title: Carcinoembryonic antigen-targeted selective gene therapy for gastric cancer through FZ33 fiber-modified adenovirus vectors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A major problem when using the adenoviral vectors for gene therapy applications is thought to be related to low transduction efficiency in cancer cells or to side effects in normal cells. There is an urgent requirement to improve the specificity of gene delivery in the context of cancer gene therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We constructed a genetically modified adenovirus incorporating an IgG Fc-binding motif from the Staphylococcus protein A, Z33, within the HI loop (Adv-FZ33). A remarkable degree of targeted gene delivery to gastric cancer cells was obtained with Adv-FZ33 with the fully human anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) monoclonal antibody, C2-45.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In vitro LacZ or EGFP gene expression after Adv-FZ33 infection via C2-45 was 20 times higher than control monoclonal antibody in MKN-45 at 1,000 viral particles/cell. We generated Ax3CAUP-FZ33 (UP-FZ33), which is an Adv-FZ33 derivative vector expressing a therapeutic gene (i.e., Escherichia coli uracil phosphoribosyltransferase), which converts 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) directly to 5-fluoro-UMP. UP-FZ33 with C2-45 enhanced the cytotoxicity of 5-FU by 10.5-fold in terms of IC(50) against MKN-45 compared with control IgG4. In a nude mouse peritoneal dissemination model, tumor growth in mice treated with UP-FZ33/C2-45/5-FU was significantly suppressed, and tumor volumes were less than one-fourth of those of the control IgG4 group (P < 0.05). The median survival time of the UP-FZ33/C2-45/5-FU group was significantly longer than those treated with PBS or 5-FU only (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that CEA-targeted FZ33 mutant adenovirus-mediated gene delivery offers a strong and selective therapeutic modality against CEA-producing cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Sachie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Motomu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomihara
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamada
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016466:CHO Cells; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006224:Cricetinae; D017931:DNA Primers; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D017931:DNA Primers; D005914:Globins