Plasma Metabonomics of Human Adenovirus-infected Patients with Pneumonia and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

Objective Human adenovirus(HAdV)infection is common and can develop to serious conditions with high mortality,yet the mechanism of HAdV infection remains unclear.In the present study,the serum metabolite profiles of HAdV-7-infected patients with pneumonia or upper respiratory tract infection(URTI)were explored.Methods In total,35 patients were enrolled in the study following an outbreak of HAdV-7 in the army,of whom 14 had pneumonia and 21 had URTI.Blood samples were collected at the acute stage and at the recovery stage and were analyzed by untargeted metabolomics.Results Over 90% of the differential metabolites identified between the pneumonia patients and URTI patients were lipids and lipid-like molecules,including glycerophospholipids,fatty acyls,and sphingolipids.The metabolic pathways that were significantly enriched were primarily the lipid metabolism pathways,including sphingolipid metabolism,glycerophospholipid metabolism,and linoleic acid metabolism.The sphingolipid metabolism was identified as a significantly differential pathway between the pneumonia patients and URTI patients and between the acute and recovery stages for the pneumonia patients,but not between the acute and recovery stages for the URTI patients.Ceramide and lactosylceramide,involved in sphingolipid metabolism,were significantly higher in the pneumonia patients than in the URTI patients with good discrimination abilities[area under curve(AUC)0.742 and 0.716,respectively;combination AUC 0.801].Conclusion Our results suggested that HAdV modulated lipid metabolism for both the patients with URTI and pneumonia,especially the sphingolipid metabolism involving ceramide and lactosylceramide,which might thus be a potential intervention target in the treatment of HAdV infection.

Transarterial chemoembolization combined with recombinant human adenovirus type 5 H101 prolongs overall survival of patients with intermediate to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a prognostic nomogram study

Background: Patients with intermediate to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) are most commonly treated with transarterial chemoembolization(TACE). Previous studies showed that TACE combined with recombinant human adenovirus type 5(H101) may provide a clinical survival benefit. In the present study, we aimed to determine the survival benefit of TACE with or without H101 for patients with intermediate to advanced HCC and to develop an e ective nomogram for predicting individual survival outcomes of these patients.Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 590 patients with intermediate to advanced HCC who were treated at Sun Yat?sen University Cancer Center between January 2007 and July 2015. After propensity score matching, 238 patients who received TACE with H101(TACE with H101 group) and 238 patients who received TACE without H101(TACE group) were analyzed. Overall survival(OS) was evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method; the nomogram was developed based on Cox regression analysis. Discrimination and calibration were measured using the concordance index(c?index) and calibration plots.Results: Clinical and radiologic features were similar between the two groups. OS rates were significantly lower in the TACE group than in the TACE with H101 group(1?year OS rate, 53.8% vs. 61.3%; 2?year OS rate, 33.4% vs. 44.2%; 3?year OS rate, 22.4% vs. 40.5%; all P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis for the entire cohort showed that alpha?fetoprotein level, alkaline phosphatase level, tumor size, metastasis, vascular invasion, and TACE with or without H101 were independent factors for OS, all of which were included in the nomogram. Calibration curves showed good agreement between nomogram?predicted survival and observed survival. The c?index of the nomogram for predict?ing OS was 0.716(95% confidence interval 0.686–0.746).Conclusions: TACE plus H101 extends the survival of patients with intermediate to advanced HCC. Our proposed nomogram provides individual survival prediction and stratification for patients with intermediate to advanced HCC who receive TACE with or without H101.

Growth Suppression of Human Lung Cancer Cells and Implanted Tumors by Adenovirus-mediated Transfer of the PTEN Gene

This study examined the effects of a recombinant adenovirus AdTEN-EGFP on the proliferation of A549 cells, a human lung carcinoma cell line, in vitro and on the growth of the implanted tumors in the nude mice in vivo, explored the underlying mechanisms and evaluated the in vitro transfection efficiency of Ad-PTEN-EGFP into A549 cells. The expression of Ad-PTEN-EGFP in the A549 cells was determined. The proliferation and the apoptosis rates of the A549 cells with Ad-PTEN-EGFP transfection or not was detected by MTT and flow cytometry. Ad-PTEN-EGFP at different doses was injected intratumorally to the tumor-bearing mice induced by the A549 cells. Tumor sizes were measured on an alternate day. After all the mice were sacrificed, the implanted tumors were removed for routine histological examination, weight test, HE staining and immunohistochemical staining. The expressions of Bax, P16 and P53 in the tumor tissues and those of caspase-3, CD34 and VEGF in the mouse sera were detected. Tumor cell apoptosis was measured by TUNEL method. The results showed that the vitality of the A549 cells after transfection with Ad-PTEN-EGFP declined. The expression of green fluorescent protein was observed under fluorescent microscope. The transfection rate was in excess of 50%. The mRNA and protein expression of PTEN in the transfected cells was confirmed. The proliferation rate of the transfected cells was significantly decreased when compared with that of the non-transfected cells （P〈0.05）. The number of the apoptosi＇s cells was increased in the transfected cells （P〈0.05）. The models of implanted tumors were successfully estab- lished by injection of the A549 cells in the flank of Balb/c nude mice. Administration of Ad-PTEN-EGFP to the tumor-bearing nude mice resulted in a suppression of tumor growth. There were statistically significant differences in the tumor weight and tumor volume between the Ad-PTEN-EGFP-treated group and the control groups （P〈0.05）. In contrast to those in the control groups, tumor tissues in the Ad-PTEN-EGFP-treated group were shown to have typical extensive vacuolar degeneration and massive hemorrhagic necrosis. Apoptotic bodies were also observed in the tumor cells. The expressions of Bax, caspase-3 and P16 were increased （P〈0.05） while those of CD34, VEGF and P53 decreased （P〈0.05） in the Ad-PTEN-EGFP-treated group. It is concluded that Ad-PTEN-EGFP could induce the apoptosis of the A549 cells and inhibit their proliferation. And it could also substantially suppress the tumor growth in the tumor-bearing nude mice and induce apoptosis of the tumor cells as well. These findings carry significant implications for adenovirus vector-based PTEN gene therapies for lung cancers.

Killing effects of cytosine deaminase gene mediated by adenovirus vector on human pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the killing effects of the cytosine deaminase (CD) gene mediated by adenovirus vector on human pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro. METHODS: The CD gene was cloned into pAdTrack-CMV-CD, and pAdTrack-CMV-CD and pAdEasy-l were recombinated in bacteria. The newly recombinated Ad-CD containing green fluoreseent protein (GFP) was propagated in 293 cells and purified by cesium chloride gradient centrifugation. Human pancreatic cancer cell lines Patu8988 and SW1990 were infected with this virus, then 5-FC was added. XTT assay was used to estimate relative numbers of viable cells. RESULTS: The positive clones were selected by using endonuclease to digest the combinatants and the concentration of viral liquids containing the CD gene was 2×1O^(11) pfu/ml. It was found that significant cytotoxic activities were possesscd by 5-FC for the CD gene transduced pancreatic cell lines, but little effects exerted on the nontransduced pancreatic carcinoma cells. CONCLUSIONS: The CD gene mediated by adenovirus with a high infectivity is efficient for gene therapy of pancreatic carcinoma cell lines. These data demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of an enzyme prodrug strategy in experimental pancreatic cancer.

ADV36 adipogenic adenovirus in human liver disease

obesity and liver steatosis are usually described as related diseases.obesity is regarded as exclusive consequence of an imbalance between food intake and physical exercise,modulated by endocrine and genetic factors.Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),is a condition whose natural history is related to,but not completely explained by over-nutrition,obesity and insulin resistance.There is evidence that environmental infections,and notably adipogenic adenoviruses(ADV)infections in humans,are associated not only with obesity,which is sufficiently established,but also with allied conditions,such as fatty liver.In order to elucidate the role,if any,of previous ADV36 infection in humans,we investigated association of ADV36-ADV37 seropositivity with obesity and fatty liver in humans.Moreover,the possibility that lifestyle-nutritional intervention in patients with NAFLD and different ADV36 seropositive status,achieves different clinical outcomes on ultrasound bright liver imaging,insulin resistance and obesity was challenged.ADV36 seropositive patientshave a more consistent decrease in insulin resistance,fatty liver severity and body weight in comparison with ADV36 seronegative patients,indicating a greater responsiveness to nutritional intervention.These effects were not dependent on a greater pre-interventional body weight and older age.These results imply that no obvious disadvantage-and,seemingly,that some benefit-is linked to ADV36 seropositivity,at least in NAFLD.ADV36 previous infection can boost weight loss and recovery of insulin sensitivity under interventional treatment.

