Cancer targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy of liver carcinoma by dual-regulated oncolytic adenovirus armed with TRAIL gene

Gene Ther. 2011 Aug;18(8):765-77. doi: 10.1038/gt.2011.16. Epub 2011 Mar 17.

Abstract

Liver cancer is a common and aggressive malignancy, but available treatment approaches remain suboptimal. Cancer targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy (CTGVT) has shown excellent anti-tumor effects in a preclinical study. CTGVT takes advantage of both gene therapy and virotherapy by incorporating an anti-tumor gene into an oncolytic virus vector. Potent anti-tumor activity is achieved by virus replication and exogenous expression of the anti-tumor gene. A dual-regulated oncolytic adenoviral vector designated Ad·AFP·E1A·E1B (Δ55) (Ad·AFP·D55 for short thereafter) was constructed by replacing the native viral E1A promoter with the simian virus 40 enhancer/α-fetoprotein (AFP) composite promoter (AFPep) based on an E1B-55K-deleted construct, ZD55. Ad·AFP·D55 showed specific replication and cytotoxicity in AFP-positive hepatoma cells. It also showed enhanced safety in normal cells when compared with the mono-regulated vector ZD55. To improve the anti-hepatoma activities of the virus, the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) gene was introduced into Ad·AFP·D55. Ad·AFP·D55-TRAIL exhibited remarkable anti-tumor activities in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with Ad·AFP·D55-TRAIL can induce both autophagy owing to the Ad·AFP·D55 vector and caspase-dependent apoptosis owing to the TRAIL protein. Therefore, Ad·AFP·D55-TRAIL could be a potential anti-hepatoma agent with anti-tumor activities due to AFP-specific replication and TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenoviridae / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Autophagy
  • Bystander Effect
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / therapy*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Genetic Therapy / methods*
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Oncolytic Virotherapy / methods*
  • Oncolytic Viruses / genetics*
  • TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand / genetics*
  • alpha-Fetoproteins / genetics

Substances

  • TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand
  • TNFSF10 protein, human
  • alpha-Fetoproteins