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A repressor function for telomerase activity in telomerase‐negative immortal cells
Author(s) -
Katoh Motonobu,
Katoh Misaki,
Kameyama Michihiro,
Kugoh Hiroyuki,
Shimizu Motoyuki,
Oshimura Mitsuo
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
molecular carcinogenesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.254
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1098-2744
pISSN - 0899-1987
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2744(199801)21:1<17::aid-mc4>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - telomerase , telomere , biology , telomerase reverse transcriptase , ribonucleoprotein , somatic cell , telomerase rna component , microbiology and biotechnology , population , gene , genetics , rna , demography , sociology
Abstract Human telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein that adds TTAGGG repeats onto telomeres and compensates for their shortening, is repressed in most normal human somatic cells. Human somatic cells are considered to have a limited proliferation capacity because of the telomere shortening. Although immortalization of somatic cells is often associated with telomerase reactivation, there are some immortal cells in which telomerase activity is undetectable. In these cells, telomeres may be maintained by an unknown mechanism other than telomerase reactivation. To examine the genetic regulation of telomerase activity, we constructed hybrids between immortal cells with (HepG2) and without (KMST6) telomerase activity. These two cell lines had relatively short and long telomeres, respectively. The hybrid cells continued to proliferate without detectable telomerase activity even after 100 population doublings. Telomerase‐positive subpopulations occasionally appeared after serial passages. Southern blot analysis revealed that the hybrids had long terminal restriction fragments similar to that of KMST6, regardless of telomerase activity, and fluorescence in situ hybridization with a telomeric probe showed high‐intensity hybridization signals on telomeres, indicating relatively long telomeric repeats. These results suggest that the telomerase‐negative immortal cells contain a gene or genes functioning as a telomerase repressor and maintain telomere length by a dominant mechanism other than telomerase reactivation. Mol. Carcinog. 21:17–25, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.