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Carrier cell‐mediated cell lysis of squamous cell carcinoma cells by squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1 promoter‐driven oncolytic adenovirus
Author(s) -
Hamada Katsuyuki,
Zhang Ting,
Desaki Junzo,
Nakashiro Kohichi,
Itoh Hiroshi,
Tani Kenzaburo,
Koyama Yoshiyuki,
Hamakawa Hiroyuki
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the journal of gene medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.689
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1521-2254
pISSN - 1099-498X
DOI - 10.1002/jgm.1467
Subject(s) - oncolytic virus , oncolytic adenovirus , biology , cancer research , cell , microbiology and biotechnology , cell culture , enhancer , gene , gene expression , biochemistry , genetics , tumor cells
Background The squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) serves as a serological marker for squamous cell carcinomas. Molecular cloning of the SCCA genomic region has revealed the presence of two tandemly arrayed genes: SCCA1 and SCCA2. SCCA1 gene is up‐regulated in squamous cell carcinoma cells. We analyzed the proximal region of the SCCA1 promoter and the antitumor effect of oncolytic adenovirus driven by the SCCA1 promoter in squamous cell carcinoma cells. Methods The SCCA1 promoter was analyzed by dual luciferase assay and substituted with the E1A promoter to construct the oncolytic adenovirus to determine the squamous cell carcinoma‐specific cell lysis. Results Deletion analysis of SCCA1 promoter identified a 175‐bp core promoter region and an enhancer region at −525 to −475 bp upstream of the transcription start site. The transcriptional activity of the SCCA1 promoter was up‐regulated in squamous cell carcinoma cells. Five tandem repeats of enhancer increased SCCA1 promoter activity by four‐fold. Oncolytic adenovirus driven by this SCCA1 enhancer‐promoter complex specifically killed squamous cell carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo . A549 carrier cells infected with the oncolytic adenovirus induced complete regression of syngeneic squamous cell carcinoma cell tumor by overcoming immunogenicity and adenovirus‐ mGM‐CSF augmented the antitumor effect of carrier cells. Conclusions SCCA1 was up‐regulated in squamous cell carcinoma cells and oncolytic adenovirus driven by SCCA1 promoter specifically killed these cells. These findings suggest that SCCA1 promoter is a potential target of gene therapy for squamous cell carcinoma. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.