Abstract:

Objective　To study the expression of telomerase reverse transcripatase (hTERT) and bcl-2 in ameloblastoma (AB).Methods　hTERTmRNA in 54 cases of AB (primary AB 31 cases, recurrent AB 17 cases, malignant AB 4 cases) and 7 cases of oral normal mucosa was detectd by in situ hybridization, and bcl-2 by S-Pmethod.Results　The expression of hTERT mRNAwas negative or weak in normal oral mucosa (14·3%), moderate or strong in AB (94·4%). There was a significant dif- ference in these two groups (P<0·001). The difference between the expressions of hTERT in primary, recurrent and malignant AB was significant (P<0·05). The positive ratio of bcl-2 in AB and normal oral mucosa was respectirehy 88·0%, 44·4%. There was a significant statistical difference in these two groups (P<0·001). hTERTmRNAwas stronger in recurred or malig- nantly transformed AB (P<0·05).Conclusion　The expression of hTERTand bcl-2 is stronger in recurred ormalignantly trans- formed AB, and it could be used as an indicator of AB prognosis. Telomerase activity and bcl-2 expression play an important role in genesis and development of AB.

Key words: ameloblastoma, telomerase, human telomerase reverse transcriptase, bcl-2