Author(s)

Min Wang, Yixiong Lei

School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

The objective of the present study was to investigate human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA and protein expressions during the cadmium chloride-induced malignant transformation of human bronchial epithelial (16HBE) cells. Fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) and Western blot analyses were performed to detect the hTERT mRNA and protein expressions in normal 16HBE cells, cadmium chloride-transformed 16HBE cells, and tumorigenic cells from nude mice inoculated with cadmium chloride-transformed 16HBE cells. Under the inner standard of GAPDH, the hTERT mRNA expression was significantly higher at different stages of malignant transformation (cadmium chloride-transformed 16HBE cells at passages 15 and 35 and tumorigenic cells from nude mice) than in normal 16HBE cells, and increased with the development of malignancy (P < 0.01). In addition, hTERT protein expression increased with the development of malignancy. These findings demonstrate that hTERT expression is related to cadmium chlorideinduced malignant transformation. Cadmium chloride-induced malignant transformation is involved in changes in the hTERT activity, and might be an early event in cadmium chloride-induced malignant transformation.

Cadmium Chloride; Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells; Malignant Transformation; Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase

Wang, M. and Lei, Y. (2014) Expression of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase during the Malignant Transformation of Cadmium-Induced Cells. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 2, 129-133. doi: 10.4236/gep.2014.22018.