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Selective ablation of human cancer cells by telomerase-specific adenoviral suicide gene therapy vectors expressing bacterial nitroreductase

Oncogene volume 22, pages 370–380 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Reactivation of telomerase maintains telomere function and is considered critical to immortalization in most human cancer cells. Elevation of telomerase expression in cancer cells is highly specific: transcription of both RNA (hTR) and protein (hTERT) components is strongly upregulated in cancer cells relative to normal cells. Therefore, telomerase promoters may be useful in cancer gene therapy by selectively expressing suicide genes in cancer cells and not normal cells. One example of suicide gene therapy is the bacterial nitroreductase (NTR) gene, which bioactivates the prodrug CB1954 into an active cytotoxic alkylating agent. We describe construction of adenovirus vectors harbouring the bacterial NTR gene under control of the hTR or hTERT promoters. Western blot analysis of NTR expression in normal and cancer cells infected with adenoviral vectors showed cancer cell-specific nitroreductase expression. Infection with adenoviral telomerase–NTR constructs in a panel of seven cancer cell lines resulted in up to 18-fold sensitization to the prodrug CB1954, an effect that was retained in two drug-resistant ovarian lines. Importantly, no sensitization was observed with either promoter in any of the four normal cell strains. Finally, an efficacious effect was observed in cervical and ovarian xenograft models following single intratumoural injection with low doses of vector, followed by injection with CB1954.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Cancer Research UK, the Fifth Framework Program of the European Commission and Glasgow University. We would like to thank Dr Steve Hobbs for the initial gift of NTR antisera.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Research UK Department of Medical Oncology, University of Glasgow, Cancer Research UK Beatson Laboratories, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1BD, UK

    Alan E Bilsland, Claire J Anderson, Aileen J Fletcher-Monaghan, Fiona McGregor, T R Jeffry Evans, Ian Ganly, Jane A Plumb & W Nicol Keith

  2. Enact Pharma Plc, Porton Down Science Park, Salisbury, SP4 0JQ, UK

    Richard J Knox

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  1. Alan E Bilsland
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Correspondence to W Nicol Keith.

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Bilsland, A., Anderson, C., Fletcher-Monaghan, A. et al. Selective ablation of human cancer cells by telomerase-specific adenoviral suicide gene therapy vectors expressing bacterial nitroreductase. Oncogene 22, 370–380 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1206168

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