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Telomere length of gallbladder epithelium is shortened in patients with congenital biliary dilatation: measurement by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization

  • Original Article—Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
  • Published:
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A Correction to this article was published on 05 December 2017

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Abstract

Background

Congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) is a congenital malformation involving both dilatation of the extrahepatic bile duct and pancreaticobiliary maljunction. Persistent reflux of pancreatic juice injures the biliary tract mucosa, resulting in chronic inflammation and higher rates of carcinogenesis in the biliary tract, including the gallbladder. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes. Chromosomal instability due to telomere dysfunction plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of many organs. This study was performed to determine whether excessive shortening of telomeres occurs in the gallbladder mucosa of patients with CBD.

Methods

Resected gallbladders were obtained from 17 patients with CBD, ten patients with cholecystolithiasis without pancreatic juice reflux, and 17 patients with normal gallbladders (controls) (median age of each group of patients: 37, 50, and 53 years, respectively). The telomere lengths of the gallbladder epithelium were measured by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization using tissue sections, and the normalized telomere-to-centromere ratio (NTCR) was calculated.

Results

The NTCRs in the CBD, cholecystolithiasis, and control groups were 1.24 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.125–1.52], 1.96 (IQR 1.56–2.295), and 1.77 (IQR 1.48–2.53), respectively. The NTCR in the CBD group was significantly smaller than that in the cholecystolithiasis and control groups (p = 0.003 and 0.004, respectively), even in young patients.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that telomere shortening in the gallbladder mucosa plays an important role in the process of carcinogenesis in patients with CBD. These results support the recommendation of established guidelines for prophylactic surgery in patients with CBD because CBD is a premalignant condition with excessive telomere shortening.

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Change history

  • 05 December 2017

    In the original publication of this article, Fig. 5 was published with incorrect color of the approximate lines of CBD and Control.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Prof. Akira Shimizu of the Department of Analytic Human Pathology, Nippon Medical School, who cooperated in providing the specimens. We also thank Angela Morben, DVM, ELS, from Edanz Group (www.edanzediting.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan

    Yuto Aoki, Yoshiharu Nakamura, Nobuhiko Taniai & Eiji Uchida

  2. Research Team for Geriatric Pathology and Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan

    Yuto Aoki, Junko Aida, Youichi Kawano, Ken-ichi Nakamura, Naotaka Izumiyama-Shimomura, Naoshi Ishikawa, Kaiyo Takubo & Toshiyuki Ishiwata

  3. Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Chiba, Japan

    Youichi Kawano

  4. Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Tomio Arai

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  1. Yuto Aoki
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Correspondence to Yuto Aoki or Toshiyuki Ishiwata.

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A correction to this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-017-1418-y.

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Aoki, Y., Aida, J., Kawano, Y. et al. Telomere length of gallbladder epithelium is shortened in patients with congenital biliary dilatation: measurement by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization. J Gastroenterol 53, 291–301 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-017-1411-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-017-1411-5

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