The enzyme telomerase contributes to the maintenance of telomere stability (1). Although telomerase reactivation in somatic cells is not sufficient per se for the cells to proliferate indefinitely, telomerase expression and telomere stabilization appear to occur concomitantly with the attainment of immortality in cancer cells (1–3) and may contribute to tumorigenesis and neoplastic progression....

The telomere repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) for the human reverse transcriptase, telomerase, is a PCR-based assay developed two decades ago and is still used for routine determination of telomerase activity. The TRAP assay can only reproducibly detect ∼ 2-fold differences and is only quantitative when compared to internal standards and reference cell lines. The method generally involves l...

From 1984 to 1986 tests were conducted to evaluate 4 trap types (ABADRL baffle trap, New Jersey trap, CDC trap, and updraft trap) with or without an incandescent light source, a suction fan or dry ice (as a source of CO2) for sampling adult Culicoides variipennis. The fewest flies were caught in the CDC and updraft traps. The New Jersey trap with suction, a strong light source and dry ice caugh...

Objective: To examine the role of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) positive mononuclear and multinucleated cells in the destruction of articular cartilage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: The presence of TRAP positive cells in the synovial tissue of patients with RA was examined by enzyme histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Expression of mRNAs for matrix metal...

OBJECTIVE To examine the role of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) positive mononuclear and multinucleated cells in the destruction of articular cartilage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The presence of TRAP positive cells in the synovial tissue of patients with RA was examined by enzyme histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Expression of mRNAs for matrix metal...

Numerous studies on telomerase, an enzyme which can elongate telomere ends (1,2), led to the increasing evidence that the presence of telomerase in cells that normally lack it may contribute to the uncontrolled cell growth of cancer (3–6). Those findings, together with the fact that the enzyme is not active in normal cells (7), make it an interesting target for cancer drugs, as well as an impor...

The aim of the present study was to identify sensitive and noninvasive biomarkers of early carcinogenic effect at target organ to use in biomonitoring studies of workers at risk for previous occupational exposure to potential carcinogens. Standard urine cytology (Papanicolaou staining test), comet assay, and quantitative telomerase repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay were performed in 15...

BACKGROUND Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that functions in the maintenance of telomeres (specialized structures at the ends of chromosomes), has been reported to be a novel diagnostic marker for malignant diseases. We sought to determine whether measurement of telomerase activity in bronchial washings is of value in the diagnosis of lung cancer. METHODS Extracts of cells in bronchial...

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that uses RNA as a template for the addition of telomeric repeats. The development of the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), a sensitive PCR-based assay, has facilitated the detection of telomerase activity in small tissue and tumor samples. Telomerase activity is expected to be a new diagnostic and prognostic marker of human cancer. In thi...