Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.1.21 (thymidine kinase)
7,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A primer pair was designed from the published nucleotide sequence of the coding region of the bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) thymidine kinase (tk) gene for use in detection of the virus by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of 12 BHV-1 strains (3 ATCC and 9 local isolates). A tk deletion mutant BHV-1, and 2 BHV-4 strains from ATCC were used as negative controls. One strain each of feline herpes-virus, equine herpesvirus, and bovine adenovirus, and 2 noninoculated bovine cultured cells--bovine fetal testis and Madin-Darby bovine kidney--also were examined to verify specificity of the primers. A PCR product, 183 bp long, was detected by ethidium bromide staining after agarose gel electrophoresis, when purified DNA from cell cultures infected with BHV-1 strain LA was used as template. Specificity of the PCR product was confirmed by restriction digestion with Sac II enzyme and Southern blot hybridization. Amplification was detected by ethidium bromide staining of agarose gels and/or Southern blot hybridization with the radiolabeled PCR product of the LA strain in similarly prepared DNA templates of 5 other BHV-1 strains, 2 obtained from ATCC and 3 of the 9 local isolates. In a modified PCR protocol, using virus suspensions treated with a nucleic acid-releasing cocktail, substantial amplification was obtained for the 3 BHV-1 strains from ATCC and for all 9 local bovine herpesvirus field isolates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Amplification of strains of bovine herpesvirus 1 by use of polymerase chain reaction with primers in the thymidine kinase region. 780 85

Gene transfer with vectors derived from murine retroviruses is restricted to cells which are proliferating and synthesizing DNA at the time of infection. This suggests that retroviral-mediated gene transfer might permit targeting of gene integration into malignant cells in organs composed mainly of quiescent nonproliferating cells, such as in the brain. Accordingly, selective introduction of genes encoding for susceptibility to otherwise nontoxic drugs ("suicide" genes) into proliferating brain tumors may be used to treat this cancer. We investigated the efficacy and dynamics of in vivo transduction of growing brain tumors with the herpes simplex-thymidine kinase gene followed by administration of the antiviral drug ganciclovir. Ganciclovir is phosphorylated by thymidine kinase to toxic triphosphates that interfere with DNA synthesis, resulting in the preferential death of the transduced tumor cells. Rats inoculated with 4 x 10(4) 9L gliosarcoma cells into the frontal lobe were treated 7 days later with an intratumoral stereotaxic injection of murine fibroblasts (NIH 3T3 cells) that were producing a retroviral vector containing the herpes simplex-thymidine kinase gene. Controls received vector producer and nonproducer NIH 3T3 cell lines containing the Escherichia coli lacZ (beta-galactosidase) gene as well as nonproducer NIH 3T3 cells containing the thymidine kinase gene. The animals were rested for 7 days to allow time for in situ transduction of the proliferating tumor cells with the herpes-thymidine kinase retroviral vector. The animals were then treated with ganciclovir, 15 mg/kg i.p. twice a day for 14 days. Gliomas receiving an injection of 3-5 x 10(6) thymidine kinase producer cells regressed completely in 23 of 30 rats given ganciclovir therapy, while 25 of 26 control rats developed large tumors. Intratumoral injection of a lower concentration of thymidine kinase vector producer cells (1.8 x 10(6)) resulted in a lower frequency of tumor regression (5 of 13 rats). To estimate the efficiency of in vivo gene transfer, 9L brain tumors were given injections of 5 x 10(6) beta-galactosidase vector producer cells. 5-Bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranaside staining revealed maximal staining of beta-galactosidase within the tumor 7-14 days after injection of the vector producer cells. In vivo transduction rates in harvested tumors ranged from 10 to 70%. There was no evidence of transduction of the surrounding normal neural tissue. Occasional blood vessel endothelial cells within or adjacent to the tumor were observed to be 5-bromo-4- chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranaside positive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:In situ retroviral-mediated gene transfer for the treatment of brain tumors in rats. 803 19

To investigate the possibility of killing tumor cells by the expression of an exogenously introduced toxic gene, we have constructed a novel retroviral vector (LTRNL) which has the polyA signal deleted herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) gene. The vector becomes toxic by treating cells expressing HSV1-tk with the antiherpetic drugs acyclovir or ganciclovir (GCV). Cells of the human leukemia lines (K562, MEG-01) were infected with this vector and two transduced cell lines (K562/LTRNL, MEG-01/LTRNL) were established. Southern blot analysis confirmed the integration of the HSV1-tk transgene in these cells and Northern blot analysis exhibited the expression of 4.8-kb viral mRNA containing the HSV1-tk gene. The MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay for the in vitro cytotoxic effects of GCV to these cells demonstrated that concentrations of about 2.5 microM for K562/LTRNL and 1.25 microM for MEG-01/LTRNL cells resulted in 50% inhibition of cell growth after 72 hr. Subcutaneous tumors of MEG-01/LTRNL in KSN nude mice, but not those of uninfected MEG-01 cells, showed durable regressions after exposure of the mice to 40 mg/kg of GCV given subcutaneously once a day for 15 days. This study indicates that the LTRNL-infected human leukemia cells exhibit inducible susceptibility to GCV.
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PMID:Transduction of a drug-sensitive toxic gene into human leukemia cell lines with a novel retroviral vector. 839 Jun 93

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed to detect the thymidine kinase gene of feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) and to study the active and latent carrier state in a group of naturally FHV-1 infected specific pathogen free (SPF) cats. The detection limit of PCR products on ethidium bromide stained gels was 390 fg or about 3 x 10(3) copies of the FHV-1 genome. The PCR was 25% more sensitive than conventional cell culture based virus isolation techniques in detecting FHV-1 in oral/ocular swabs and 100 times more sensitive in detecting virus in cell culture supernatants. Sites of FHV-1 latency in FHV-1 carriers as determined by PCR were mainly tissues of the head, especially the trigeminal ganglia, optic nerves, olfactory bulbs and corneas. Oral fauces, salivary glands, lacrimal glands, cerebellum and conjunctiva were less consistently positive. The cerebral cortex, thymus, trachea, lung, liver, spleen, kidney, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were consistently negative for FHV-1 genome. The distribution of FHV-1 DNA in the tissues of the head was similar whether or not corticosteroid-induced virus shedding was occurring at the time the tissues were collected. Infectious virus was never recovered from tissue homogenates regardless of the PCR status of the tissues.
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PMID:Detection of active and latent feline herpesvirus 1 infections using the polymerase chain reaction. 839 3

Nearly all of the known activities required for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and expression are nuclear-encoded gene products, necessitating communication between these two physically distinct intracellular compartments. A significant amount of both general and specific biochemical information about mtDNA replication in mammalian cells has been known for almost two decades. Early studies achieved selective incorporation of the thymidine analog 5-Bromo-2-deoxy-Uridine (BrdU) into mtDNA of thymidine kinase-deficient (TK[-]) cells. We have revisited this approach from a cellular perspective to determine whether there exist spatiotemporal constraints on mtDNA replication. Laser-scanning confocal microscopy was used to selectively detect mtDNA synthesis in situ in cultured mammalian cells using an immunocytochemical double-labeling approach to visualize the incorporation of BrdU into mtDNA of dye-labeled mitochondria. In situ detection of BrdU-incorporated mtDNA was feasible after a minimum of 1-2 h treatment with BrdU, consistent with previous biochemical studies that determined the time required for completion of a round of mtDNA replication. Interestingly, the pattern of BrdU incorporation into the mtDNA of cultured mammalian cells consistently radiated outward from a perinuclear position, suggesting that mtDNA replication first occurs in the vicinity of nuclear-provided materials. Newly replicated mtDNA then appears to rapidly distribute throughout the dynamic cellular mitochondrial network.
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PMID:In situ localization of mitochondrial DNA replication in intact mammalian cells. 892 74

The cytomegalovirus(CMV) promoter is considered one of the strongest positive regulators. In this study toxicity, cell killing efficacy and bystander effect of Rous Sarcoma Virus(RSV) driven herpes simplex thymidine kinase(TK) gene therapy was compared with CMV driven TK gene therapy in three ovarian cancer cell lines with different growth patterns using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol)-2,5-diphenyl tetra-zolium bromide (MTT) based assay. ADV/CMV-TK was shown to be 2 to 10 times more effective in tumor cell killing than ADV/RSV-TK. The difference in cell killing efficacy between ADV/CMV-TK and ADV/RSV-TK was dependent on the individual cell line. A CMV promoter dependent eight to ten fold improvement in cell killing efficacy was observed in the relatively slow growing SKOV3 cell line which is not easily transducible, while only a 2 to 4 fold difference was observed in the easily transducible OV-CA-2774 and OV-CA-1225 cell lines. ADV/CMV-TK also showed a stronger bystander effect than ADV/RSV-TK in all three ovarian cancer cell lines. Our data demonstrated that the efficacy of adenovirus-mediated gene therapy of ovarian cancer can be enhanced by using the CMV promoter without increasing toxicity.
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PMID:The efficacy of adenovirus-mediated gene therapy of ovarian cancer is enhanced by using the cytomegalovirus promoter. 961 11

Adenovirus(ADV) mediated thymidine kinase(TK) gene therapy followed by ganciclovir(GCV) administration is widely used in different types of cancer. ACV shares the same mechanism of selective cell killing in ADV/TK positive cells as GCV and can be used at 4.5 times higher doses in patients without significant side effects. An increased dose of TK substrate is associated with improved bystander effect and more efficient cell killing. Toxicity and cell killing efficacy were assessed using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide(MTT) based assay in three ovarian cancer cell lines with different proliferation patterns. At the same concentration, equal or higher cell killing efficacy and bystander effect were observed using ACV rather than GCV. 2.5 and 5 times (25 micrograms/ml and 50 micrograms/ml) higher concentrations of ACV always resulted in more effective cell killing than GCV (10 micrograms/ml, P < 0.01). Our data indicate that replacing GCV with ACV in the ADV-TK gene therapy may increase the treatment effect without increasing toxicity.
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PMID:Improvement of gene therapy for ovarian cancer by using acyclovir instead of ganciclovir in adenovirus mediated thymidine kinase gene therapy. 961 10

We report virus-free transfer of a "suicide" gene into tumoral cells. The system can be used in vitro or in vivo to induce tumor cell death. A plasmid carrying the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) gene with its 5'- and 3'-flanking regions was used both alone and in liposomes to transduce B16 cells. In vitro, a 5-day treatment with ganciclovir after transfection with the HSV-TK gene in liposomes induced a significant lysis of B16 melanoma cells as assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test. The efficacy of transfection was determined using liposomes harboring the beta-galactosidase reporter gene and was around 10%. Thus, the cytotoxicity observed resulted presumably from a large bystander effect. In vivo, direct transfer of the TK DNA into established B16 melanoma tumors in C57B6 mice followed by i.p. ganciclovir treatment induced a 50% reduction of tumor weight after 8 days and an increased necrosis. Despite the use of the nonspecific strong TK promoter, no necrosis was detected in normal tissues surrounding the tumor or elsewhere. Thus, this system of tumor transfection, which does not involve any viral vector, is safe and straightforward and seems to be suitable for testing in clinical trials.
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PMID:Virus-free transfer of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene followed by ganciclovir treatment induces tumor cell death. 981 89

The current treatment concept of ovarian cancer consists of radical surgery with subsequent chemotherapy. We have shown that adenovirus (ADV) mediated thymidine kinase (TK) gene transduction of cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer xenotransplanted into nude mice followed by ganciclovir (GCV) administration leads to prolongation of survival or cure. In this study the interaction of ADV-TK gene therapy and selected chemotherapeutic agents commonly used for the treatment of ovarian cancer was investigated in three ovarian cancer cell lines with different growth patterns. Toxicity and cell killing efficacy of gene therapy, chemotherapy and their combinations with different concentrations and time intervals were measured by a 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) based assay. A slightly increased resistance to gene therapy was observed in cells pretreated with chemotherapy. Removal of the drugs restored the previous susceptibility of the cells to gene therapy. No antagonism was observed with gene therapy followed by chemotherapy. The concomitant application of gene therapy and chemotherapy resulted in a higher rate of cell death than the interval therapy. A dose dependent synergistic interaction was observed only for the combination of gene therapy and the topoisomerase 1 inhibitor topotecan. This synergistic effect was still seen even if the chemotherapeutic agent was added 72 hours later. Our data demonstrate that in addition to its own therapeutic efficacy, ADV-TK based gene therapy may enhance the effect of subsequent chemotherapy while up-front chemotherapy was disadvantageous.
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PMID:Adenovirus mediated thymidine kinase gene therapy may enhance sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. 985 18

Multimodal therapy is generally more effective than single-agent treatment for cancer. rRp450 is an engineered herpes simplex viral mutant that replicates in and kills tumor cells in a relatively selective fashion. It also expresses, in infected cells, the cyclophosphamide (CPA)-sensitive rat cytochrome P450 2B1 (CYP2B1) and the ganciclovir (GCV)-sensitive herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) transgenes. We show that cultured rat 9L and human U87deltaEGFR glioma cells, infected and lysed by rRp450, also exhibit supra-additive sensitivity to both CPA and GCV, as determined by Chou-Talalay synergy analysis. DNA cross-linking, assayed by ethidium bromide fluorescence, was significantly inhibited in the presence of GCV, suggesting that interactions between the CPA/CYP2B1 and GCV/HSV-TK gene therapies occurred at the level of DNA repair. In vivo, regression of 9L s.c. tumor volumes in athymic mice was achieved only by the multimodal treatment allowed by rRp450 viral oncolysis combined with CPA/CYP2B1 and GCV/HSV-TK gene therapies, whereas all other treatment combinations produced only tumor growth retardation.
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PMID:Multimodal cancer treatment mediated by a replicating oncolytic virus that delivers the oxazaphosphorine/rat cytochrome P450 2B1 and ganciclovir/herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene therapies. 1046 70


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