Study on neoplasia of hydatidiform mole by detecting telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

ObjectiveBy setting up a real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR assay to detect human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in hydatidiform mole in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, to analyze the correlation between the expression level of hTERT mRNA and the prognosis of hydatidiform mole, and to evaluate the clinic value of quantitative determination of hTERT mRNA in the diagnosis of hydatidiform mole.MethodsA real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR (FQ RT-PCR) assay based on TaqMan fluorescence methodology and the Light-Cycler system was used to quantify the full range of hTERT mRNA copy numbers in 30 samples of hydatidiform mole and the neoplasia of hydatidiform mole. The normalized hTERT (NhTERT) was standardized by quantifying the number of GAPDH transcripts as internal control and expressed as 100× (hTERT/GAPDH) ratio. Based on the prognosis of the hydatidiform mole, the patients were divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group, to compare the telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.ResultshTERT mRNA was both expressed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and pathological tissues in the mole experimental group and the control group. In the mole experimental group, the values were 6.31±0.32 and 6.24±0.44, respectively, and there was no significant difference between them (P>0.05). But in the control group the values were 1.21±0.65 and 1.40±0.61, respectively, and there was no significant difference between them (P>0.05). The values in experimental group was significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.01).ConclusionQuantitative determination of hTERT mRNA by FQ RT-PCR is a rapid and sensitive method. hTERT in peripheral blood mononuclear cells may have potential use as a biomarker for the early detection of the prognosis of the hydatidiform mole.