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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Utilizing Murine Inducible Telomerase Alleles in the Studies of Tissue Degeneration/Regeneration and Cancer
Published on: April 13, 2015
[Role of telomerase in silica induced human cell transformation]
Bingci Liu1, Peng He, Xianglin Shi
1National Institute of Occupational Health and Poisons Control, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
Objective:
To explore the role of telomerase in silica induced human cell transformation in vitro.
Methods:
Human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) was transferred into human embryonic lung fibroblasts (HELF). 160 microg/cm2 silica dusts were added to transform HELF and hTERT transduced HELF (HELF-T+) respectively. The telomerase activity and the length of telomere were determined. The growths of the normal and transformed cells were evaluated.
Results:
The hTERT gene was steadily transferred into HELF. Silica dusts caused the transformations of both HELF-T+ and HELF. The telomerase activities in transformed cells were higher and the telomere length of transformed cells was longer than those of HELF.
Conclusion:
The changes of telomerase activity and telomere length may play an important role in the silica induced human cells transformation.
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