Specific CEA-producing colorectal carcinoma cell killing with recombinant adenoviral vector containing cytosine deaminase gene

AIM: To kill CEA positive colorectal carcinoma cells specifically using the E coli cytosine deaminase (CD) suicide gene, a new replication-deficient recombinant adenoviral vector was constructed in which CD gene was controlled under CEA promoter and its in vitro cytotoxic effects were evaluated. METHODS: Shuttle plasmid containing CD gene and regulatory sequence of the CEA gene was constructed and recombined with the right arm of adenovirus genome DNA in 293 cell strain. Dot blotting and PCR were used to identify positive plaques. The purification of adenovirus was performed with ultra-concentration in CsCl step gradients and the titration was measured with plaque formation assay. Cytotoxic effects were assayed with MTT method, The fifty percent inhibition concentration (IC(50)) of 5-FC was calculated using a curve-fitting parameter. The human colorectal carcinoma cell line, which was CEA-producing, and the CEA-nonproducing Hela cell line were applied in cytological tests. An established recombinant adenovirus vector AdCMVCD, in which the CD gene was controlled under CMV promoter, was used as virus control. Quantitative results were expressed as the mean +/- SD of the mean. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA test. RESULTS: The desired recombinant adenovirus vector was named AdCEACD. The results of dot blotting and PCR showed that the recombinant adenovirus contained CEA promoter and CD gene. Virus titer was about 5.0 X 10(14)pfu/L(-1) after purification. The CEA-producing Lovo cells were sensitive to 5-FC and had the same cytotoxic effect after infection with AdCEACD and AdCMVCD (The IC(50) values of 5-FC in parent Lovo cells, Lovo cells infected with 100 M.O.I AdCEACD and Lovo cells infected with 10 M.O.I AdCMVCD were 】15000, 216.5+/-38.1 and 128.8+/-25.4 micromol.L(-1), P【0.001, respectively), and the cytotoxicity of 5-FC increased accordingly when the m.o.i of adenoviruses were enhanced (The value of IC(50) of 5-FC was reduced to 27.9+/-4.2 micromol.L(-1) in 1000 M.O.I AdCEACD infected Lovo cells and 24.8+/-7.1 micromol.L(-1) in 100 M.O.I AdCMVCD infected Lovo cells, P【0.05, P【0.01, respectively). The CEA-nonproducing Hela cells had no effect after infection with AdCEACD, but Hela cells had the cytotoxic sensitivity to 5-FC after infection with AdCMVCD (The IC(50) of 5-FC in parent Hele cells and Hela cells infected with AdCMVCD at 10 M.O.I was 】15000 and 214.5+/-31.3 micromol.L(-1), P【0.001). AdCEACD/5-FC system also had bystander effect, and the viability was about 30 percent when the proportion of transfected cells was only 10 percent. CONCLUSION: The recombinant adenovirus vector AdCEACD has the character of cell type-specific gene delivery. The AdCEACD/5-FC system may become a new, potent and specific approach for the gene therapy of CEA-positive neoplasms, especially colon carcinoma.

Studies on Phosphate Effect of Cytosine and Its Novel Photoproduct

Under the irradiation of a middle pressure mercury lamp(MPML), we found that the photo lyses of nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides were strongly enhanced by phosphates (termed phosphate effect). In order to explain this phenomenon, the photolytic systems of cytosine in phosphate solutions were selected and studied. Experimental results indicated that the UV irradiation (190-220 nm) in the emission spectra of MPML is responsible for the phosphate effect. Phosphates absorbing the UV (190-220 nm) energy are converted to phosphate radical anions, which react with cytosine, leading to a novel photoproduct with phosphate group (C 4H 6N 3O 5P). It has been isolated, purified and characterized by means of elementary analysis, UV, IR, EI MS, 1H NMR, 13 C NMR and 31 P NMR. The phosphate effect and its formation mechanism have been discussed.

