Antisense Sp1 oligodeoxynucleotide decreases telomerase activity by inhibiting hTERT mRNA expression in Jurkat T cells.

AIM To study the effects of transcriptional factor Sp1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) on telomerase activity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression. METHODS Antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) was designed to inhibit Sp1 expression and transferred to Jurkat T cells by lipofectamin. Telomerase PCR-ELISA was used to detect telomerase activity. RT-PCR analysis was used to assess the mRNA expression of Sp1 and hTERT, and Western blot was used to analyze the levels of Sp1 protein. RESULTS Treatment of Jurkat T cells with Sp1 antisense ODN (1 micromol/L) dramatically reduced Sp1 mRNA and protein levels. The inhibition rate was 44.8 % (P <0.05) and 57 % (P <0.01), respectively. Following the transcriptional factor Sp1 functionally altering, hTERT mRNA expression were suppressed with a 43.7 % inhibition rate (P <0.01). A dose-dependent inhibition of telomerase activity by antisense Sp1 ODN was also discovered. From 0.25 to 2.0 micromol/L, telomerase activity was reduced from 27.1 % to 64.6 %. CONCLUSION Antisense Sp1 ODN decreases telomerase activity by inhibiting hTERT mRNA expression in Jurkat T cells.