A novel maxizyme vector targeting a bcr-abl fusion gene induced specific cell death in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph(+)) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) generally have a poor prognosis and would benefit from the development of new therapeutic approaches. We previously demonstrated that an allosterically controllable ribozyme, maxizyme (Mz), can induce apoptosis in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells. Ph(+) ALL cells harbor a bcrabl fusion gene (e1a2) encoding a 190-kDa fusion protein (p190) involved in disease pathogenesis. In this study, we have designed a Mz that specifically cleaves e1a2 mRNA and transduced this e1a2Mz into Ph(+) ALL cells using a third-generation lentiviral vector system. In 3 of 5 Ph(+) ALL cell lines, e1a2Mz transduction resulted in a significant decrease in viability and increased cell apoptosis. We observed a decrease in e1a2 mRNA in all Ph(+) ALL cells transduced with e1a2Mz, and the e1a2 mRNA level was higher in e1a2Mz-resistant cells than in e1a2Mz-sensitive cells. All samples of primary Ph(+) ALL cells tested showed e1a2Mz-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis. Importantly, e1a2Mz did not influence the colony formation of normal CD34(+) cord blood cells. These results indicate that e1a2Mz kills Ph(+) ALL cells specifically, suggesting that it may be used as a novel gene therapy strategy for Ph(+) ALL.
Soda
Yasushi
Y
Department of Advanced Molecular and Cell Therapy, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka-shi 812-8582, Japan.
Tani
Kenzaburo
K
Bai
Yuansong
Y
Saiki
Minoru
M
Chen
Minghan
M
Izawa
Kiyoko
K
Kobayashi
Seiichiro
S
Takahashi
Satoshi
S
Uchimaru
Kaoru
K
Kuwabara
Tomoko
T
Warashina
Masaaki
M
Tanabe
Tsuyoshi
T
Miyoshi
Hiroyuki
H
Sugita
Kanji
K
Nakazawa
Shinpei
S
Tojo
Arinobu
A
Taira
Kazunari
K
Asano
Shigetaka
S
D017209:Apoptosis; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000235:genetics*; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D020014:K562 Cells; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D016337:RNA, Catalytic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D014161:Transduction, Genetic / Q000379:methods
D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl