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Frequent high telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in primary oral squamous cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Freier Kolja,
Pungs Susanne,
Flechtenmacher Christa,
Bosch Franz X.,
Lichter Peter,
Joos Stefan,
Hofele Christof
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0714.2007.00531.x
Subject(s) - telomerase reverse transcriptase , reverse transcriptase , telomerase , basal cell , cancer research , primary (astronomy) , medicine , biology , oncology , pathology , polymerase chain reaction , genetics , gene , physics , astronomy
Background: Gene copy number gain of chromosomal arm 5p is frequently found in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) suggesting the activation of proto‐oncogenes. TERT is a candidate gene encoding for human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). The aim of the present study was to elucidate the relevance of TERT copy number gain and high hTERT expression in OSCC. Methods: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for TERT and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for hTERT were performed to analyze TERT copy numbers and hTERT expression, respectively, on tissue microarray (TMA) sections including n = 247 OSCC and n = 105 pharyngeal and laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (PSCC/LSCC). Results: Increased hTERT protein expression was more frequently found in OSCC (71.1%, 155/218) than in PSCC/LSCC (36.0%, 35/89) ( P < 0.001). By contrast, specific TERT amplifications were less common in OSCC (2.1%, 4/191) compared with PSCC/LSCC (9.9%, 8/81) ( P = 0.047). Conclusions: High hTERT expression is a frequent finding in OSCC. It might be a promising target for the development of specific anti‐neoplastic therapy approaches.