Zhang Y, Yu J, Unni E, Shao TC, Nan B, Snabboon T, Kasper S, Andriani F, Denner L, Marcelli M. Monogene and polygene therapy for the treatment of experimental prostate cancers by use of apoptotic genes bax and bad driven by the prostate-specific promoter ARR(2)PB.
Hum Gene Ther 2002;
13:2051-64. [PMID:
12490000 DOI:
10.1089/10430340260395901]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We have shown that adenovirus-mediated manipulation of apoptotic genes such as bax could be a therapeutic option for prostate cancer. Unfortunately, the response of experimental prostate tumors to a single therapeutic gene of the apoptotic pathway is short-lived, and most of these tumors relapse after a short period of time. In this investigation we present data generated with adenovirus AvARR(2)PB-Bad, in which the apoptotic gene bad was placed under the control of the dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-inducible third-generation probasin-derived promoter ARR(2)PB. This therapeutic virus was given alone or in combination with other therapeutic viruses to a variety of in vitro and in vivo experimental models of prostate cancer. On infection with AvARR(2)PB-Bad, DHT-induced Bad overexpression occurred specifically in androgen receptor-positive (AR(+)) cells of prostatic derivation. The apoptotic effect of AvARR(2)PB-Bad (group 1) was compared with that of AvARR(2)PB-Bax (which overexpresses the apoptotic protein Bax) (group 2), with that of the combination AvARR(2)PB-Bad plus AvARR(2)PB-Bax (group 3), and with that of the control virus AvARR(2)PB-CAT (group 4) in the cell line LNCaP. In addition to identifying the modality of apoptosis induction by overexpressed Bad, the results suggested that group 3 contained more apoptotic cells than any other group. In additional studies, AR(+) androgen-dependent LNCaP cells or AR(+) and androgen-independent C4-2 cells were injected subcutaneously into nude mice. Four groups of six LNCaP or C4-2 tumors were treated with the same combinations of viruses discussed above for groups 1, 2, 3, and 4. Treatment resulted in decreased tumor size in groups 1, 2, and 3 compared with group 4. There was a better response in group 3 compared with group 2, and in group 2 compared with group 1. A better response in group 3 was confirmed during a 8-week follow-up period, in which no treatment was administered. Two LNCaP and C4-2 tumors of group 3 disappeared at the end of treatment and did not recur after an 8-week follow-up period. The data suggest that polygene therapy with apoptotic molecules is more effective in experimental models of androgen-dependent or -independent prostate cancer than monogene therapy.
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