Exogenous expression of caspase-14 induces tumor suppression in human salivary cancer cells by inhibiting tumor vascularization

Mengjie Wu, Isamu Kodani, Douglas Dickinson, Frank Huff, Kalu U.E. Ogbureke, Haiyan Qin, Senthil Arun, Rachel Dulebohn, Mohamed Al-Shabrawey, Amany Tawhk, Susan Prater, Jill Lewis, John Wataha, Regina L W Messer, Stephen Hsu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Current therapeutic approaches to salivary gland cancer are often associated with severe disfigurement and loss of glandular function, which are traumatic to the patients. Exploration of novel treatment approaches, such as gene therapy, is needed. Materials and Methods: The human salivary gland cancer cell line HSG was transiently transfected with full length human caspase-14 cDNA. Photomicroscopy, BrdU assay, cell counting, MTT assay, and TUNEL assay were applied. To determine the tumorigenicity, tumor volume, tumor pathology and vascularization were analyzed in vivo. Results: Cell growth and viability were inhibited significantly by transient caspase-14 expression. Caspase-14 expression resulted in a significant reduction of tumorigenicity. Importantly, a significant decrease in tumor blood vessel formation was observed. Conclusion: Salivary gland cancer cells underwent growth inhibition, cell death, and reduced tumorigenicity in vivo when exogenous caspase-14 was expressed, which could be due, in part, to an inhibitory effect of caspase-14 on tumor vascularization.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3811-3818
Number of pages8
JournalAnticancer research
Volume29
Issue number10
StatePublished - Oct 2009

Keywords

  • Caspase-14
  • Gene therapy
  • Salivary gland cancer
  • Vascularization

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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