粒酶是由端粒酶RNA和蛋白質組成的核糖核蛋白酶,通過識別並結合於富含G的染色體端粒末端,以自身為範本,逆轉錄合成端粒。細胞中端粒的長度主宰著細胞是否進入老化,老的細胞端粒長度較短,細胞不會進行分裂,如果在老細胞中提高端粒酶的活性,細胞就會繼續進行分裂。一般認為,端粒酶活性的再活化,可以維持端粒的長度,而延緩細胞進入老化,是細胞朝向不老的關鍵步驟。因此,端粒酶會表現於不會老化的細胞株及百分之九十左右的人類惡性腫瘤細胞,而不會表現在一般的正常成熟細胞。研究發現,端粒酶表現量顯著與膀胱癌腫瘤等級和階段有相關聯。所以,端粒酶也許是一個可行的目標,作用於膀胱癌基因治療。同時,端粒酶也可以用在人和小鼠腫瘤標的性表現轉殖基因。對端粒酶起動子調控系統的應用,將可限制轉殖基因的表現僅止於對端粒酶表達之腫瘤。由於大多數人類的膀胱癌組織,端粒酶皆有表現。端粒酶起動子在膀胱癌基因治療,亦可能發生腫瘤特異的轉殖基因的表現。
滅必治會造成DNA的斷裂,並引發許多不同癌細胞的凋亡。在前人的研究發現,滅必治在人的胰腺癌細胞會增加端粒酶的活性。此外,滅必治在臨床可接受的劑量下,可以抑制對腺病毒體液性和細胞性的免疫反應,從而提高腫瘤內轉殖基因的表現。我們假設低劑量滅必治可以增加攜帶受端粒酶起動子調控胞嘧啶脫氨基酶基因(CD)的腺病毒載體的感染效率,並加強CD基因在富含端粒酶膀胱癌細胞中的基因表達。本篇論文,我們證實:低劑量滅必治通過低氧可誘導因子
1α(HIF-1α),而增加了端粒酶起動子活性;同時,低劑量滅必治,可以提高膀胱癌細胞腺病毒感受器,進而加強腺病毒載體的感染。因此,
攜帶端粒酶起動子調控CD基因之重組腺病毒基因治療與滅必治的組合療法,也許有對膀胱癌或其他端粒酶表現腫瘤的治療,是一項具有發展潛力的應用。
Fig. 1. Low-dose etoposide upregulated the expression of
CAR on bladder cancer cells. J82 and TCC-SUP cells were cultured in
the presence or absence of etoposide (0.1 μg/ml) for 6 h and
analyzed for surface expressions of CAR as well as αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrins by flow cytometry.
Thick line indicates etoposide-treated and dotted line indicates
untreated cells incubated with respective monoclonal antibody. Thin
line indicated untreated cells incubated with isotype IgG1 for
background staining. For each panel, the top number (+) indicates
the mean fluorescence intensity for the etoposide-treated cell
population, whereas the bottom number (-) is the untreated
population.
低劑量滅必治經由腺病毒感受器,而不是 αvβ3 或 αvβ5
細胞附著因子(integrin)的提升,造成膀胱癌細胞提高腺病毒感染。有效率的腺病毒感染,需要細胞表現腺病毒感受器和 αvβ5
細胞附著因子,以便病毒進入寄主細胞。如圖1所顯示,當J82細胞表達了一般程度的腺病毒感受器時,而TCC-SUP細胞表達了高量的腺病毒感受器。
然而,這兩個細胞表達了一點 αvβ3 和 αvβ5 細胞附著因子。此外,滅必治在兩個細胞都會提高腺病毒感受器的表現,但只有少許作用在
αvβ3 和 αvβ5
細胞附著因子的表現。這些細胞表面腺病毒感受器增量,也許導致了在轉殖基因表現和隨後蛋白質生產的增量。我們同時也證實增加的腺病毒感受器,會增加的腺病毒進入細胞。在J82、TCC-SUP、MBT-2和NIH3T3細胞,滅必治處理會增加腺病毒攜帶之轉殖基因的表現(圖2),部分歸功於滅必治處理造成細胞腺病毒感受器之增加。值得注意的是,不僅膀胱癌細胞,NIH3T3纖維原細胞經由滅必治處理以後,變得更容易受腺病毒感染。所以,低劑量滅必治處理與攜帶受端粒酶起動子調控CD基因腺病毒配合5-flurocytosin
(5-FC)基因治療組合,可以殺死各種膀胱癌細胞,而不會造成NIH3T3細胞生存的影響。
Fig. 2. Low-dose etoposide enhanced adenovirus infection
on bladder cancer cells. J82, TCC-SUP, MBT-2, and NIH3T3 cells were
infected with Ad-LacZ at an MOI of 1 or 10 with or without etoposide
(0.1 μg/ml) for 6 h. After 42 h, β-gal activity in the cell lysate
was determined and expressed in relative light units per microgram
protein. Data shown were the mean ± S.D. of three determinations,
which were consistent in two separate experiments.
