Mitf silencing cooperates with IL-12 gene transfer to inhibit melanoma in mice.

Abstract

Malignant melanoma is a malignant neoplasm originating from the melanocyte lineage. Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) is crucially involved in the melanin synthesis as well as proliferation and survival of melanocyte and melanoma. We previously showed that short interfering RNA (siRNA) that is specific for the Mitf gene (Mitf-siRNA) significantly inhibited growth of B16 melanoma after electro-transfected in vivo into preestablished tumor in mice. Here we assessed efficacy of electroporation-mediated co-transfection of Mitf-siRNA and IL-12 gene in the treatment of murine melanoma. As results, the tumor growth was more strongly inhibited by intratumor co-transfection with Mitf-siRNA and IL-12-encoding plasmid DNA than by transfection with either of the molecules alone. The co-transfection induced intratumor infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and hampered neoangiogenesis in the tumor. The findings suggest that the RNAi/cytokine gene combination therapy by means of electroporation may become a novel and efficacious therapeutic modality to treat neoplasms including melanoma.

• Authors: Noriaki Nakai, Tsunao Kishida, Gunther Hartmann, Norito Katoh, Jiro Imanishi, Saburo Kishimoto, Osam Mazda
• Journal: International immunopharmacology (Int Immunopharmacol) Vol. 10 Issue 4 Pg. 540-5 (Apr 2010) ISSN: 1878-1705 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 20074674 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor
• RNA, Small Interfering
• Green Fluorescent Proteins
• Interleukin-12
• DNA

Topics

• Animals
• DNA (genetics)
• Electroporation
• Female
• Gene Silencing
• Gene Transfer Techniques
• Genetic Therapy
• Genetic Vectors
• Green Fluorescent Proteins (genetics)
• Immunohistochemistry
• Interleukin-12 (genetics)
• Melanoma, Experimental (genetics, therapy)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor (genetics)
• Microscopy, Fluorescence
• Neoplasm Transplantation
• Plasmids (genetics)
• RNA, Small Interfering (therapeutic use)
• Transfection