Abstract: Objective: To investigate telomerase activity and telomerase expression in the human gastric carcinoma cell line SGC7901 and its multi-drug resistant subcultured cell line SGC7901/VCR, and to search for a newtarget within the drug-resistance mechanism of the gastric carcinoma cell line. Methods: Silver staining TRAP(telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay was used to detect telomerase activity. Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR was employed to detect hTERT, Mad1 and c-Myc mRNA expression. Plasmid (pGL3B-TRTP) was transfected into SGC7901/VCR and SGC7901. Expression of the reporter gene in the cell lysates was assayed by a dual luciferase reporter assay system. Results: Both telomerase activity and telomerase hTERT mRNA expression in SGC7901/VCR cells were higher than those in SGC7901cells. hTERT promoter activity was significantly higher in SGC7901/ VCR than in SGC7901. c-Myc mRNA expression was detected in SGC7901/VCR, but Mad1 mRNA was not. In SGC7901, both c-Myc and Mad1 mRNA expression could be detected and c-Myc mRNA expression was higher than that in SGC7901/VCR. Conclusion: Telomerase activity in SGC7901/VCR was higher than that in SGC7901, and the high level of telomerase hTERT gene transcription and expression in SGC7901/VCR was correlated with drug-resistance. Mad1 and c-Myc expression may contribute to hTERT transcription and telomerase activity.