BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that synthesizes telomeric DNA. Immortalized and @entity189 cells show no loss of telomere length during cell division. Telomerase activity has been demonstrated in @entity189 of various organs, but not in nonneoplastic tissues. In @entity1 with @entity418 , no data have been reported concerning the relationship between telomerase activity and clinicopathological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Esophageal @entity189 from 31 @entity1 and normal esophageal mucosae from 92 @entity1 were examined. Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol assay to detect telomerase activity and Southern blot analysis to examine telomere length were performed. RESULTS: Of the 31 @entity189 , 27 (87%) had detectable telomerase activity. Twenty-one (23%) of the 92 normal esophageal mucosae from autopsied @entity1 also had detectable telomerase activity. There was no difference between stage and outcome and absence or presence of telomerase activity. No difference in terminal restriction fragment (TRF) length was observed between @entity189 with and without telomerase activity. CONCLUSION: Telomerase activity was demonstrated in a considerable number of normal esophageal mucosae. This suggests the possibility of a high frequency of false positivity if the presence of telomerase activity alone is used as a @entity5 -specific marker.

Telomerase activity in XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor'] @entity189 :: ('MESH:D002277', 'Disease') :: ['carcinomas', 'carcinoma'] @entity418 :: ('MESH:D004938', 'Disease') :: ['esophageal carcinoma']
@entity418 :: (MESH:D004938,Disease) :: ['esophageal carcinoma']
