Silencing stathmin gene expression by survivin promoter-driven siRNA vector to reverse malignant phenotype of tumor cells

Cancer Biol Ther. 2006 Nov;5(11):1457-61. doi: 10.4161/cbt.5.11.3272. Epub 2006 Nov 13.

Abstract

Stathmin gene overexpression has been shown to play an important role in maintenance of malignant phenotype in tumor cells, and the blocking efficacy and tumor specificity of this target has been concerned in clinical trails. In this report, we designed survivin promoter-driven siRNA eukaryotic expression vector that expressed the small interfering RNA targeting stathmin gene to selectively knock down the stathmin gene expression in two different kinds of tumor cell lines while sparing normal cell lines. The therapeutic potential of this recombinant vector was tested in human cervical cancer Hela cells and osteosarcoma SSOP-9607 cells, and in human umbilical vein endothelial cell line ECV304 cells as control. The siRNA vector- transfected Hela cells and SSOP-9607 cells revealed marked inhibition of stathmin expression and a dramatic growth inhibition comparing with ECV304 cells, parental-vector transfected cells and untransfected cells. Cell cycle analysis of siRNA vector transfected tumor cells by Flow Cytometry showed G(2)/M phase block, while morphologic analysis by TURNEL staining method showed marked increase of apoptosis. Our study indicates that survivin gene promoter-driven stathmin siRNA expression vector may have potential use in tumor gene therapy with targeted tumor gene silencing effect.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis
  • Bone Neoplasms
  • Cell Division
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • DNA Primers
  • Endothelium, Vascular
  • Gene Silencing*
  • Genetic Therapy / methods
  • Genetic Vectors
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / genetics*
  • Neoplasm Proteins / genetics*
  • Osteosarcoma
  • Plasmids
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics*
  • Restriction Mapping
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Stathmin / genetics*
  • Survivin
  • Transfection
  • Umbilical Veins

Substances

  • BIRC5 protein, human
  • DNA Primers
  • Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Stathmin
  • Survivin