Purification and characterization of <i>Aspergillus parasiticus</i>cytosine deaminase for possible deployment in suicide gene therapy

Cytosine Deaminase (CD) from Aspergillus parasiticus was purified and characterized. Time course for maximal CD production (50 μmol/min/mg) was at 72 hrs. The enzyme was purified 387.73 folds with an overall yield of 13%. The CD had pH optimum of 7.2, a temperature optimum of 40℃ - 45℃, activation of energy (Ea) of 8.4 KJ/mol and a t1/2 of 1.10 hr. A. parasiticus CD stoichiometrically deaminated Cyto-sine and 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) with the KM values of 0.19mM and 0.30 mM respectively. Studies on the effect of pH on KM and Vmax gave pKa1 of 5.8 and pKa2 of 6.3 with enthalpy of ionization of 43.01 KJ/mole suggesting histidine in the active site. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by Ca2+, Co2+, Zn2+ and Hg2+ and completely inhibited by Cu2+ and Fe2+ at 50 mM. Therefore, A. parasiticus CD can be compared with CDs from other sources that are used in suicide gene therapy.

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.

N-terminal and C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain of APOBEC3G inhibit hepatitis B virus replication

AIM: To investigate the effect of human apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic-polypeptide 3G (APOBEC3G) and its N-terminal or C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain-mediated antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: The mammalian hepatoma cells HepG2 and HuH7 were cotransfected with APOBEC3G and its N-terminal or C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain expression vector and 1.3-fold-overlength HBV DNA as well as the linear monomeric HBV of genotype B and C. For in vivo study, an HBV vector-based mouse model was used in which APOBEC3G and its N-terminal or C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain expression vectors were co-delivered with 1.3-fold-overlength HBV DNA via high-volume tail vein injection. Levels of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg) in the media of the transfected cells and in the sera of mice were determined by ELISA.The expression of hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) in the transfected cells was determined by Western blot analysis. Core-associated HBV DNA was examined by Southern blot analysis. Levels of HBV DNA in the sera of mice as well as HBV core-associated RNA in the liver of mice were determined by quantitative PCR and quantitative RT-PCR analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Human APOBEC3G exerted an anti-HBV activity in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 cells, and comparable suppressive effects were observed on genotype B and C as that of genotype A. Interestingly, the N-terminal or C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain alone could also inhibit HBV replication in HepG2 cells as well as Huh7 cells. Consistent with in vitro results, the levels of HBsAg in the sera of mice were dramatically decreased, with more than 50 times decrease in the levels of serum HBV DNA and core-associated RNA in the liver of mice treated with APOBEC3G and its N-terminal or C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain as compared to the controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide probably the first evidence showing that APOBEC3G and its N-terminal or C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain could suppress HBV replication in vitro and in vivo.

Density function theory study on the interaction between camptothecin and cytosine

Density function M06 method has been used to optimize the geometries of camptothecin-cytosine at 6-3 I＋G＊ basis. Finally, thirteen stabilized complexes have been obtained. Theories of atoms in molecules （AIM） and natural bond orbital （NBO） have been utilized to investigate the hydrogen bonds involved in all the complexes. The interaction energies of all the complexes are corrected by basis set superposition error （BSSE）. By the analysis of complexes interaction energy, charge density, second- order interaction energies E（2）; it is indicated that the complex 6 is the most stable structure.

Highly efficient CRISPR-SaKKH tools for plant multiplex cytosine base editing

Base editing, as an expanded clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)-Cas genome editing strategy, permits precise and irreversible nucleotide conversion. SaKKH, an efficient variant of a Cas9 ortholog from Staphylococcus aureus(SaCas9), is important in genome editing because it can edit sites with HHHAAT protospacer adjacent motif(PAM) that the canonical Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9(SpCas9) or its variants(e.g. xCas9, Cas9-NG) cannot. However, several technical parameters of SaKKH involved base editors have not been well defined and this uncertainty limits their application. We developed an effective multiplex cytosine base editor(SaKKHn-pBE) and showed that it recognized NNARRT, NNCRRT, NNGRGT, and NNTRGT PAMs. Based on 27 targets tested, we defined technical parameters of SaKKHn-pBE including the editing window, the preferred sequence context, and the mutation type. The editing efficiency was further improved by modification of the SaKKH sgRNA. These advances can be applied in future research and molecular breeding in rice and other plants.