Inhibition of Metastatic Progression of SSTR2 Gene Transfection Mediated by Adenovirus in Human Pancreatic Carcinoma Cells

The inhibition of metastatic progression of Somatostatin receptor type 2 （SSTR2） gene transfection mediated by adenovirus in human pancreatic carcinoma cells and the mechanisms involved in this effect were studied. The full-length human SSTR2 cDNA was introduced into the pancreatic cancer cell line BXPC-3 by adenovirus-mediated transfection. Stable expression of mRNAs and protein of SSTR2 was detected by RT-PCR and Western-blot. The Matrigel-coated Transwell was used to detect the migratory and invasive ability of SSTR2-expressing cells, Adv-GFP control cells and mock control cells. Furthermore, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2） and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 （TIMP-2） was detected by RT-PCR in these cells. The stable expression of SSTR2 was detected in BXPC-3 transfected by Adv-GFP-SSTR2. A dramatic decrease of BXPC-3 expressing sst2 cells migrating through a Matrigel-coated filter was observed, as compared with Adv-GFP control and mock control cells （P〈0. 01）. Moreover, the expression of MMP-2 mRNA was significantly reduced in the SSTR2-expressing cells and converse- ly the expression of TIMP-2 mRNA was significantly increased in the SSTR2-expressing cells when compared with the Adv-GFP control and mock control （P〈0. 01）. The expression of reintroduced human SSTR2 gene in BXPC-3 cells by Adv-GFP-SSTR2 had the anti-migratory and anti-invasive effects, and the mechanisms involved in this effect may be due to the down-regulated expression of MMP-2 and up-regulated expression of TIMP-2.

Inhibitory Effects of 5-Aza-2'-Deoxycytidine and Trichostatin A in Combination with p53-Expressing Adenovirus on Human Laryngocarcinoma Cells

Objective： To investigate the effects of 5-Aza-2＇-deoxycytidine （5-Aza-Cdr） and trichostatin A （TSA） combined with p53-expressing adenovirus （Ad-p53） on Hep-2 cell line in vivo and in vitro, in order to explore its possibility in biological treatment of laryngocarcinoma. Methods： Effects of 5-Aza-Cdr and TSA in combination with Ad-p53 on Hep-2 cell line in vivo were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 （CCK-8） assay. The effect of drug combination was calculated by Jin＇s formula. Effects on the cell line in vitro were investigated by establishing the nude mice model. Results： 5-Aza-Cdr and TSA showed inhibitory effects on the proliferation of Hep-2 cells in dose- and time-dependent manner. Ad-p53 can inhibit the growth of Hep-2 cells in vivo and in vitro. However, the combination of epigenetic reagents （5-Aza-Cdr/TSA） and Ad-p53 was less effective than individual use of Ad-p53. 5-Aza-Cdr and Ad-p53 inhibited the growth of transplanted tumors and reduced the volume of tumors, and the tumor volume of Ad-p53 group was significantly smaller than that of the control group （P0.05）. Conclusion： Both epigenetic reagents （5-Aza-Cdr/TSA） and Ad-p53 can suppress cell proliferation on Hep-2 in vivo and in vitro and there may be some antagonistic mechanism between Ad-p53 and epigenetic reagents （5-Aza-Cdr/ TSA）.

Immunological tolerance of human hepatocyte xenograft induced by adenovirus vector-mediated CTLA4Ig gene transfer

