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Dual silencing of Bcl-2 and Survivin by HSV-1 vector shows better antitumor efficacy in higher PKR phosphorylation tumor cells in vitro and in vivo

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Abstract

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising tool for cancer therapy, but its delivery strategy is a major challenge for its application. Oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is not only an effective antitumor drug but also an excellent vector. Herein, RNAi of oncogenes Bcl-2 and Survivin was combined with oncolytic HSV-1 (ICP34.5-/ICP6-/ICP47-/CMV-GM-CSF) and a new vector HSV010-BS was constructed. Transfected cell viability assays and animal experiments revealed that the dual silencing of Bcl-2 and Survivin improved the antitumor effect of oncolytic HSV-1 in vitro and in vivo, while the antitumor effect was correlated with the phosphorylation levels of PKR of the tumor cells. The higher the phosphorylation levels of PKR of the tumor cells, the weaker the replication ability of oncolytic HSV-1, and the more powerful HSV010-BS was than its control vectors in inhibiting the growth of the tumor cells. The results provided direct supportive proofs for a new potential cancer therapy strategy.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Biomedical research institute, Beijing Normal University for providing the A549, SW480, HepG2 and Vero cell lines. This work was also supported by Beijing Source of God’s Biological Technology Co., Ltd.

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Correspondence to B Li.

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Chen, X., Zhou, Y., Wang, J. et al. Dual silencing of Bcl-2 and Survivin by HSV-1 vector shows better antitumor efficacy in higher PKR phosphorylation tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Gene Ther 22, 380–386 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/cgt.2015.30

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