Research article

Preclinical evaluation of transcriptional targeting strategies for carcinoma of the breast in a tissue slice model system

Mariam A Stoff-Khalili² , Alexander Stoff^1,3 , Angel A Rivera¹ , Nilam S Banerjee⁴, Maaike Everts¹, Scott Young⁵, Gene P Siegal⁵, Dirk F Richter³, Minghui Wang¹, Peter Dall², J Michael Mathis⁶, Zeng B Zhu¹ and David T Curiel¹

¹  Division of Human Gene Therapy, Departments of Medicine, Surgery, Pathology and the Gene Therapy Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birminham, AL 35294-2172, USA

²  Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Duesseldorf, Medical Center, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany

³  Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dreifaltigkeits-Hospital, 50389 Wesseling, Germany

⁴  Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-2172, USA

⁵  Department of Pathology, Cellular Biology, and Surgery and the Gene Therapy Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-2172, USA

⁶  Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA

author email corresponding author email

Breast Cancer Research 2005, 7:R1141-R1152doi:10.1186/bcr1353

Published:	16 November 2005

Abstract

Introduction

In view of the limited success of available treatment modalities for metastatic breast cancer, alternative and complementary strategies need to be developed. Adenoviral vector mediated strategies for breast cancer gene therapy and virotherapy are a promising novel therapeutic platform for the treatment of breast cancer. However, the promiscuous tropism of adenoviruses (Ads) is a major concern. Employing tissue specific promoters (TSPs) to restrict transgene expression or viral replication is an effective way to increase specificity towards tumor tissues and to reduce adverse effects in non-target tissues such as the liver. In this regard, candidate breast cancer TSPs include promoters of the genes for the epithelial glycoprotein 2 (EGP-2), cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), α-chemokine SDF-1 receptor (stromal-cell-derived factor, CXCR4), secretory leukoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) and survivin.

Methods

We employed E1-deleted Ads that express the reporter gene luciferase under the control of the promoters of interest. We evaluated this class of vectors in various established breast cancer cell lines, primary breast cancer cells and finally in the most stringent preclinical available substrate system, constituted by precision cut tissue slices of human breast cancer and liver.

Results

Overall, the CXCR4 promoter exhibited the highest luciferase activity in breast cancer cell lines, primary breast cancer cells and breast cancer tissue slices. Importantly, the CXCR4 promoter displayed a very low activity in human primary fibroblasts and human liver tissue slices. Interestingly, gene expression profiles correlated with the promoter activities both in breast cancer cell lines and primary breast cancer cells.

Conclusion

These data suggest that the CXCR4 promoter has an ideal 'breast cancer-on/liver-off' profile, and could, therefore, be a powerful tool in Ad vector based gene therapy or virotherapy of the carcinoma of the breast.