BACKGROUND:Systemic administration of CTLA4Ig has been applied in inducing immunological tolerance of hepatocyte implants,but has potential for systemic immune inhibition.This study was designed to induce hepatocyte immunological tolerance by locally expressing CTLA4Ig in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of cell transplantation.METHODS:A normal human liver cell line(L02) was transfected with adenovirus vector containing the CTLA4Ig gene(Ad-CTLA4Ig-EGFP) in vitro,and the expression of CTLA4Ig by transfected cells was assessed by fluorescent imaging and immunocytochemical staining.Transfected cells then were injected into the spleen of Sprague-Dawley rats,the survival of cells was determined by immunohistochemistry,and the immune status was examined through CD4 + and CD69 + T cellcounts and ELISA detection of IL-2 in peripheral blood.RESULTS:L02 cells expressed CTLA4Ig in the cytoplasm for >4 weeks.Surviving L02 cells were observed in the experimental group at 3 and 4 weeks post-transplantation,while none was detected in the control group.Furthermore,the percentages of CD4 + and CD4 + CD69 + T cells in the CTLA4-transfected group were 24.5% and 45.1%,markedly lower than those in the control group at 4 weeks post-transplantation(P<0.01).Furthermore,the IL-2 level was also lower in the CTLA4transfected group than in the control group.CONCLUSION:Adenovirus-mediated CTLA4Ig gene transfer into human hepatocytes has the potential to become an effective method of inducing immunological tolerance in hepatocyte transplantation.

Adenovirus-Mediated Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase Gene Transfer Driver by KDR Promoter in Treatment of Experimental Human HepatocelLular Carcinoma in Nude Mice

Objective： To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of adenovirus-mediated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase （HSV-tk） gene transfer under the driving of KDR promoter （AdKDR-tk） in combination of ganciclovir （GCV） against human hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice. Methods： HepG2 cell line was implanted subcutaneously into 32 nude mice, which were subsequently divided into 4 groups （n=8 each group）： Ganciclovir group （Ⅰ）, Ad group （Ⅱ）, AdCMV-tk/GCV group （under the driving of CMV promoter） （Ⅲ） and AdKDR-tk/GCV group （Ⅳ）. Then intratumoral injection of recombinant adenovirus or Ad was performed in all nude mice, and repeated 24 h later. For the following 10 d GCV was given at a dose of 100 mg/（kg· d）, ip. All the treated animals were killed to evaluate the tumor weight and the histopathological changes and the microvessel density of tumors after the treatment was determined. Results Compared with group Ⅰ, the tumor inhibitory rate was 12.3% in group Ⅲ and 24.5% in group Ⅳ; the inhibition rates were significantly different between group Ⅲand Ⅳ （P〈0.05）. The mean MVDs in group Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ were 37.4±8.6, 30.6±7.8, 27.6±7.1, and 10.7±4.1 （microvessels/mm^2）, respectively. Significant differences were found between group Ⅲ and Ⅱ （P〈0.05）, Ⅳ and Ⅱ （P〈0.01）, and Ⅳ and Ⅲ （P〈0.01）. Conclusion： Intratumoral injection of AdKDR-tk results in marked inhibition of HCC growth through inhibition angiogenesis in nude mice. It may be a new treatment approach for human HCC,

Gene therapy with antisense c-myc adenovirus for human gastric carcino-ma cell line in vitro and for implanted carcinoma in nude mice

Objective:To study the effects of recombinant antisense c-myc adenovirus (rAS-c-myc-Ad) on SGG 7901 human gastric carcinoma cell line in for and in nude mice. Methods:The effects of rAS-c-myc-Ad and LacZ-Ad on SGG 7901 gastric carcinoma cells were observed with X-galstaining, MTT, DNA gradient degradation test, TUNEL, flow cytometry, PCR and western blot. The therapeutic effects of rAS-c-myc-Ad on the implanted ax 7901 cells in nude mice were also ob served.Results: rAS-c-myc-Ad significantly inhibited the growth of SGG 7901 cells and induced their apoptosis. After the treatment of rAS-c-myc-Ad, the prolifetion rate of the cells was decreased by 44’ l% in de and SGC 7901 cells failed to form caxcinoma ther they were implanted into nude mice. Injection of rAS-c-myc-Ad into the carcinoma subcutaneously implanted to the nude mice significantly inhibited the growth of the implanted carcinoma with an inhibition rate of 68. 9%. Conclusion: rAS-c- myc- Ad significantly inhibits the growth of SGG 7901 human gastric carcinoma cells in vitro and in nude

Possible Spread of adenovirus type 3 from poultry to humans:indirect evidence from an outbreak in China

