Bovine herpesvirus tegument protein VP22 enhances thymidine kinase/ganciclovir suicide gene therapy for neuroblastomas compared to herpes simplex virus VP22.
Herpesvirus tegument protein VP22 can enhance the effect of therapeutic proteins in gene therapy, such as thymidine kinase (tk) and p53; however, the mechanism is unclear or controversial. In this study, mammalian expression vectors carrying bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) VP22 (BVP22) or herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) VP22 (HVP22) and equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) tk (Etk) were constructed in order to evaluate and compare the therapeutic potentials of BVP22 and HVP22 to enhance Etk/ganciclovir (Etk/GCV) suicide gene therapy for neuroblastomas by GCV cytotoxicity assays and noninvasive bioluminescent imaging in vitro and in vivo. BVP22 enhanced Etk/GCV cytotoxicity compared to that with HVP22 both in vitro and in vivo. However, assays utilizing a mixture of parental and stably transfected cells indicated that the enhancement was detected only in transfected cells. Thus, the therapeutic potential of BVP22 and HVP22 in Etk/GCV suicide gene therapy in this tumor system is not due to VP22 delivery of Etk into surrounding cells but rather is likely due to an enhanced intracellular effect.
Qiu
Zhaohua
Z
Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Harms
Jerome S
JS
Zhu
Jun
J
Splitter
Gary A
GA
D000818:Animals; D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D002417:Cattle; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000494:pharmacology; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D023141:Herpesvirus 4, Equid / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000628:therapy*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; C073413:herpes simplex virus type 1 protein VP22; C434023:tegument protein VP22, bovine herpesvirus 1; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D015774:Ganciclovir