Analysis of DNA Cytosine Methylation on Cotton under Salt Stress

DNA methylation,especially methylation of cytosine in eukaryotic organisms,has been implicated in gene regulation,genomic imprinting,the timing of DNA replication,and determination of chromatin structure.It was reported that 6.5% of the whole cytosine residues in the nuclear DNA in

Adenovirus-mediated tissue specific cytosine deaminase gene therapy for human hepatocellular carcinoma with different AFP expression level

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the mostcommon cancers in the world, especially in East Asia.There is no standardized or effective strategy could beadapted routinely except of some early diagnosedpatients, and the prognosis is poor. In recent years, genetherapy has become a standard experimental approach fortreating cancers that have escaped conventionaltherapies. One such an approach is to confer the tumorcells with sensitivity to chemical reagents through

Theoretical investigations of collision dynamics of cytosine by low-energy (150-1000 eV) proton impact

Using a real-space real-time implementation of time-dependent density functional theory coupled to molecular dynamics（TDDFT-MD） nonadiabatically,we theoretically study both static properties and collision process of cytosine by150-1000 eV proton impact in the microscopic way.The calculated ground state of cytosine accords well with experiments.It is found that proton is scattered in any case in the present study.The bond break of cytosine occurs when the energy loss of proton is larger than 22 eV and the main dissociation pathway of cytosine is the breaks of C1 N2 and N8 H10.In the range of 150 eV≤Ek≤360 eV,when the incident energy of proton increases,the excitation becomes more violent even though the interaction time is shortened.While in the range of 360 eV<Ek≤1000 eV,the excitation becomes less violent as the incident energy of proton increases,indicating that the interaction time dominates mainly.We also show two typical collision reaction channels by analyzing the molecular ionization,the electronic density evolution,the energy loss of proton,the vibration frequency and the scattering pattern detailedly.The result shows that the loss of electrons can decrease the bond lengths of C3 NS and CSN6 while increase the bond lengths of C4 H11,C5 H12 and C4 C5 after the collision.Furthermore,it is found that the peak of the scattering angle shows a little redshift when compared to that of the loss of kinetic energy of proton.

Laser Flash Photolysis on Electron Transfer Reactions between 1,8-Dihydroxyanthraquinone with Adenine and Cytosine

Electron transfer （ET） reactions between 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone （DHAQ） and two DNA bases, adenine （A） and cytosine （C）, have been investigated in CH3CN/H20 solution with nanosecond time-resolved laser flash photolysis. After irradiation at 355 nm, the triplet DHAQ is produced via intersystem crossing and reacts with two nucleobases. ET processes for both reactions have been definitely identified, in which two bases play a significant role of electron donor. Based on the measured decay dynamics of various intermediates and the corresponding quenching rates, an initial ET process followed by a secondary proton-transfer reaction is suggested for both the overall reactions. By plotting the observed quenching rate against the concentration of two DNA bases, the bimolecular quenching rate constants are determined as 9.0-10s L/（mol.s） for the 3DHAQ＊＋C reaction and 3.3x10^8 L/（mol.s） for the 3DHAQ＊＋A reaction, respectively.

INHIBITION OF NF-κB ACTIVITY ENHANCED CYTOSINE ARABINOSIDE INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN LEUKEMIC CELL LINE HL60-N

Objective: To explore the effects of dexamethasone (DXM) and vincristine (VCR) on cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) induced apoptosis and activation of nuclear factor-k-gene binding (NF-kB) in leukemic cell line HL60-n. Methods: Apoptosis of HL60-n cells was analysed by TdT-mediated X-dUTP nick and end labeling (TUNEL) and DNA electrophoresis. NF-kB activity of HL60-n cells was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Results: There was slight activation of NF-kB in HL60-n cells without drug induction. Ara-C at 1 mmol/L significantly enhanced the activation of NF-kB in HL60-n cells. The level of NF-kB activation induced by DXM at 1 mmol/L or VCR at 0.1 mmol/L had no significant difference compared with that of the control group. However, in HL60-n cells pre-treated with 1 mmol/L of DXM or 0.1 mmol/L of VCR, the activation of NF-kB induced by 1 mmol/L of Ara-C was significantly suppressed with inhibition rates of 31.0% and 47.0%, respectively. The apoptosis rates of HL60-n cells induced by 1.0 mmol/L, 10 mmol/L and 100 mmot/L Ara-C were 45.003.16%, 61.883.40% and 77.624.75%, respectively. The apoptotic rates of HL60-n cells induced by DXM at 1 mmol/L or VCR at 0.1 mmol/L were similar to that of the control group. However, either DXM at 1 mmol/L or VCR at 0.l mmol/L could enhance the apoptosis of HL60-n cells induced by Ara-C at 1 mmol/L with rates of 39.1% and 59.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Ara-C can induce apoptosis and activation of NF-kB in HL60-n cells. The mechanism of increased apoptosis of HL60-n cells by DXM or VCR may be related to suppression of NF-kB activation.

Migration to gliomas of bone mesenchymal stem cells transfected with cytosine deaminase gene following transplantation in vivo

This experiment sought to observe the migration and distribution of bone mesenchymal stem cells transfected with the cytosine deaminase gone （BMSCs-CD/eGFP） after transplantation in vivo through three pathways. In addition, we examined the tropism of these cells to glioma. Intracranial C6 glioma models were established in Sprague-Dawley rats using an intracranial stereotactic inoculation method. When tumors were 7 days old, rats were inoculated with lx106 BMSCs-CD/eGFP cells via the tumor-bearing internal carotid artery, the contralateral hemisphere and the tumor-bearing glioma. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that BMSCs-CD/eGFP exhibited a strong capacity for migration to tumors. BMSCs-CD/eGFP transplanted via the tumor-bearing intemal carotid artery were observed to distribute in glioma tissues. BMSCs-CD/eGFP inoculated via the ipsilateral glioma mainly located within and at the edge of glioma tissues. BMSCs-CD/eGFP inoculated via the contralateral hemisphere mainly distributed at the proximal end of the tumor at the incubation site.

Inhibitory effects of cytosine deaminase gene-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on glioma cell proliferation

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from C57BL mice, transfected with the cytosine deaminase （CD） gene using a lentivirus vector and co-cultured with C6 glioma cells to verify anti-tumor effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells carrying CD genes. C57MSC-CD/eGFP cells converted 5-fluorocytosine to 5-fluorouracil and exhibited significant inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis in C6 glioma cells. C57MSC-CD/eGFP cells were then implanted into rat models of brain C6 glioma. Rats were also intraperitoneally injected with 5-fluorocytosine after 7 days. MSC-CD/eGFP cells were irregularly distributed at the margin of the glioma, as well as encased and reduced the volume of the glioma. CD-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells inhibit the in vivo growth and in vitro proliferation of glioma.

Theoretical Studies on the Interaction between Metal Cations and Cytosine, Guanine

The interaction of tetra- and hexa-coordinated compounds of cytosine(C) and guanine(G) with metal cations Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) have been calculated by using the B3LYP/6-31G method at the 6-31G(d, p) basis set, while the remaining coordination bonds are saturated by water molecules ((H(2)O)(4)). All geometries were optimized without symmetry restrictions. Comparing the interaction energies we obtained the orders of selectivity of C and G for the above metal ions as follows: (a)Cu(2+)>(a)Ni(2+)>(a)Mg(2+)>(a)Mg(2+)>(b)Cu(2+)>(a)Mn(2+)>(b)Zn(2+)> Ni(2+) and (a)Cu(2+)>(a)Ni(2+> a)Zn(2+)>(a)Mg(2+)>(b)Cu(2+)>(a)Mn(2+)>(b)Zn(2+)>(b)Ni(2+) respectively ((a,b) represent tetra- and hexa-coordinated, respectively), which are in good agreement with the experimental facts. Interaction energies of complexes provide a comparatively reliable quantification of the selectivity of dimethyl phosphate anion for the studied metal ions. In addition, the influence of coordination number and coordination structure on the interaction energy and the variation of ionic energy were discussed sufficiently. After analyzing the interaction energies of two kinds of complexes, the 'mutual selectivity'as well as the nature of the interaction between metal ions and ligands was revealed.

Collision site effect on the radiation dynamics of cytosine induced by proton

By combing the time-dependent density functional calculations for electrons with molecular dynamics simulations for ions(TDDFT-MD)nonadiabatically in real time,we investigate the microscopic mechanism of collisions between cytosine and low-energy protons with incident energy ranging from 150 e V to 1000 e V.To explore the effects of the collision site and the proton incident energy on irradiation processes of cytosine,two collision sites are specially considered,which are N and O both acting as the proton receptors when forming hydrogen bonds with guanine.Not only the energy loss and the scattering angle of the projectile but also the electronic and ionic degrees of freedom of the target are identified.It is found that the energy loss of proton increases linearly with the increase of the incident energy in both situations,which are14.2%and 21.1%of the incident energy respectively.However,the scattering angles show different behaviors in these two situations when the incident kinetic energy increases.When proton collides with O,the scattering angle of proton is larger and the energy lost is more,while proton captures less electrons from O.The calculated fragment mass distribution shows the high counts of the fragment mass of 1,implying the production of H+fragment ion from cytosine even for proton with the incident energy lower than keV.Furthermore,the calculated results show that N on cytosine is easier to be combined with low-energy protons to form NH bonds than O.

