A radiation-controlled molecular switch for use in gene therapy of cancer.
Scott, S D Marples, B Hendry, Jolyon H Lashford, Linda S Embleton, M J Hunter, Robin D Howell, Anthony Margison, Geoffrey P
Scott, S D
Marples, B
Hendry, Jolyon H
Lashford, Linda S
Embleton, M J
Hunter, Robin D
Howell, Anthony
Margison, Geoffrey P
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Abstract
Ionising radiation induces the expression of a number of radiation-responsive genes and there is current interest in exploiting this to regulate the expression of exogenous therapeutic genes in gene therapy strategies for cancer. However, the radiation-responsive promoters used in these approaches are often associated with low and transient levels of therapeutic gene expression. We describe here a novel radiation-triggered molecular switching device based on promoter elements from the radiation-responsive Egr-1 gene and the cre-LoxP site-specific recombination system of the P1 bacteriophage. Using this system, a single, minimally toxic dose of radiation induced cre-mediated excision of a lox-P flanked stop cassette in a silenced expression vector and this resulted in amplified levels of CMV-promoter-driven expression of the exogenous tumour-sensitising gene, HSV-tk. This strategy could be used in combination with targeted delivery and tumour-specific promoters to elicit the tumour-targeted and prolonged expression of a variety of tumour-sensitising genes and provide an unprecedented level of control and tumour selectivity.
Description
Date
2000-07
Publisher
Keywords
Cancer
Cultured Tumour Cells
Cultured Tumour Cells
Type
Article
Citation
A radiation-controlled molecular switch for use in gene therapy of cancer. 2000, 7 (13):1121-5 Gene Ther.