反义端粒酶RNA对人胃癌细胞端粒长度及端粒酶活性调控的研究

 目的　探讨反义端粒酶RNA(hTR)对人胃癌细胞 端粒长度(TRF)及端粒酶活性的调控作 用。方法　应用反义hTR真核表达载体经脂质体介导转染胃癌细胞SGC7901 ,通过分子杂交及端粒重复扩增PCR方法检测hTR表达及端粒、端粒酶活性变化。结 果　经HYR筛选,转染细胞形成稳定克隆,反义hTR表达增强、正义hTR表达下调,平 均TRF缩短、端粒酶活性受抑。结论　反义hTR对胃癌细胞TRF及端粒酶活性 的调控可能是通过其对hTR模板的“封闭”而发挥作用的,反义hTR可以作为胃癌基因治疗的 一种新靶点。     

Attenuation of telomerase activity by hammerhead ribozyme targeting human telomerase RNA induces growth retardation and apoptosis in human breast tumor cells

Ribozyme possesses specific endoribonuclease activity and catalyzes the hydrolysis of specific phosphodiester bonds, which results in the cleavage of target RNA sequences. Here, we evaluated the ability of hammerhead ribozymes targeting human telomerase RNA (hTR) to inhibit the catalytic activity of telomerase and the proliferation of cancer cells. Hammerhead ribozymes were designed against 7 NUX sequences located in open loops of the hTR secondary structure. We verified the ribozyme specificity by in vitro cleavage assay by using a synthetic RNA substrate. Subsequently, we introduced ribozyme expression vector into human breast tumor MCF-7 cells and assessed the biologic effects of ribozyme. Hammerhead ribozyme R1 targeting the template region of hTR efficiently cleaved hTR in vitro, and stable transfectants of this ribozyme induced the degradation of target hTR RNA and attenuated telomerase activity in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, the ribozyme R1 transfectant displayed a significant telomere shortening and a lower proliferation rate than parental cells. Clones with reduced proliferation capacity showed enlarged senescence-like shapes or highly differentiated dendritic morphologies of apoptosis. In conclusion, the inhibition of telomerase activity by hammerhead ribozyme targeting the template region of the hTR presents a promising strategy for inhibiting the growth of human breast cancer cells.     

2-5A antisense therapy directed against human telomerase RNA inhibits telomerase activity and induces apoptosis without telomere impairment in cervical cancer cells

Human telomerase RNA (hTR), an important component of telomerase, is a possible target of telomerase-based cancer gene therapy. The present study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of antisense hTR therapy using newly developed 2-5A (5'-phosphorylated 2'-5'-linked oligoadenylate)-linked oligonucleotides against cervical cancer cells. ME180 and SiHa cells were treated with 2-5A-linked antisense hTR designed to complement the region of hTR between residues 76 and 94. The hTR expression, telomerase activity, cell viability, and apoptosis were then examined. The 2-5A anti-hTR effectively degraded hTR and inhibited telomerase activity. The 2-5A mutant anti-hTR and the anti-hTR without 2-5A were not capable of inhibiting telomerase activity. Inhibition of telomerase by 2-5A anti-hTR rapidly decreased cell viability only in telomerase-positive cells within 3-6 days after the treatment, when telomere length has not yet been shortened. This inhibition was associated with apoptosis, possibly through activation of caspase family members. These findings suggest that 2-5A-linked antisense-hTR therapy has a potent telomerase-inhibitory effect associated with a cytocidal effect from caspase-induced apoptosis, and may therefore be a potential tool in telomerase-based gene therapy against cervical cancers.     

Rapid blockade of telomerase activity and tumor cell growth by the DPL lipofection of ribbon antisense to hTR

Ribbon antisense (RiAS) to the hTR RNA, a component of the telomerase complex, was employed to inhibit telomerase activity and cancer cell growth. The antisense molecule, hTR-RiAS, combined with enhanced cellular uptake was shown to effectively inhibit telomerase activity and cause rapid cell death in various cancer cell lines. When cancer cells were treated with hTR-RiAS, the level of hTR RNA was reduced by more than 90% accompanied with reduction in telomerase activity. When checked for cancer cell viability, cancer cell lines treated with hTR-RiAS using DNA+Peptide+Lipid complex showed 70-80% growth inhibition in 3 days. The reduced cell viability was due to apoptosis as the percentage of cells exhibiting the sub-G0 arrest and DNA fragmentation increased after antisense treatment. Further, when subcutaneous tumors of a colon cancer cell line (SW480) were treated intratumorally with hTR-RiAS, tumor growth was markedly suppressed with almost total ablation of hTR RNA in the tumor tissue. Cells in the tumor tissue were also found to undergo apoptosis after hTR-RiAS treatment. These results suggest that hTR-RiAS is an effective anticancer reagent, with a potential for broad efficacy to diverse malignant tumors.     

Attenuation of Telomerase Activity by siRNA Targeted Telomerase RNA Leads to Apoptosis and Inhibition of Proliferation in Human Renal Carcinoma Cells

OBJECTIVE Telomerase is an attractive molecular target for cancer therapy because the activation of telomerase is one of the key steps in cell immortalization and carcinogenesis. RNA interference using small-interfering RNA (siRNA) has been demonstrated to be an effective method for inhibiting the expression of a given gene in human cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether inhibition of telomerase activity by siRNA targeted against human telomerase RNA (hTR) can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptotic cell death in human renal carcinoma cells (HRCCs). METHODS The siRNA duplexes for hTR were synthesized and 786-0 HRCCs were transfected with different concentrations of hTR-siRNA. The influence on the hTR mRNA level, telomerase activity, as well as the effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis was examined. RESULTS Anti-hTR siRNA treatment of HRCCs resulted in specific reduction of hTR mRNA and inhibition of telomerase activity. Additionally, significant inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis were observed. CONCLUSION siRNA against the hTR gene can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis by blocking telomerase activity of HRCCs. Specific hTR inhibition by siRNA represents a promising new option for renal cancer treatment.     

Inhibition of telomerase RNA (hTR) in cervical cancer by adenovirus-delivered siRNA

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has become a powerful tool for selectively silencing gene expression in cultured mammalian cells. In this study, a 67-bp oligonucleotide encoding human telomerase RNA (hTR) was introduced into pSIREN, a shuttle vector for construction of recombinant adenovirus. Then the U6-RNA promoter and siRNA-encoding insert were cut out from the pSIREN and subcloned into pAdeno-X to construct the plasmid pAd-hTR. After the pAd-hTR was transfected into a mammalian cell line HEK-293, adenovirus carrying the hTR-targeting siRNA (Ad-hTR-siRNA) was obtained. We performed a series of experiments to demonstrate silencing of the telomerase mediated by Ad-hTR-siRNA in HeLa cells. Compared with control virus (Ad-NT-siRNA), Ad-hTR-siRNA significantly reduced both hTR mRNA level (by 70.21%) and telomerase activity (by 58.87%) in HeLa cells. Moreover, it induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. Treatment of subcutaneous tumor xenografted with Ad-hTR-siRNA could slow down tumor growth, at least partially due to the induction of apoptosis (P<0.05) in vivo. Taken together, our results demonstrated efficient and specific knockdown of telomerase in HeLa cell line by the hTR siRNA, and indicated the prospect of applying this siRNA expressing recombinant adenovirus system in cancer gene therapy.     

RNA干扰对肾癌细胞端粒酶活性及增殖、凋亡的影响

目的 探讨针对人端粒酶RNA（hTR）及其催化亚基（hTERT）的小干扰RNA（siRNA）对肾癌细胞端粒酶活性及其增殖、凋亡的影响。方法 将hTR-siRNA、hTERT-siRNA（100nmol／L）单独或联合转染人肾癌786—0细胞,采用RT-PCR法检测hTR、hTERT mRNA表达,TRAP-ELISA法检测端粒酶活性,MTT法检测细胞增殖,免疫组化TUNEL法检测细胞凋亡。结果 （1）hTR-siRNA可显著降低786—0细胞hTR mRNA表达（P〈0．01）,hTERT-siRNA可显著降低hTERT mRNA表达（P〈0．01）,但彼此互不影响。（2）二者均能显著抑制端粒酶活性（P〈0．01,P〈0．01）,并增加786—0细胞增殖抑制率及凋亡细胞阳性率（P〈0．01,P〈0．01）。二者联合应用与单独应用差异亦无显著性（P〉0．05）。结论 hTR、hTERT siRNA通过抑制各自基因表达,抑制人肾癌细胞端粒酶活性,进而抑制增殖、促进凋亡。     

