[In vitro and in vivo bystander effect of adenovirus-mediated transfer of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate in vitro and in vivo bystander effect, including distance bystander effect of adenovirus-mediated transfer of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene (HSV-tk).


METHODS
In vitro, mixed tk + BEL-7402 cells and tk-BEL-7402 cells in diverse proportions and ganciclovir (GCV) was given, then tested the survival ratio of cells by MTT. In vivo, 5 x 10(6) and 5 x 10(7) tk + BEL-7402 cells were injected into the tumors in nude mice following GCV. The change of the size of the tumors was observed. To observe distance bystander effect, adenovirues with HSV-tk (1 x 10(9) PFU) were injected into the tumor, which was the one of the bilateral tumors in nude mice. Subsequently, GCV was given and the change of the tumor was observed.


RESULTS
Significant bystander effect was observed in vitro and in vivo. In vitro when tk + cells: tk(-) cells was 1:9, the survival rate of mixed cells was 36.6%. When the proportion of tk(+) cells was 90%, the survival rate of mixed cells was 3.2%. In vivo, those tumors with injection of tk(+) BEL-7402 cells were suppressed (P < 0.05). But in group of distance bystander effect the tumors on another side were not suppressed.


CONCLUSIONS
In vitro, bystander effect exists. In nude mice, if tk(+) cells and tk(-) cells are contiguous, bystander effect is significant, or probably no bystander effect.
Department of General Surgery, Xiehe Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Guodong
G
Gao
Tao
T
Huang
Siyuan
S
Chen
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D024201:Bystander Effect; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000201:enzymology*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D015774:Ganciclovir