A Novel Double-Enhanced Suicide Gene Therapy in a Colon Cancer Cell Line Mediated by Gef and Apoptin

作者:Boulaiz Houria*; Aranega Antonia; Blanca Caceres; Pablo Alvarez; Fernando Rodriguez Serrano; Esmeralda Carrillo; Consolacion Melguizo; Jose Prados
来源:BioDrugs, 2014, 28(1): 63-74.
DOI:10.1007/s40259-013-0055-0

摘要

Background Double-suicide gene therapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of advanced cancer. It has become an important research line in the development of gene therapy to overcome the drawbacks of single-gene therapy. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of double-suicide gene therapy with the two suicide genes, gef and apoptin, in colon carcinoma. Methods gef and apoptin genes were cloned into a doxycycline-regulated retrovirus-mediated gene expression system. Expression of both genes in the DLD-1 cell line was confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cell viability was determined with the sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay, and the cell cycle was studied by propidium iodide (PI) staining. Annexin V-FITC and PI assays were used to evaluate apoptosis, and the results were confirmed by electron microscopy. The mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by JC-1 assay. Results Our results showed that the combined expression of gef and apoptin genes was strikingly more effective than the expression of either gene alone. Co-expression of gef and apoptin synergistically enhanced the decrease in cell viability, increasing necrosis and inducing apoptosis in colon cancer cells via the mitochondrial pathway, which can be deficient in advanced or metastatic colon cancer. Conclusions Double-suicide gene therapy based on gef and apoptin genes may be a candidate for the development of new colon cancer strategies, and further studies are warranted to establish the usefulness of double-suicide gene therapy in vivo.

  • 出版日期2014-2

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