重建端粒酶活性延长人成纤维细胞寿命的研究

EXTENSION OF LIFE-SPAN OF NORMAL HUMAN FIBROBLASTS BY RECONSTITUTION OF TELOMERASE ACTIVITY

正常人体细胞DNA的端粒随着细胞分裂而缩短,当缩短至一定长度时细胞将停止增殖并衰老死亡。细胞中的端粒酶对端粒起着补足长度的作用。但端粒酶在正常体细胞中不表达,只在生殖细胞、干细胞和肿瘤细胞中表达。最近已有将人端粒酶亚单位基因导入正常人体细胞而使细胞寿命延长的报道。本研究将人端粒酶催化亚基(hTERT)基因用电穿孔法转入正常人体成纤维细胞,筛选出阳性克隆后传代培养,确认外源性端粒酶基因表达和端粒酶活性的重建,证实细胞衰老延缓;同时,通过DNA整倍性和染色体核型分析,明确这些寿命延长的细胞并未发生恶性转化。目的在于通过在具有成骨潜能的成纤维细胞中重建端粒酶活性来延长它们作为骨修复种子细胞的寿命,并且对它们进一步用于临床的安全性进行考察。

Most of normal human somatic cells can divide only a finite number of times and inevitably become senescent. Telomerase is an enzyme that imparts replicative immortality by maintaining the length of the telomeres when expressed in reproductive and cancer cells. Cells that are mortal do not express the telomerase. Recently it was reported that the life-span of the normal human cells could be successfully extended by introduction of telomerase into these cells. We have found, in the previous work, that fibroblasts exhibited an osteogentic potential, and therefore, can be considered as a type of ' seed cells' in tissue engineering for bone repairing and reconstruction. But this potential was impaired by the limitation in life-span and prolif-erative capacity of the normal fibroblasts. In the present work, plasmid pGRN145 bearing a cDNA insert of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) was introduced into the fibroblasts with osteogenic potential by electroporation. The stable hTERT+ fibroblast clones was established and cultured for long-term in a medium containing hygromycin-B. The exogenous hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity were detected. The hTERT+ fibroblasts showed shorter population doubling time and no β-galactosidase stain, which indicated a stronger proliferative capacity and fewer signs of cell senescence, compared to their hTERT counterpart. These evidenced that the life-span of hTERT+ fibroblasts was extended. The assays for DNA euploidy by flow cytometry and chromosome karyotype by cytogenetic technique showed no signs of heteroploidy, providing the data for cell carcinogenesis and utilization safety. The results of the present study suggested that the introduction of hTERT could make the life-span of normal fibroblast extended without causing their malignant transformation, and such type of ' longevous' fibroblasts might be clinically useful in tissue engineering for bone repairing and reconstruction.