SHORT COMMUNICATION
Human telomerase prolongs the life span of bovine
mammary epithelial cells
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1
Institute of Biotechnology, Northwest A & F University,
Yangling Shaanxi 712100, P.R. China
2
College of Animal Science and Technology, Xinjiang Shihezhi University,
Xinjiang Shihezhi 832003, P.R. China
Publication date: 2007-09-17
Corresponding author
Y. Zhang
Institute of Biotechnology, Northwest A & F University,
Yangling Shaanxi 712100, P.R. China
J. Anim. Feed Sci. 2007;16(Suppl. 2):341-345
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine whether the human telomerase catalytic reverse
transcriptase (hTERT) could express in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) and to examine
the effects of hTERT on the life span and growth characteristics of the BMEC. We tested one of
the hTERT-transferred cell lines (HBM3), the Western Blotting Assay showed that HBM3 had
telomerase activity, moreover, HBM3 showed a prolonged life span and demonstrated extensive
proliferative capacity as evidenced by their ability to continuously grow even when seeded at low
dilutions. In addition, the morphologic features seen in normal BMEC were likewise retained by
HBM3, changes associated with neoplastic transformation like anchorage-independent growth and
karyotypic instability were not observed.