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Telomerase Activity in the Various Regions of Mouse Brain: Non-Radioactive Telomerase Repeat Amplification Protocol (TRAP) Assay
Published on: September 2, 2014
Telomerase in intracranial meningiomas
L Boldrini1, S Pistolesi, S Gisfredi
1Department of Surgery, Division of Pathology, University of Pisa, Via Roma 57, I-56126 Pisa, Italy. l.boldrini@med.unipi.it
International Journal of Molecular Medicine
|November 13, 2003
Summary
Telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA expression are significantly higher in aggressive meningiomas. These markers correlate with tumor grade and relapse risk, suggesting their role in intracranial tumor progression.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Telomere length maintenance is crucial for cancer cell proliferation.
- Telomerase, a reverse transcriptase, is key to stabilizing telomeres in most human tumors.
- Meningiomas are common primary intracranial tumors with variable clinical behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA expression in meningiomas.
- To correlate these markers with histologic patterns and cytonuclear atypia.
- To assess their association with tumor grade and relapse risk.
Main Methods:
- Telomerase activity assessed using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay.
- Telomerase messenger expression (hTERT mRNA) quantified via reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR).
- Analysis performed on 32 meningiomas (26 typical, 6 atypical/anaplastic).
Main Results:
- Atypical/anaplastic meningiomas showed significantly higher telomerase activity compared to typical ones (p=0.001).
- Significant association found between telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA expression (p=0.01).
- High telomerase levels (activity and mRNA) observed in recurrent meningiomas and correlated with increasing tumor grade.
Conclusions:
- Telomerase reactivation plays a role in meningioma progression.
- Telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA expression are potential biomarkers for predicting meningioma behavior.
- RT-PCR is a rapid method for quantifying telomerase RNA in intracranial meningiomas.
