[Quantitative (RT-QPCR) analysis of telomerase subunit in normal endometrial tissues]

Telomerase is a specialized ribonucleoprotein polymerase that elongates telomeres. To clarify the molecular mechanisms through which telomerase is activated in normal endometrium, we examined the expression profiles of each telomerase subunit in this tissues. A total of 22 normal human endometrium in various menstrual phases were examined for the expression of each telomerase subunit (hTERT, hTR, TP-1) using RT-QPCR. The hTERT as well as TP-1 subunit had higher expression levels in proliferative than secretory phase endometrium. Expression levels of hTR did not change during menstrual cycle. Our data showed the strong correlation between the level of expression of telomerase in human endometrium and phase of menstrual cycle.