Effect of antisense oligonucleotides on telomerase reverse transcriptase gene expression and retinal pigment epitheª²lium cell proliferation

    ZHU Baoª²Yi, WANG Weiª²Nong, PAN Xiaoª²Feng

    Department of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi¬ðan 710038, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To investigate the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene expression in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and the inhibitory effect of antisense oligonucleotides (ASODN) encoding TERT mRNA to gene expression and proliª²feration of RPE cells, so as to search for a new genetic therapy for proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). METHODS: (1) Rabbit RPE cells cultured in vitro were detected for TERT expression by streptavidinª²biotin complex (SABC) immunohistochemistry at several time points. (2) The ASODN and sense oligodeoxynucleotides (SODN) encoding TERT were delivered to the RPE cells at different concentrations, and then TERT expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. (3) Exposed to different concentrations of ASODN and SODN, proliferation activity and growthª²inhibitory rate of RPE cells were measured by MTT methods. RESULTS: TERT expression was markedly suppressed in the RPE cells treated with 5 and 10 ¦Ìmol/L TERT ASODN. TERT ASODN significantly inhibited proliferative activity of RPE cells in a doseª²dependent manner. CONCLUSION: ASODN complementary to TERT mRNA at some concentration can sequenceª²specifically suppress TERT expression in RPE cells and cellular proliferative activity, and show a potential application in further experimental study for PVR genetic medication. ......