hTR基因反义核酸对K562细胞端粒酶活性和凋亡的影响

目的: 研究人类端粒酶(hTR)基因的反义核酸对K562细胞端粒酶活性和细胞凋亡的影响.方法:采用TRAP法检测K562细胞在反义核酸处理前后端粒酶活性的变化,以及采用TUNEL法观察反义核酸处理前后细胞凋亡的变化.结果:hTR基因反义核酸能有效抑制K562细胞的端粒酶活性,并且诱导K562细胞发生凋亡.结论:hTR基因反义核酸能显著抑制肿瘤细胞的端粒酶活性,为恶性肿瘤治疗提供了一条新的有效的途径.     

Telomerase enzyme activity and RNA expression in adriamycin-resistant human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells.

Telomerase activity has been reported in cancer cells after treatment with antineoplastic agents. Assessment of telomerase activity could be a valuable tool to measure the reduction of aggression caused by chemotherapy. This study was designed to investigate the significance of telomerase for chemotherapy with respect to Adriamycin (ADM)-resistance. MCF-7 and its ADM-resistant line (AdrR) were treated with ADM, 5-fluorouracil (5FU) or taxotere (TAXO). Telomerase activity and human telomerase RNA component (hTR) were quantitatively measured by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay and RT-PCR, respectively. Cell counting and MTT assay were also performed. In MCF-7, enzyme activity was significantly reduced by ADM and 5FU treatments. In AdrR, 5FU and TAXO reduced enzyme activity, while ADM significantly increased the activity. No significant changes in hTR were seen in these two cell lines after treatment with any of these drugs. When Bcl-2 expression was examined after drug treatments, ADM increased Bcl-2 expression in AdrR cells, while not changing it in MCF-7 cells. We conclude that an unusual reaction of telomerase activity in AdrR may explain, at least in part, one of the mechanisms of the malignant biological behavior related with the drug-resistance to ADM.     

hTR repressor-related gene on human chromosome 10p15.1

Somatic cells express genes that suppress telomerase activity and these genes may be inactivated in tumour cells. We postulated that cancer cells acquire immortality by activation of telomerase by the loss of such a gene. We have reported recently that a telomerase repressor gene may be located on 10p15.1 by deletion mapping using microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT), radiated microcell fusion (RMF), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and STS analysis. To independently confirm this result, we correlated expression of RNA component of telomerase (hTR) as a marker of telomerase expression by in situ hybridization with allelic loss in pulmonary carcinoid tumours. Unlike most malignant tumours, pulmonary carcinoids (which are low-grade malignant tumours) are heterogeneous for telomerase expression. Loss of 5 closely spaced polymorphic markers on 10p15.1, especially D10S1728, were highly correlated with hTR expression. In an additional experiment, 10p15.1 showed higher and more significant correlation than any region of 3p where it has been predicted as another chromosomal location of telomerase repressor with allelic loss of the region. Our findings strongly suggest that 10p15.1 harbours a gene involved in repression of telomerase RNA component in human somatic cells and each putative repressor (on 3p and 10p) may act independently.     

Inhibition of cell growth and telomerase activity of breast cancer cells in vitro by retinoic acids

The effects of retinoic acid (RA) and its analogs, all-trans RA, 9-cis RA and 13-cis RA, were investigated in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and immortalized breast epithelial cell line MCF-10A. RA inhibited the telomerase activity of MCF-7 cells in a wide range of concentrations. RA at 10 microM also inhibited the growth of MCF-7 cells in a time-dependent manner. However, no significant growth inhibition was found between untreated control and RA-treated MCF-10A cells. Moreover, a marked inhibition of telomerase activity by RA was detected early in MCF-7 cells (after 24 h of RA treatment), which was preceded by a reduction of hTERT mRNA expression (after 12 h of RA treatment). However, MCF-10A cells showed a reduction of telomerase activity and down-regulation of hTERT after 4 days of RA treatment. Simultaneous changes in hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity were found for MCF-10A cells. The expressions of hTR and hTEP1 telomerase component genes were not changed after RA treatment. These results indicate that the anti-breast cancer activity of RA could be mediated by its ability to down-regulate the expression of hTERT telomerase gene.     