Fig. 3. Ad-hTERT-CD/5-FC in combination with low-dose
etoposide synergistically suppressed tumor growth and prolonged
survival in mice bearing syngeneic MBT-2 tumors. Groups of 8
tumor-bearing mice were treated with Ad-hTERT-CD (108 or
109 PFU) intratumorally at days 11, 12, and 13 followed
by 5-FC (200 mg/kg) treatment for 7 consecutive days starting on day
12, or with etoposide (2 mg/kg) for 8 consecutive days starting on
day 11 alone or in combination. The mean tumor volume ± S.D.
[p=0.0001, 0.0001, and 0.0002 for Ad-hTERT-CD
(109)/etoposide, Ad-hTERT-CD (108)/etoposide,
and Ad-hTERT-CD (109) versus etoposide, respectively;
p=0.0002 and 0.0016 for Ad-hTERT-CD (109)/etoposide and
Ad-hTERT-CD (108)/etoposide versus Ad-hTERT-CD
(109), respectively] (A) and the Kaplan-Meier survival
curves [p=0.0001, 0.0001, and 0.0003 for Ad-hTERT-CD
(109)/etoposide, Ad-hTERT-CD (108)/etoposide,
and Ad-hTERT-CD (109) versus etoposide, respectively;
p=0.0003 and 0.0005 for Ad-hTERT-CD (109)/etoposide and
Ad-hTERT-CD (108)/etoposide versus Ad-hTERT-CD
(109), respectively] (B) are
shown.
雖然,端粒酶起動子調控CD基因腺病毒單獨配合5-FC治療組合,在MBT-2腫瘤小鼠模式中,可以發現會減緩腫瘤生長,但生存率只被提高了0到30%。基於前面描述的體外數據,我們尋求以由低劑量滅必治組合,提高端粒酶起動子調控CD基因腺病毒/5-FC治療組合的療效。5-FC嚴重的副作用,包括有濃度依賴性藥物對肝臟和骨髓的毒性。然而,這些副作用是可以被如免疫抑制劑等所減低的。正如圖3所示,端粒酶起動子調控CD基因腺病毒配合5-FC基因治療組合單獨使用,可以減緩腫瘤生長(p=0.0002)和增加長時期存活率(p=0.0003)。但是當不再繼續注射5-FC
22天以後,腫瘤會在端粒酶起動子調控CD基因腺病毒配合5-FC單獨使用組再生而失去療效。值得注意是,端粒酶起動子調控CD基因腺病毒配合5-FC與滅必治的組合,產生加乘性地抑制腫瘤生長並且大大地提高存活率。所以,不論是高劑量或是低劑量之端粒酶起動子調控CD基因重組腺病毒配合5-FC與低劑量滅必治的組合,會引發抗腫瘤免疫力的產生,導致75%和50%腫瘤的完全消退。圖4所示,我們可以觀察到腫瘤之壞死及顯示出增加了CD4和CD8細胞滲入腫瘤組織。這些結果建議,被激活的免疫細胞在腫瘤之內,也許產生更高的抗腫瘤作用。
Fig. 4. Ad-hTERT-CD/5-FC in combination with low-dose
etoposide synergistically suppressed tumor growth and prolonged
survival in mice bearing syngeneic MBT-2 tumors. In a separate
experiment, tumors were excised from the treated mice at day 21 and
subjected to H&E stain and immunohistochemical stain for
detecting infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells
that were stained red within
tumors.
因為滅必治已經廣泛被使用在臨床用途,在我們的研究證實它是一個可行的策略,用以提高端粒酶起動子調控自殺基因療法的治療指數。更由於大多數人類腫瘤具備高端粒酶活性,端粒酶起動子調控CD基因腺病毒療法與低劑量滅必治的組合,也許可以適用到其他廣大的癌症種類。