AB113. BAX apoptosis gene selectively affects bladder cancer cells by artificial hTERT promoter

BACKGROUND: Because of the lack of biological components that selectively identifies cancer cells and robustly drives therapeutic gene expression, the conventional strategy for cancer gene therapy offers limited control of specificity and efficacy. Consequently, looking for a specific and effective promoter component can help us overcome these limitations. METHODS: Here, we transfected the artificially hTERT promoter sequence into cancer cells and kept the specificity of the promoter. Then we used the Dual luciferase reporter gene system to prove the artificial hTERT promoter’s specificity and efficacy. Last, we demonstrated its modularity by replacing the luciferase reporter gene with other cellular functional genes like hBAX. RESULTS: Using the Dual luciferase reporter gene system, we have shown that the aritificial hTERT promoter specifically detected bladder cancer cells and significantly enhanced luciferase expression in comparison to the WT-hTERT-renilla luciferase (Rluc) construct. The functional module of artificial hTERT promoter effectively inhibited bladder urothelial carcinoma cell growth and induced apoptosis by regulating the down-stream gene. CONCLUSIONS: This functional module provides a synthetic biology platform for targeting and controlling bladder cancer.