title: Telomere shortening in the esophagus of Japanese alcoholics: relationships with chromoendoscopic findings, ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes and smoking history.
abstract: Chromoendoscopy with Lugol iodine staining provides important information on the development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In particular, distinct iodine-unstained lesions (DIULs) larger than 10 mm show a high prevalence in high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. It has also been reported that inactive ALDH2*1/*2 and less-active ADH1B*1/*1, and smoking, are risk factors for esophageal SCC. We previously examined telomere shortening in the esophageal epithelium of alcoholics, and suggested a high prevalence of chromosomal instability in such individuals. In the present study, we attempted to analyze telomere lengths in 52 DIULs with reference to both their size and multiplicity, ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes, and smoking history. Patients with DIULs <10 mm (n = 42) had significantly longer telomeres than those with DIULs ≥10 mm (n = 10, p = 0.008). No significant differences in telomere length were recognized between the ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes (ALDH2 active/inactive = 35/17, ADH1B active/inactive = 32/20; p = 0.563, 0.784, respectively) or among four groups of patients divided according to smoking history (never-, ex-, light, and heavy smokers = 3, 6, 21, and 22 patients, respectively; p = 0.956). Patients without multiple DIULs (n = 17) had significantly longer telomeres than patients with multiple DIULs (n = 35, p = 0.040). It is suggested that alcoholism reduces telomere length in the esophagus, irrespective of genotype or smoking habit. Telomere shortening may not generate cancer directly, but may create conditions under which SCC can develop more easily, depending on subsequent exposure to carcinogens.
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. aidajs@tmig.or.jp
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aida
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimomura
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Naoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terai
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Mutsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Motoji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sawabe
authors.forename: Tomio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Kaiyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takubo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057229:Alcoholics; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; D000071396:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002503:Centromere / Q000378:metabolism; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D004947:Esophagus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007455:Iodine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000235:genetics*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D007455:Iodine; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; C524846:ALDH1B1 protein, human; C096127:ALDH2 protein, human; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; D000071396:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial