Effect of hTR Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotides on Telomerase Acitvity and Ciplatin -Sensitivity of Primary Acute Leukemia Cells.

BACKGROUND: Between the three key components part of human telomerase, human telomerase RNA (hTR) and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) have significant correlation with telomerase activity. The previous study has identified that the telomerase activity of K562 and HL-60 cells was special suppresssed significantly by phosphorothoate antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ASODN) complementary to the initiator codon of hTR. This study was designed to evalutae the effection of hTR ASODN on telomerase activity and apoptosis of primary acute leukemic cells. To research whether hTR ASODN could enhance apoptosis rates of primary leukemic cells to cisplatin.

METHODS: Primary leukemic cells were treated with phosphorothoate ASODN complementary to the initiator codon of hTR in vivo. The changing of telomerase activity was assayed by telomeric repeat amplification protocol(TRAP) and polymerase chain reaction enzyme-linked immunoassay(PCR-ELISA). The survival rates of cells was measured by trypan blue exclusion. Apoptosis was assayed by morphological observation (Giemsa and PI), DNA gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry analysis technology.

RESULTS: Primary acute leukemic cells expressed high level of telomerase activity which decreased as the cells treated by hTR ASODN. The telomerase activity was suppresssed significantly by 10umol/L ASODN and the effecttion was most significantly at 72h; Apoptotic bodies of primary leukemic cells were observed easily by fluorescence micrscope when cisplatin was added 48h after ASODN treatment for 24h; Agarose gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA from primary leukemic cells treated with ASODN and cisplatin combination for 72h showed typical DNA ladder; neither did DNA from primary leukemic cells treated with sense oligodeoxynucleotide (SODN) plus cisplatin nor cisplatin alone. In addition, apoptosis rates of primary leukemic cells treated with ASODN for 24h and then with cisplatin for 72h were 41.36±9.28%. There were statistically significant difference in the percentage of apoptotic cells between hTR ASODN plus cisplatin and SODN plus cisplatin (14.51±4.78%) or cisplatin alone group (12.61±2.56)% (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: ASODN complementary to the region of hTR could significantly inhibit the telomerase activity of primary acute leukemic cells, and increased the cisplatin-induced apoptosis and enhanced cisplatin-sensitivity in vivo, indicating telomerase may be a new target of treatment to leukemia.