ISSN:
1600-0560
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Telomerase plays a role in the immortalization of cells and carcinogenesis. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results on whether human telomerase RNA (hTER) expression differs in nevi, atypical nevi and melanomas using PCR-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) or in situ hybridization assays. The aim of this study was to evaluate human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) staining in melanocytic lesions on paraffin-embedded tissues. Paraffin-embedded sections from 6 acquired nevi, 4 dysplastic nevi, 5 Spitz nevi, 6 primary invasive melanomas, and 3 metastatic melanomas, were studied for staining intensity (0–3+) and % of labeled cells with anti-hTERT. HTERT staining was observed in most cells (〉75%) in all lesions, and was of greater intensity in the nucleus, especially the nucleolus, compared to the cytoplasm. Spitz nevi tended to have weaker hTERT staining (mean = 1.2) compared to acquired nevi (mean = 2.0), dysplastic nevi (mean = 2.5), primary melanoma (mean = 2.17), or metastatic melanoma (mean = 3). Although telomerase activity was weaker in Spitz nevi, there was overlap with other nevi and primary invasive melanomas in our small series. Thus, hTERT expression does not appear to be a reliable adjunct to the histological diagnosis of primary melanocytic lesions.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0303-6987.2005.320id.x
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