Induction of Telomerase Activity in Avian Lymphoblastoid Cell Line Transformed by Marek's Disease Virus, MDCC-MSB1

Abstract

Telomerase has been studied extensively in human and murine tumors, but little is known about the role of telomerase in the tumor biology of other vertebrate species such as the chicken. We studied the telomerase activity of the lymphoblastoid cell line derived from lymphomas induced by Marek's disease virus (MDCC-MSB1) compared with another avian cell line (PA5) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) Assay. Telomerase activity in MDCC-MSB1 was 4.5 times greater than in the PA5 cell line and normal avian lymphocytes. These results demonstrate for the first time that telomerase is more intense in one transformed cell line than in normal cells, suggesting a potential role for telomerase in carcinogenesis induced by an avian virus.