Expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase and P16 gene in lung cancer

To study the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and P16 gene in lung cancer tissues, and to investigate the mechanisms of telomerase activation in the development of lung cancer. hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity were detected in tissues samples from 47 lung cancers and their adjacent non-cancer lung tissues by in situ reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (ISRT-PCR) and telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) respectively. P16 protein was examined in these samples with immunohistochemical method. The positive rate of hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity were 78.7% and 72.3% in 47 samples of lung cancers respectively, significantly higher than those of adjacent non-cancer lung tissues (P<0.01). There was a significant correlation between the expression of hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity (P<0.01). It was found that P16 protein was positive in 29.8% (14/47) samples of lung cancers, which was significant lower than that in adjacent non-cancer lung tissues (P<0.01). The expression of P16 protein was noted to be negatively correlated with hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity (P<0.01). The expression of hTERT mRNA and deletion of P16 protein are closely related to the pathogenesis of lung cancer and may play a critical role in the regulation of telomerase activity.