:RNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019098:Telomerase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; D019098:Telomerase