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Reduction of radiation-induced apoptosis by specific expression of Bcl-2 in normal cells

Cancer Gene Therapy volume 13, pages 451–459 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Radiation-induced apoptosis is thought to underlie the toxicity of radiation to normal tissues as well as to cancer cells. We hypothesized that specific ectopic overexpression of the antiapoptotic molecule Bcl-2 in normal cells would inhibit radiation-induced apoptosis and thereby reduce radiation-induced toxicity in normal cells. To express Bcl-2 specifically in normal cells (which have wild-type (wt) p53) but not in cancer cells (which often have mutated p53), we constructed a Bcl-2 expression plasmid (PG13-Bcl-2) with a minimal promoter regulated by multiple wt p53 DNA-binding sites and found that the presence of wt p53 protein strongly upregulated Bcl-2 expression through this plasmid. Transfection of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, which express wt p53, with PG13-Bcl-2 increased cell survival and reduced apoptosis; however, transfection of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, which have mutated p53, did not affect survival and apoptosis of those cells. These results indicate that irradiation of normal cells rapidly upregulates the expression of wt p53, which binds to the p53 binding sequence of the PG13-Bcl-2 plasmid and increases the transcriptional activity of Bcl-2. Ectopic expression of Bcl-2 reduced radiation-induced apoptosis only in normal cells (not in cancer cells). Bcl-2 expression was detected in the lung from mice injected via a tail vein with LPD-PG13-Bcl-2 or LPD-CMV-Bcl-2, but did not in the lung from mice treated with DOTAP or LPD-PG13-mock. This novel approach to inhibiting radiation-induced apoptosis in normal cells may allow such cells to be protected from radiation-induced toxicity. Further preclinical in vivo studies are needed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Christine Wogan of Department of Scientific Publications at MD Anderson Cancer Center for her editorial assistance. Grant support from Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program in Breast Cancer, US Department of Defense. DAMD17-01-1-0304 03.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Cancer Translational Research Laboratory, Houston, TX, USA

    H Itamochi, F Yamasaki, T Sudo, T Takahashi, C Bartholomeusz, S Das & N T Ueno

  2. Departments of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    H Itamochi, F Yamasaki, T Sudo, T Takahashi, C Bartholomeusz, S Das & N T Ueno

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan

    H Itamochi & N Terakawa

  4. Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    N T Ueno

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  1. H Itamochi
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  2. F Yamasaki
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Correspondence to N T Ueno.

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Itamochi, H., Yamasaki, F., Sudo, T. et al. Reduction of radiation-induced apoptosis by specific expression of Bcl-2 in normal cells. Cancer Gene Ther 13, 451–459 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.cgt.7700920

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