title: Retrovirus-mediated gene therapy for human hepatocellular carcinoma transplanted in athymic mice.
abstract: Gene therapy using a retrovirus vector carrying herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene under the control of the 0.3-kb human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene promoter (LNAF0.3TK virus) in combination with ganciclovir (GCV) treatment was performed in athymic mice harboring AFP-producing HuH-7 human hepatoma cells. GCV treatment resulted in pronounced growth inhibition of the virus-infected HuH-7 xenograft in mice, but did not affect growth of the parental xenograft. These results indicate that the AFP gene promoter sequence allows enough therapeutic gene expression to induce the GCV-mediated cytotoxicity in vivo in AFP-producing human hepatoma cells.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki 852, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mawatari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuruta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ido
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000494:pharmacology; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D015774:Ganciclovir