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A conditionally replicating adenovirus targeted to tumor cells through activated RAS/P-MAPK-selective mRNA stabilization

Nature Biotechnology volume 21, pages 771–777 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

The expression of various proteins associated with rapid responses to inflammation and/or proliferation can be controlled at the level of mRNA stability. Because tumor cells continually recapitulate intracellular programs of proliferation, we have used tumor cell–selective stabilization of mRNA as a means to control therapeutic gene expression. We describe an adenoviral vector that is conditionally replication competent in which expression of the essential adenoviral early region 1A (E1A) gene is regulated by ligation to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of PTGS2 (also known as COX2), the gene encoding prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2, allowing activated RAS/P-MAPK-specific stabilization of its mRNA. Induction of activated RAS supports replication, whereas matched cells in which activated RAS/P-MAPK is not expressed are very poor substrates for viral replication both in vitro and in vivo. Further tumor-targeting strategies will also be required to prevent viral replication at extratumoral sites where PTGS2 is normally induced. Many different genes contain 3′ UTRs that control selective mRNA stability under different physiological, pathological and tumor-associated conditions. Therefore, generating tumor selectivity at the level of mRNA stability is a strategy with broad potential applicability in vector design.

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Figure 1: Construction and testing of the COX2 3′ UTR strategy.
Figure 2: Induction of Hras stabilizes E1A-COX2 expression.
Figure 3: 3′ UTR mRNA stabilization depends on the P-MAPK pathway.
Figure 4: Replication of Ad-E1A-COX correlates with P-MAPK status.
Figure 5: AD-E1A COX is oncolytic to high–P-MAPK tumors.

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Acknowledgements

The work in this manuscript is dedicated to the memory of Ashfaq Uddin Ahmed. We thank Toni Higgins for expert secretarial assistance. A.A., J.T. and R.V. are supported by the Mayo Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Medicine Program and Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, 55905, Minnesota, USA

    Atique Ahmed, Jill Thompson, Lisa Emiliusen, Stephen Murphy, Kaori Suzuki & Richard G Vile

  2. Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, 37235, Tennessee, USA

    R Daniel Beauchamp

  3. Institut Catala d'Oncologia, L'Hospitalet, Barcelona, 08907, Spain

    Ramon Alemany

  4. Chester Beatty Laboratories, Fulham Road, London, UK

    Kevin Harrington

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Correspondence to Richard G Vile.

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Ahmed, A., Thompson, J., Emiliusen, L. et al. A conditionally replicating adenovirus targeted to tumor cells through activated RAS/P-MAPK-selective mRNA stabilization. Nat Biotechnol 21, 771–777 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt835

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