Telomerase is reactivated in most cancers and is possibly an early driver event in melanoma. Our aim was to test a novel in situ hybridization technique, RNAscope, for the detection of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue and to compare the mRNA expression of melanomas and benign naevi. Furthermore, we wanted to see if hTERT mRNA could be a diagnostic or prognostic marker of melanoma. In situ hybridization for the detection of hTERT mRNA was performed on FFPE tissue of 17 melanomas and 13 benign naevi. We found a significant difference in the expression of hTERT mRNA between melanomas and benign naevi (P<0.001) and the expression of hTERT mRNA correlated with Breslow thickness (ρ=0.56, P=0.0205) and the Ki67 proliferation index (ρ=0.72, P=0.001). This study showed that RNAscope was a reliable in situ hybridization method for the detection of hTERT mRNA in FFPE tissue of melanomas and benign naevi. hTERT mRNA was more abundantly expressed in melanomas compared with benign naevi, but cannot be used solely as a diagnostic marker due to an overlap in expression. The hTERT mRNA expression in melanomas correlated with the prognostic markers Breslow thickness and the Ki67 index indicating a prognostic potential of hTERT mRNA.

中文翻译：

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使用RNAscope检测良性痣和黑色素瘤中端粒酶蛋白的mRNA

端粒酶在大多数癌症中被重新激活，并且可能是黑色素瘤的早期驱动事件。我们的目的是测试一种新的原位杂交技术 RNAscope，用于检测存档福尔马林固定石蜡包埋 (FFPE) 组织中的人端粒酶逆转录酶 (hTERT) mRNA，并比较黑色素瘤和良性痣的 mRNA 表达. 此外，我们想看看 hTERT mRNA 是否可以作为黑色素瘤的诊断或预后标志物。在 17 个黑色素瘤和 13 个良性痣的 FFPE 组织上进行了用于检测 hTERT mRNA 的原位杂交。我们发现黑色素瘤和良性痣之间hTERT mRNA的表达存在显着差异（P<0.001），hTERT mRNA的表达与Breslow厚度（ρ=0.56，P=0.0205）和Ki67增殖指数（ρ=0.72， P=0.001）。本研究表明，RNAscope 是一种可靠的原位杂交方法，可用于检测黑色素瘤和良性痣的 FFPE 组织中的 hTERT mRNA。与良性痣相比，hTERT mRNA 在黑色素瘤中表达更丰富，但由于表达重叠，不能单独用作诊断标志物。黑色素瘤中 hTERT mRNA 的表达与预后标志物 Breslow 厚度和 Ki67 指数相关，表明 hTERT mRNA 的预后潜力。