hTR repressor-related gene on human chromosome 10p15.1. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Somatic cells express genes that suppress telomerase activity and these genes may be inactivated in tumour cells. We postulated that cancer cells acquire immortality by activation of telomerase by the loss of such a gene. We have reported recently that a telomerase repressor gene may be located on 10p15.1 by deletion mapping using microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT), radiated microcell fusion (RMF), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and STS analysis. To independently confirm this result, we correlated expression of RNA component of telomerase (hTR) as a marker of telomerase expression by in situ hybridization with allelic loss in pulmonary carcinoid tumours. Unlike most malignant tumours, pulmonary carcinoids (which are low-grade malignant tumours) are heterogeneous for telomerase expression. Loss of 5 closely spaced polymorphic markers on 10p15.1, especially D10S1728, were highly correlated with hTR expression. In an additional experiment, 10p15.1 showed higher and more significant correlation than any region of 3p where it has been predicted as another chromosomal location of telomerase repressor with allelic loss of the region. Our findings strongly suggest that 10p15.1 harbours a gene involved in repression of telomerase RNA component in human somatic cells and each putative repressor (on 3p and 10p) may act independently.

publication date

  • November 16, 2001

Research

keywords

  • Carcinoid Tumor
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10
  • Genes, Tumor Suppressor
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • RNA, Untranslated
  • Telomerase

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC2363951

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0035900798

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1054/bjoc.2001.2121

PubMed ID

  • 11720437

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 85

issue

  • 10