Expression ofBcl-2 in cells with different telomerase activities

Both telomerase andBcl-2 are important genes in controlling apoptosis. The activation of telomerase and the abnormal regulation ofBcl-2 are also closely related to carcinogenesis. However, little is known about the linkage between telomerase andBcl-2. The effect of activated telomerase on the expression ofBcl-2 has been investigated. It is demonstrated that in tumor and transformed cells with higher telomerase activity,Bcl-2 expression is significantly lower than that in telomerase negative or less telomerose activity cells. Further study showed that in the telomerase gene-transformed 2BS-fibroblasts,Bcl-2 expression is inhibited significantly while the exogenous telomerase catalytic subunit gene is re-expressed in fibroblasts. Results indicated that there might be a certain linkage between the expression of telomerase andBcl-2, and overexpression of exogenous telomerase gene might down regulate the expression ofBcl-2.