Theoretical Investigation on the Absence of Spore Photoproduct Analogue at Cytosine-Thymine Site

As a well known DNA photolesion product, the special UV induced pyrimidine dimmer called spore photoproduct （SP）, has aroused strong research interests. The SP formation was reported solely between two adjacent thymidine residues. It remains unclear in pervious experimental observations why there is an absence of the cytosine-derived SP-like photoprod- uct formation at the cytosine containing DNA strand, although the cytosine residue holds great similarity to thymine in terms of molecular structure. From a theoretical perspec- tive, we have explored this issue in this work by means of density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311＋＋G（d,p） //B3LYP/6-31G（d,p） level for the DNA dinucleotide fragment, cy- tosine phosphate thymine （CpT）. Key factors blocking the formation of the SP-like product between two adjacent cytosine and thymidine residues are revealed. Instead of undergoing photochemical SP reaction, a photophysical deactivation pathway back to the ground state turns out to be favorable for the CpT dinucleotide fragment.

Killing effect of adenoviral mediated cytosine deaminase gene on human pancreatic cancer cell line PaTu8988

Objective:To evaluatethein vitro killingeffectsof cytosinedeaminasegene mediatedby adenovirusvector on humanpancreaticcarcinoma.Methods:CytosineDeaminase(CD)genewas clonedintopAdTrack-CMV-CD,pAd-Track-CMV-CDandpAdEasy-1wererecombinedinbacteria,andtheproductscontaininggreenfluorescentprotein(GFP)werepropagatedin293cellsandpurifiedby cesiumchloridegradientcentrifugation.Humanpancreaticcarcinomacellline8988wereinfectedwiththisvirus,then5-FCwasadded;XTTassaywasusedto estimatetherelativenumbersof viable cells.Results:Thepositivecloneswereconfirmedby usingendonucleasedigestion,andthetiterof theviruscontaining CD genewas2×10 11 pfu/ml.Itwasfoundthat5-FCpossessedsignificantcytotoxicactivitiesforCD genetransfected8988cellline,buthadlittleeffectson non-transfectedpancreaticcarcinomacells.Conclusion:CD genemediatedby adenovirus hasa highinfectivityandis efficientforkillingculturedpancreaticcarcinomacells,indicatingsuicidegenemaybe effec-tiveforpancreaticcancerinfuture.

Potential Energy Surface of Cytosine and Tunneling Between Its Normal and Trans-imino Tautomer

The potential energy surface of H（13） proton in base cytosine of the DNA molecules is calculated at the Caussian 98 MP2/6-311C（d,p） level. Two potential wells are found. One corresponds to the normal cytosine, while the other corresponds to its trans-imino tautomer. The estimated tunneling probability of the H（13） proton from one well to another well shows that the life time of the proton staying in one of these wells is about 600 yrs. It is too long to let tautomers of cytosine be in thermodynamical equilibrium in a room temperature gas phase experiment.

The Pattern of Occurrence of Cytosine in the Genetic Code Minimizes Deleterious Mutations and Favors Proper Function of the Translational Machinery

The standard genetic code consists of 64 combinations of base triplets made from four different bases. The research aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of occurrence of cytosine in the genetic code. By exploring the base composition and sequence of all 64 codons, the author found some important features based on the instability of cytosine. Because cytosine undergoes spontaneous deamination that converts it into uracil, it is evolutionarily favorable to exclude cytosine from codons critical to the initiation and termination of translation. For amino acids that have one to three synonymous codons (also called synonyms), the frequency of occurrence of C in the first and second positions of their mRNA codons is significantly lower than the frequencies of A, U, and G. For mRNA codons that encode amino acids with four synonyms, the trend of base composition is opposite to those encoding amino acids with one to three synonyms;the instability of C could be inhibited or reduced via formation of hydrogen bonds with a G and/or with a protonated C, and the secondary structure of the resultant mRNA could be adjusted via the multiple synonymous alternates at the third position of their codons to facilitate the translation process. The overall pattern of occurrence for C in the genetic code not only minimizes deleterious mutations and favors proper function of the translational machinery by excluding C from certain positions within codons, but also allows the occurrence of genetic diversity via mutation by including C in less-critical positions.