Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 7, 2026

TRUE Gene Silencing: Screening of a Heptamer-type Small Guide RNA Library for Potential Cancer Therapeutic Agents
09:18

TRUE Gene Silencing: Screening of a Heptamer-type Small Guide RNA Library for Potential Cancer Therapeutic Agents

Published on: June 2, 2016

Targeted therapy of human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in vitro by antisense oligonucleotides directed against

Zezhang Tao1, Shiming Chen, Zhanyuan Wu

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China. shimingchen0468@hotmail.com

The Journal of Laryngology and Otology
|April 15, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Antisense oligonucleotides targeting human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA effectively reduced telomerase activity and promoted cancer cell death. This approach shows promise for treating laryngeal squamous carcinoma.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Telomerase is a key enzyme in cancer cell proliferation.
  • Inhibiting telomerase activity is a potential cancer treatment strategy.
  • Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA is a target for telomerase inhibition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of antisense oligonucleotides (ODNs) targeting hTERT mRNA in a laryngeal cancer cell line (Hep-2).
  • To evaluate the potential of anti-hTERT ODNs as a therapeutic modality for laryngeal squamous carcinoma.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of a 20mer antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (anti-hTERT) and a mismatched control.
  • Treatment of Hep-2 cells with ODNs for up to 72 hours.
  • Assays used: RT-PCR for hTERT mRNA, TRAP for telomerase activity, MTT for cell viability, H&E staining for morphology, and flow cytometry for cell cycle analysis.

Main Results:

  • Antisense treatment significantly decreased hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity.
  • Cell growth rate and viability were reduced following antisense treatment.
  • Increased apoptosis and morphological changes indicative of cell death were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Short-term antisense treatment targeting hTERT mRNA effectively inhibits telomerase activity in Hep-2 cells.
  • This inhibition leads to apoptotic cell death.
  • Anti-hTERT ODNs represent a potential treatment strategy for laryngeal squamous carcinoma.

More Related Videos

Looking for Driver Pathways of Acquired Resistance to Targeted Therapy: Drug Resistant Subclone Generation and Sensitivity Restoring by Gene Knock-down08:59

Looking for Driver Pathways of Acquired Resistance to Targeted Therapy: Drug Resistant Subclone Generation and Sensitivity Restoring by Gene Knock-down

Published on: December 11, 2017

In Vivo Inhibition of MicroRNA to Decrease Tumor Growth in Mice07:02

In Vivo Inhibition of MicroRNA to Decrease Tumor Growth in Mice

Published on: August 23, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Telomeres and Telomerase02:41

Telomeres and Telomerase

In eukaryotic DNA replication, a single-stranded DNA fragment remains at the end of a chromosome after the removal of the final primer. This section of DNA cannot be replicated in the same manner as the rest of the strand because there is no 3’ end to which the newly synthesized DNA can attach. This non-replicated fragment results in gradual loss of the chromosomal DNA during each cell duplication. Additionally, it can induce a DNA damage response by enzymes that recognize single-stranded DNA.
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)...
Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...