title: A neuroblastoma-selective suicide gene therapy approach using the tyrosine hydroxylase promoter.
abstract: In this study, selective expression of therapeutic transgenes was evaluated in neuroblastoma cells. Promoter fragments of the genes for neuron-specific enolase (NSEp), tyrosine hydroxylase (THp), and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBHp) were studied in neuroblastoma and nonneuronal cell lines by transient transfection experiments using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis of enhanced green fluorescent protein (egfp) and luciferase (luc+) assay. Both reporter gene assays revealed a neuroblastoma-selective expression mediated by NSEp and THp, whereas DBHp was active only in a murine neuroblastoma cell line. Reporter gene expression by NSEp in neuroblastoma cells was markedly higher than expression by THp, but NSEp also showed considerable background activity in nonneuronal cells. THp-driven expression of egfp was 35-fold higher in human neuroblastoma MHH-NB11 compared with nonneuronal HeLa cells. Thus, THp was chosen for a neuroblastoma-selective suicide gene therapy approach using the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV-tk)/ganciclovir (GCV) system. A retrovirus vector that contained an expression cassette of a HSV-tk/egfp fusion gene and THp in antisense orientation was generated. Stably transduced human neuroblastoma cells and nonneuronal cell lines were generated, and HSV-tk/egfp expression was measured by FACS and GCV cytotoxicity assay. There was a 2.2-fold difference in green fluorescence and a 1.4-fold difference in cell killing between the human neuroblastoma MHH-NB11 and HeLa cells after HSV-tk/egfp gene transfer. The overall difference in THp-HSV-tk/egfp-mediated cell killing between neuroblastoma and nonneuronal tumor cell lines was statistically significant (P = 0.001). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the feasibility of a neuroblastoma-selective gene therapy approach using the THp/HSV-tk/egfp expression cassette.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology, University Children's Hospital, Heinrich-Heine-University, Moorenstrasse 5, D-40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandquist
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lex
authors.forename: Nikolai G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Rainov
authors.forename: Christof M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kramm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002648:Child; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D041722:Genes, Transgenic, Suicide; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D018189:Immunomagnetic Separation; D051379:Mice; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D015774:Ganciclovir