Targeted gene therapy of nasopharyngeal cancer in vitro and in vivo by enhanced thymidine kinase expression driven by human TERT promoter and CMV enhancer.

ABSTRACT:

Background/aim

To explore the therapeutic effects of thymidine kinase (TK) expressed by enhanced vector pGL3-basic- hTERTp-TK-EGFP-CMV driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter (hTERTp) as well as cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter enhancer (CMV).

Materials/methods

Enhanced TK-EGFP expression was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy, real time PCR and telomerase activity. Its effects were examined by survival of tumor cells NPC 5-8F and MCF-7, index of xenograft implanted in nude mice and histology.

Results

Compared with non-enhanced vector pGL3-basic-TK-hTERTp-EGFP, TK expressed by the enhanced vector significantly decreased NPC 5-8F and MCF-7 cell survival rates after ganciclovir (GCV) treatment (p < 0.001) and tumor progress in nude mice with N

SUBMITTER: Shen CX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2917418 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature