Non‐radioactive measurement of telomerase activity in human bladder cancer, bladder washings, and in urine

Abstract

Ordered porous alumina with uniform as well as nanofunnel‐shaped pore structures are fabricated by using interference lithography to template pore formation and to control the pore spacing, and by using electrolyte changes to independently control and vary the diameters of the pores.

In Situ Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol (TRAP) Detecting Telomerase Activity in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

“…Though in situ TRAP assay in detecting telomerase activity on cells was developed recently [6,17], there is no report on telomerase activity in cryostat liver tissue sections so far.…”

Clinical utility of telomerase in cancer

“…The reports of urine samples have been somewhat controversial in regards to telomerase detection (Orlando et al, 2001). The sensitivities in washing samples of bladder were relatively high in the patients with consequently having bladder cancer, but in the studies conducted to the present using cells obtained from voided urine the sensitivities have been variable (Heine et al, 1998;Kinoshita et al, 1997;Muller et al, 1996). This di erence may be derived from the varying numbers of viable cells in the samples.…”

Expression of Telomerase Catalytic Subunit (hTERT) mRNA Does Not Predict Survival in Patients with Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract

“…Those authors suggested that cells expressing high levels of telomerase have a selective growth advantage because of the improved stability of chromosomes with restored telomeres. In TCC of the urinary tract, a relationship between telomerase activity and progression (as defined by stage and grade) has not been found in previous studies (11,15,22). With regard to the relationship between hTERT expression and clinicopathologic findings in TCC of the bladder, only one report (dealing with 35 cases) has found that increases in pathologic grade and clinical stage correlated with an increased hTERT expression (assessed using RT-PCR) (17).…”

“…This incidence accords well with the figure (86%-98%) obtained for positive telomerase activity using the TRAP assay (10 -16), the figure (88%) obtained for hTERC expression using RT-PCR (19), and that (91%-100%) obtained for hTERT expression using RT-PCR (17)(18)(19) in previously published studies of transitional cell carcinomas of the urinary bladder. Furthermore, it is well known that telomerase activity and hTERT expression are not present in most normal urothelia (11,13,15,18). Several investigators have demonstrated a close relationship between hTERT expression and telomerase activity, indicating that transcription of hTERT may be involved in the mechanism underlying telomerase regulation (6).…”