Objective：To explore the epidemiology and etiology for an outbreak of acute respiratory tract infection that occurred in one county of Jiangsu Province, China 2004. Methods： Only cases meeting the case definition were included in the study. We reviewed the medical records of the cases who were admitted to the local hospitals, interviewed cases by a standard questionnaire, and then described the epidemiologic features and analyzed risk factors by means of a case-control study. We collected pharyngeal swab specimens and sent them to different laboratories for isolation and culture. The laboratory used different detection methods such as DIF, PCR, electron microscope exahaination and microneutralization assay, to identify and then type the positive specimens. Results：A total of 871 cases were reported during the period from April 18 to July 4, 2004. The distribution of onset times presented two peaks, one in late May and another in middle June. The epidemic occurred mainly in the elementary and junior high schools in ten townships of one county, and the mean age of the cases was 12 years （range 7 months to 18 years）. The course of the disease was acute, and was characterized by fever accompanied with sore throat and tonsillitis. The WBC count of cases was normal or elevated. The mean duration of illness was 5 days （range 2 to 12 days）. No fatalities from illness were reported. A case-control study indicated that the possible risk factors were close contact with a case and/or poultry before onset and sharing of towels among members of the family. The typical CPE was observed through inoculating pharyngeal swab specimens into the HEP-2 cell cultures in different laboratories. An infection of adenovirus type 3 was verified by detecting positive specimens in different methods. Conclusion：This investigation demonstrated that the acute respiratory infection in cases was caused by adenovirus type 3. Cases occurred in over 70 schools in ten townships in 2004, and the route of transmission was possibly close contact with cases or droplet transmission.

Molecular Characterization of Human Respiratory Adenovirus Infection in Children from November 2016 to October 2017 in Xining City, China

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) belong to the genus Mastadenovirus, family Adenoviridae, and can cause respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract infections, as well as ocular infections in humans[1]. Till date, a total of 84 unique genotypes of AdVs have been identified and classified as human Mastadenovirus species A to G, and specific types are often associated with certain clinical symptoms, epidemiological settings, and demographic risk groups[2]. Among these species, members of the species HAdV-B (HAdV-3, HAdV-7, HAdV-11, HAdV-16, HAdV-21, HAdV-34, HAdV-35, HAdV-50, etc), HAdV-C (HAdV-1, HAdV-2, HAdV-5, and HAdV-6), and HAdV-E (HAdV-4) have been generally associated with respiratory infections[3]. HAdV infections are mild and self-limited in healthy individuals, whereas they can result in high mortality rates in immunocompetent and immunocompromized patients[4].

ADENOVIRUS-MEDIATED P53 GENE TRANSFER INCREASES THE THERMOSENSITIVITY OF HUMAN GASTRIC CARCINOMA CELL LINES(IN VITRO AND IN VIVO)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of adenovirus-mediated p53 gene (Adp53) on apoptosis andradiosensitivity of human gastric carcinoma cell lines.Methods: Recombinant adenovirus expressing wild-type p53 gene was transferred into four human gastric carcinoma cell lines with different p53 genetic status. p53 proteinexpression was detected by immunohistochemistry assayand western blot assay. Cell survival was assessed using a clonogenic assay. TUNEL assay was used in determination of apoptosis. Four human gastric carcinoma cells infectedwith Adp53 were irradiated with 4Gy and cell cycle distribution and Sub-G1 peak were assayed by flowcytometry. Results: G2/M arrest, apoptosis and inhibition of tumor cell proliferation were induced by infection atAdp53 at 100 MOI which caused high transfer rate ofwild-type p53 and strong expression of p53 protein in four human gastric carcinoma cells. The radio-enhancement ratio of Adp53 at 4Gy were 3.0 for W cell, 3.6 for M cell, 2.2 for neo cell and 2.5 for 823 cell in vitro. Conclusion: Thisstudy demonstrated that Adp53 transfer increased cellularapoptosis and radiosensitivity of human gastric carcinoma cell lines in vitro independently on cellular intrinsic p53status thus supporting the combination of p53 gene therapy with radiotherapy in clinical trials.