Expression of the RNA component of human telemorase (hTR) in ThinPrep preparations from bladder washings

BACKGROUND: The enzyme telomerase is associated with cellular immortality and is expressed in the vast majority of human neoplasms. The expression of the RNA component of human telomerase (hTR) shows excellent concordance with enzyme activity. METHODS: In this study, hTR expression was analyzed in a series of 18 perioperative bladder washings and compared with histologic diagnoses from material obtained in the same setting. The hTR expression analysis used an 35S-based in-situ hybridization assay. ThinPrep preparations fixed in PreservCyt solution (Cytyc Corporation, Boxborough, MA) were hybridized with sense and antisense hTR probes. A 1-4+ grading scheme was used, with appropriate positive and negative controls. RESULTS: Five of six (83%) lesions with benign histology had hTR expression that was 2+ or less in the exfoliated urothelial cells. In contrast, 11 of 12 (93%) lesions with malignant histology had an hTR expression that was focally 3+ or more, with 7 of 12 (58%) lesions having 4+ hTR expression in at least some urothelial clusters. Although increased hTR expression was present in smears with malignant urothelial cells, a similar trend was not seen with muscularis propria invasion or higher grades of TCC on subsequent histology. CONCLUSIONS: The use of in situ hybridization technique bypasses the need for stringent specimen processing and allows identification of the specific cell type that expresses telomerase. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) Copyright 2001 American Cancer Society.     

p53反义RNA对肠癌细胞恶性表型的抑制作用

研究ｐ５３反义ＲＮＡ对大肠癌细胞中突变型ｐ５３致癌性的抑制效应,为肿瘤基因治疗提供新思路。方法２．１ｋｂ的人ｐ５３全长ｃＤＮＡ反向插入哺乳动物表达载体ｐＲＥＰ９,得到ｐ５３反义ＲＮＡ表达载体ｐＲＥＰ９－ｐ５３（ＡＳ）,并将其导入人肠癌细胞株ＳＷ１１１６（内源性突变型ｐ５３）,采用ＭＴＴ和ＦＣＭ方法测定ｐＲＥＰ９－ｐ５３（ＡＳ）表达的ｐ５３反义ＲＮＡ对ＳＷ１１１６细胞生长的影响。结果带有ｐＲＥＰ９－ｐ５３（ＡＳ）的ＳＷ１１１６细胞,与对照组ＳＷ１１１６细胞和带ｐＲＥＰ９空载体的ＳＷ１１１６细胞相比,由于ｐ５３反义ＲＮＡ的表达,其增殖速度显著下降,ＦＣＭ的结果也证明带ｐＲＥＰ９－ｐ５３（ＡＳ）的细胞部分受阻于Ｇ０／１期,而带ｐＲＥＰ９空载体的细胞则无明显变化。结论ｐ５３反义ＲＮＡ可以有效地抑制大肠癌细胞中突变型ｐ５３的致癌性,可用于实验性肿瘤基因治疗研究     

端粒酶反义RNA对人肾癌细胞系GRC—1生长的影响

目的 探讨抗端粒酶在肾细胞癌治疗中的意义。方法 采用脂质体介质导法将端粒酶反义RNA真核表达载体（pBBS212-hTR)导入人肾癌GRC－1细胞系中,采用TRAR法测定端粒酶活性,采用MTT法检测细胞生长动力,电镜下观察细胞增殖情况及端粒酶反义RNA对细胞凋亡的影响。结果 端粒酶反应RNA能显著抑制细胞的端粒酶活性,抑制细胞增殖并促进其凋亡。结论 应用端粒酶反义RNA抑制肾癌端粒酶活性是治疗肾癌的潜在途径。