Expression Of Alternative Splicing Variants And β～+ASV Of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase In Multistep Gastric Carcinogenesis

ObjectiveExpression of hTERT alternative splicing variants (ASVs) andβ~+ASV(β-remainingASVs)were detected in tissues of normal gastric mucosa, precancerous lesions andgastric cancer, in order to reveal the changes of hTERT alternative splicing pattern inmultistep gastric carcinogenesis, and provide the useful information for diagnosis ofgastric cancer or precancerous lesions.MethodThree alternative splicing sites (a,β,γ) were selected, and the expression of 8hTERT ASVs was analyzed in tissues of normal gastric mucosa, precancerous lesionsand gastric cancer by seminested PCR assay. And specific primers were designed thatcould remove the interference ofβsite, then the expression ofβ~+ASV was detected inprecancerous lesions and gastric cancer by SYBR Green real-time RT-PCR assay.Resulta~+β~+γ~+ ASV was not expressed in normal mucosa, and its positive rate was higher ingastric cancer than that in precancerous lesions. The positive rates of other ASVs werenot different in multistep gastric carcinogenesis, andβ-deletion ASVs were expressedextensively. The expression level ofβ~+ASV was higher in gastic cancer than that inprecancerous lesions.ConclusionhTERT alternative splicing pattern is different during multistep gastriccarcinogenesis. Extensive expression ofβ-deletion ASVs can interfere with accuracy of hTERT mRNA detection;β~+ ASV may provide more useful information fordiagnosis of gastric cancer or precancerous lesions.