CONSTRUCTION OF A RECOMBINANT ADENOVIRUS VECTOR OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPE 16 L1_E7C

Objective: Human papillomaviruses are closely associated with human cervical cancer, especially HPV types 16 and 18. At present, HPV can not be produced in large quantity; it also has tumorgenicity and these properties of HPV have seriously hampered the development of HPV vaccine. HPV type 16 LI proteins can assembled into virus-like particles (VLP), which are morphologically identical to the nature virion. In order to develop the recombinant adenovirus vectors of HPV, we constructed a recombinant adenovirus shuttle plasmid pCA14 L1-E7C. Methods: Human papillomavirus type 16 LI open reading frame without terminator codon (TAA) (5559–7152) and E7C (682–855) were amplified using PCR. The L1 and E7C fragments were inserted into pGEM-T easy vectors by T-A strategy, named pTAL1 and pTAE7C. pTAL1 was cut with Hind III and BgIII, the pTAE7C with BamHI and ClaI. The L1 DNA fragment, E7C and pBluesscript SK were ligated together using T4 DNA ligase. pBSL1-E7C and pBSL1-E7C was digested with Hind III and Xhol. The L1-E7C fragment was inserted into adenovirus shuttle plasmids pCA14, named pCA14L1-E7C. DNA sequence results indicated that The L1-E7C DNA fragment can encode the HPV16L1-E7 fusion protein correctly. Results: The L1 and E7C DNA fragments were amplified by PCR and recombinant plasmid pTAL1, pTAE7C, pBSL1-E7C and pCA14L1-E7C were constructed correctly. The pCA14L1-E7C can be used in the further research work, cotransfected the 293 cell with the parent adenovirus pBHG10. Conclusion: Our results indicated that we have constructed a HPV16L1-E7 fusion DNA fragments and the adenovirus shuttle plasmids pCAL1-E7C for the further research.

Adenovirus-mediated NDRG2 inhibits the proliferation of human renal cell carcinoma cell line OS-RC-2 in vitro

Objective:To investigate the inhibitory effects of adenovirus-mediated NDRG2 on the proliferation of human renal cell carcinoma cell line OS-RC-2 in vitro.Methods:NDRG2 was harvested by RT-PCR,confirmed by DNA sequencing,and then cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pIRES2-EGFP,which encodes green fluorescent protein(GFP),to construct p1RES2-EGFP-NDRG2 plasmid.OS-RC-2 cells with NDRG2 negative expression were transfected with p1RES2-EGFP-NDRG2 plasmid.The growth of transfected OS-RC-2 cells was observed under light and fluorescence microscopes.After colony-forming cell assays,cell proliferation detection and MTT assays,the growth curves of cells in each group were plotted to investigate the inhibitory effects of adenovirus-mediated NDRG2 on the proliferation of OS-RC-2 cells.Cell cycle was determined by flow cytometry.Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that NDRG2 protein was specifically located on subcellular organelle.Results:A eukaryotic expression vector p1RES2-EGFP-NDRG2 was successfully constructed.After NDRG2 transfection,the growth of OS-RC-2 cells was inhibited.Flow cytometry showed that cells were arrested in S phase but the peak of cell apoptosis was not present,and confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that NDRG2 protein was located in mitochondrion.Conclusions:NDRG2 can significantly inhibit the proliferation of OS-RC-2 cells in vitro and its protein is specifically expressed in the mitochondrion.

Recombinant adenovirus vector-mediated human MDA-7 gene transfection suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma growth in a mouse xenograft model

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common tumors in the world. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of adenoviral transduction of human melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7 （MDA-7） gene on hepatocellular carcinoma, so as to provide a theoretical basis for gene therapy of the disease. The human MDA-7 gene was cloned into replication-defective adenovirus specific to HepG2 cells us- ing recombinant virus technology. RT-PCR and Western blotting assays were used to determine the expression of human MDA-7 mRNA and MDA-7 protein in HepG2 cells in vitro. Induction of apoptosis by overexpression of the human MDA-7 gene was determined by flow cytometry. In-vivo efficacy of adenoviral delivery of the hu- man MDA-7 gene was assessed in nude mice beating HepG2 cell lines in vivo by determining inhibition of tumor growth, VEGF and CD34 expression, and microvascular density （MVD）. The results showed that AdGFP/MDA- 7 induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells in vitro and significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo （P 〈 0.05）. The intra- tumoral MVD decreased significantly in the treated tumors （P 〈 0.05）. We conclude the recombination adenovirus AdGFP/MDA-7 can effectively express biologically active human MDA-7, which leads to inhibition of hepatocel- lular carcinoma growth.

