Transcriptional targeting of gene expression in breast cancer by the promoters of protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 and ribonuclease reductase 2

Exp Mol Med. 2008 Jun 30;40(3):345-53. doi: 10.3858/emm.2008.40.3.345.

Abstract

For cancer gene therapy, cancer-specific over- expression of a therapeutic gene is required to reduce side effects derived from expression of the gene in normal cells. To develop such an expression vector, we searched for genes over-expressed and/or specifically expressed in cancer cells using bioinformatics and have selected genes coding for protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) and ribonuclease reductase 2 (RRM2) as candidates. Their cancer-specific expressions were confirmed in both breast cancer cell lines and patient tissues. We compared each promoter's cancer-specific activity in the breast normal and cancer cell lines using the luciferase gene as a reporter and confirmed cancer-specific expression of both PRC1 and RRM2 promoters. To test activities of these promoters in viral vectors, the promoters were also cloned into an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector containing green fluorescence protein (GFP) as the reporter. The GFP expression levels by these promoters were various depending on cell lines tested and, in MDA-MB-231 cells, GFP activities derived from the PRC1 and RRM2 promoters were as strong as that from the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Our result showed that a vector containing the PRC1 or RRM2 promoter could be used for breast cancer specific overexpression in gene therapy.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Dependovirus
  • Female
  • Gene Targeting*
  • Genetic Therapy
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Humans
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics*
  • Ribonucleoside Diphosphate Reductase / genetics*
  • Ribonucleoside Diphosphate Reductase / metabolism
  • Transcriptional Activation*

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • PRC1 protein, human
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • ribonucleotide reductase M2
  • Ribonucleoside Diphosphate Reductase