A role for intracellular immunization in chemosensitization of tumor cells?
Acquired drug resistance represents a major cause of chemotherapy failure in patients with cancer. The characterization of the molecular pathways involved in drug resistance has provided us with new targets to overcome this problem. Many of these target proteins are often overexpressed in human cancers. A number of gene therapy strategies, including antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes and single-chain antibodies, have been developed to achieve the selective modulation and inhibition of various cellu- lar proteins. Thus, these approaches can be exploited to modulate the resistance phenotype of tumor cells. These gene therapy strategies represent a novel and unique way to enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. This review will focus on the use of intracellular immunization as a means to modulate the expression of specific genetic determinants involved in the drug resistance phenotype.
Pich
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Département de Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12ième Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1H 5N4.
Rancourt
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D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017209:Apoptosis; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D016337:RNA, Catalytic
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D016337:RNA, Catalytic