Construction and Expression of Human PTEN Tumor Suppressor Gene Recombinant Adenovirus Vector

The recombinant defective adenovirus vector carrying human PTEN tumor suppressor gene was constructed by using AdEasy-1 system and its expression was detected in human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-468. Human PTEN cDNA was cloned into adenovirus shuttle plasmid pAdTrack-CMV to generate a recombinant plasmid pAdTrack-CMV-PTEN, then homologeous recombination was carried out in the E. coli BJ5183 by contransforming linearized shuttle vector with adenovirus backbone plasmid pAdEasy-1. The newly recombined defective adenovirus vector Ad- PTEN containing green fluorescent protein （GFP） was packaged and propagated in 293 cells. After being purified by cesium chloride gradient centrifugation, the adenovirus was transfected into human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-468 in vitro. The expression of PTEN mRNA and protein in infected human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-468 was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. The recombinant defective adenovirus vector carrying PTEN gene was constructed successfully. The viral titer of purified adenovirus was 2. 5 × 10^10 pfu/mL, and about 70 % breast cancer cells were infected with Ad-PTEN when multiplicity of infection （MOI） reached 50. The exogenous PTEN mRNA and protein were expressed in MDA-MB-468 cells infected with Ad-PTEN by RT-PCR and Western blot. The recombinant defective adenovirus vector of PTEN gene was constructed successfully using AdEasy-1 system rapidly, which paved a sound foundation for gene study of breast cancer.

Adenovirus-mediated Transfer of p53 and p16Inhibiting Proliferating Activity of Human Bladder Cancer Cell EJin vitro and in vivo

To evaluate the effects of adenovirus (Ad) - mediated transfer of p5 3and p16 on hum an bladder cancer cells EJ,EJwere transfected with Ad- p5 3and Ad- p16 . Cell growth,m orphologi- cal change,cell cycle,apoptosis were measured using MTT assay,flow cytom etry,cloning form a- tion,im munocytochemical assays.Ad- p16 or Ad- p5 3alone could inhibit the proliferating activity of EJcells in vitro.Ad- p5 3could induce apoptosis of partial EJcells.G1arrest was observed72 h after infection with Ad- p16 ,but apoptosis was not obvious.The transfer of Ad- p16 and Ad- p5 3 could significantly inhibit the growth of EJcells,decrease the cloning formation rate and induce apoptosis of large num ber of EJcells. The occurrence time of subcutaneous tumor was delayed and the tum or volume in 4 weeks was dim inished by using Ad- p5 3com bined with Ad- p16 and the dif- ference was significant com pared with using Ad- p5 3or Ad- p16 alone.It was suggested that the transfer of wild- type p5 3and p16 could significantly inhibit the growth of human bladder cancer in vitro and in vivo.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE DICISTRONIC ADENOVIRUS VECTOR EXPRESSING BIOACTIVE HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-12

The full-length cDNA encoding the subunits p40 and p35 of human interleukin12(hIL12) were cloned separately by RTPCR, linked together by internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) of encephalomyocarditis virus which initiates capindependent translation to form a dicistronic gene fragment. The dicistronic fragment was placed between the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and SV40 polyA signal to form a dicistronic expression cassette. Subsequently, the dicistronic expression cassette was inserted into E1 region of Ad5 genome in cosmid vector pAx1cw of E1substitution type. By homologous recombination with EcoT22Idigested Ad5 DNATPC in 293 cells, the replicationdeficient recombinant adenoviruses of hIL12 were generated efficiently. After infected with hIL12 recombinant adenoviruses in vitro, 293 cells, human hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2, and primary human skin fibroblasts expressed and secreted hIL12 at comparable levels (30～60ng/ 106cells/24hr), which could stimulate the proliferation and IFNγ production of human lymphoblasts. These suggest that the dicistronic adenovirus vector of hIL12 could effectively mediate the expression of bioactive hIL12 and might be used in cancer gene therapy.

The construction and expression of human GM-CSF recombinant adenovirus vector

Granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulatingfactor (GM-CSF) plays important roles in theregulation of hematogenesis and the immuneresponses. Vaccination with GM-CSF gene-modifiedtumor cells was demonstrated to be capable ofinducing long-lasting, effective and specific antitumorimmune reaction. This protocol has entered