Detection of Telomerase Activity in Skin, Melanocytic Nevi, and Melanoma by Telomerase PCR ELISA

Telomerase activity was measured in skin, benign melanocytic nevi, and mela- nomas using the Telomerase PCR ELISA kit. It was clearly shown, that detection of telomerase activity by the Telomerase PCR ELISA is as sensitive and specific as the radioactive TRAP assay. The assay avoids handling of radioisotopes and allows rapid, quick analysis of large pools of sam- ples. In addition, a semiquantitative evalu- ation of telomerase activity is obtained. With this new method, our results indi- cate that the increase in telomerase activity parallels the progression of benign mel- anocytic cells to metastatic melanocytic cells.