Journal article
Extended lifespan of Barrett’s esophagus epithelium transduced with the human telomerase catalytic subunit: a useful in vitro model
Carcinogenesis (New York), Vol.24(7), pp.1183-1190
07/2003
DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgg076
PMCID: PMC1559990
PMID: 12807723
Abstract
As there has been no previous information on the consequences of telomerase expression in genetically altered, mortal cells derived from pre-malignant tissue, we sought to determine the effect of hTERT (human catalytic subunit of telomerase reverse transcriptase) transduction of pre-malignant cell strains from Barrett’s esophagus that do not contain telomerase activity and possess a finite lifespan. Primary cultures of Barrett’s esophageal epithelium transduced with a retrovirus containing hTERT were characterized by growth factor requirements, cytogenetics and flow cytometry. Expression of telomerase lengthened telomeres and greatly extended the lifespan of hTERT transduced (hTERT+) Barrett’s esophagus cells. Growth factor dependency of the hTERT+ cultures remained largely similar to the parental cultures, although there was a modest increase in the ability to grow in agar. Chromosomal instability, measured by both karyotypic and FISH (fluorescence
in situ
hybridization) analyses, was reduced but not abrogated by hTERT transduction, suggesting that telomerase expression can enhance genomic stability. However, the persistence of residual instability gave rise to new clonal and non-clonal genetic variants, and in one hTERT+ culture a new DNA aneuploid population was observed, the only time such a ploidy shift has been seen in Barrett’s cell strains
in vitro
. These
in vitro
observations are analogous to the clinical progression to aneuploidy that often precedes cancer in Barrett’s esophagus, and suggest that reactivation of telomerase may be permissive for continued genetic evolution to cancer. Long-lived Barrett’s esophagus epithelial cultures should provide a useful
in vitro
model for studies of neoplastic evolution and chemopreventive therapies.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Extended lifespan of Barrett’s esophagus epithelium transduced with the human telomerase catalytic subunit: a useful in vitro model
- Creators
- M Corinna A Palanca-Wessels - Department of PathologyAloysius KlingelhutzBrian J Reid - Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USAThomas H Norwood - Department of PathologyKent E Opheim - Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USAThomas G Paulson - Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USAZiding Feng - Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USAPeter S Rabinovitch - Department of Pathology
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Carcinogenesis (New York), Vol.24(7), pp.1183-1190
- DOI
- 10.1093/carcin/bgg076
- PMID
- 12807723
- PMCID
- PMC1559990
- ISSN
- 0143-3334
- eISSN
- 1460-2180
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/2003
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology; Radiation Oncology
- Record Identifier
- 9984001139402771
Metrics
16 Record Views