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Telomerase Activity in Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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Abstract

Patients with ulcerative colitis have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. Telomerase appears to be associated with cellular immortality and might serve as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in carcinogenesis. To test this hypothesis we measured telomerase by a score from 0 (no activity) to 4 (very high activity) in specimens obtained surgically from seven patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon. Intraindividual comparison was made among normal tissue (mean score ± SD: 0.7 ± 1.0), tissues adjacent to the tumor (2.7 ± 0.8), and the tumor center (3.0 ± 1.0). In addition, from 18 patients with ulcerative colitis, 10 patients with Crohn's disease, and 14 patients without chronic inflammatory bowel disease, biopsies were collected from normal and inflamed areas of the colon. Independent of the duration (0–32 years), grade, and location of the diseases, the telomerase activities were comparable, ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 in ulcerative colitis and from 0.3 to 0.6 in Crohn's disease and averaging 0.4 in controls. Apparently low telomerase activities are present in the mucosa of all patients and the enzyme is not yet upregulated in the potentially premalignant state of active ulcerative colitis, dismissing its prognostic value as an early tumor marker for this disorder.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Stuttgart, Germany

    Elke Kleideiter, Ulrike Friedrich, Alexandra Möhring & Ulrich Klotz

  2. Hospital of Bietigheim–Bissingen, Bietigheim–Bissingen, Stuttgart, Germany

    Siegfried Walker

  3. Gastroenterology and Oncology Group Practice, Stuttgart, Germany

    Emil Höring

  4. Medical Clinic of Hospital Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany

    Karlernst Maier

  5. Robert Bosch Hospital, Stuttgart, Germany

    Peter Fritz & Klaus-Peter Thon

Authors
  1. Elke Kleideiter
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  2. Ulrike Friedrich
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  3. Alexandra Möhring
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  4. Siegfried Walker
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  5. Emil Höring
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  6. Karlernst Maier
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  7. Peter Fritz
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  8. Klaus-Peter Thon
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  9. Ulrich Klotz
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Correspondence to Ulrich Klotz.

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Kleideiter, E., Friedrich, U., Möhring, A. et al. Telomerase Activity in Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Dig Dis Sci 48, 2328–2332 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:DDAS.0000007871.86129.4a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:DDAS.0000007871.86129.4a

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