下调lincRNA HOTAIR对胃癌细胞迁移及增殖抑制作用的研究

通过下调人胃癌细胞BGC823中linc RNA HOTAIR基因的表达,该文探讨了linc RNA HOTAIR低表达对胃癌细胞迁移、侵袭及增殖能力的影响。该文构建针对人linc RNA HOTAIR基因的干扰质粒sh HOTAIR,稳定转染入胃癌细胞BGC823、筛选稳转株,q PCR检测linc RNA HOTAIR在胃癌细胞中表达水平。采用划痕试验、侵袭试验、MTT法分别检测转染胃癌细胞迁移、侵袭及增殖能力。结果表明,稳定转染干扰质粒sh HOTAIR后下调linc RNA HOTAIR表达的胃癌细胞株细胞迁移、侵袭及增殖能力较阴性对照组明显减弱。下调胃癌细胞中linc RNA HOTAIR的表达,可降低胃癌细胞的迁移力、侵袭性、抑制其增殖能力,提示linc RNA HOTAIR可作为分子靶点用于胃癌的分子靶向治疗。     

褪黑素对小鼠MFC前胃癌细胞的survivin、caspase-3表达的影响

目的探讨褪黑素（Melatonin,MLT）对小鼠前胃癌细胞（murine foregastric carcinoma,MFC）的生存素survivin和半胱天冬酶-3（cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3,caspase-3）表达的影响。方法使用不同浓度褪黑素处理培养的胃癌细胞,运用细胞免疫组化、实时荧光定量PCR、免疫印迹法、分光光度法等方法检测褪黑素在抑制小鼠MFC前胃癌细胞增殖过程中对细胞survivin、caspase-3的表达影响。结果与空白对照组相比,6mmol/L浓度褪黑素干预组的胃癌细胞survivin表达下调,caspase-3蛋白表达上调,并呈剂量依赖性。结论褪黑素能够降低胃癌细胞survivin的表达,进而激活caspase-3的活性,是褪黑素体外抑制肿瘤细胞增殖的作用机制之一。     

Ad-IL-24对SGC-7901胃癌细胞生长抑制的体外实验

旨在研究携带人IL-24基因的腺病毒表达载体(Ad-IL-24)对SGC-7901人胃癌细胞的生长抑制作用并分析其分子机制。以不同MOI(感染复数)的Ad空载体腺病毒感染SGC-7901人胃癌细胞,筛选出最佳感染剂量;Ad-IL-24以最佳感染剂量感染SGC-7901胃癌细胞,RT-PCR法和Western blotting法检测腺病毒介导的IL-24基因在SGC-7901胃癌细胞中的转录;MTT法检测Ad-IL-24对SGC-7901胃癌细胞的生长抑制作用,流式细胞仪检测其诱导SGC-7901人胃癌细胞凋亡和细胞周期改变的效应,Hoechst33258染色荧光显微镜检测其诱导胃癌细胞凋亡的核形态改变;RT-PCR半定量法进一步检测SGC-7901胃癌细胞中凋亡相关基因的转录。结果显示,100MOI为感染SGC-7901胃癌细胞的腺病毒最佳感染剂量;Ad-IL-24能成功介导IL-24基因在SGC-7901胃癌细胞中转录性表达;Ad-IL-24感染SGC-7901胃癌细胞后,能明显抑制胃癌细胞生长和诱导凋亡;Ad-IL-24能显著上调SGC-7901胃癌细胞中bax、caspase-3和p53的表达和下调bc...     

NGX6基因抑制高转移鼻咽癌细胞的侵袭运动能力

 NGX6 基因是我室利用定位候选克隆策略,在鼻咽癌的高频杂合性缺失区9p21-22克隆的新基因.前期研究结果提示,它与鼻咽癌细胞的侵袭转移密切相关.为了进一步阐明其作用的结构基础,本研究成功构建了含NGX6基因及突变体的pCMV-myc瞬时和pcDNA3.1-his-myc(-)B稳定表达载体.通过脂质体转染技术,构建了NGX6及突变体的稳定表达细胞系5-8F.用免疫荧光试验和免疫电镜观察了NGX6在5-8F细胞中的亚细胞定位主要位于胞膜、核膜以及胞浆中的膜质结构,缺失突变的功能域对其定位没有明显的影响.基质胶侵袭试验和划痕试验研究了NGX6及突变体对细胞运动的影响.NGX6能抑制高转移潜能的鼻咽癌细胞5-8F的运动和侵袭能力,缺失胞内区（CYTO）后NGX6不能抑制5-8F细胞的运动和侵袭,提示CYTO可能是其发挥作用的重要功能域.     

TGIF 对胃癌细胞生长和转移的影响

TGIF (TG-interacting factor) 是 TGF- β信号传导通路的抑制分子, 而 TGF-β早期抑制肿瘤生长,晚期促进肿瘤浸润与转移,但 TGIF 在肿瘤发生中的作用尚不清楚 . 将 TGIF 基因稳定转染胃癌细胞株 SGC-7901 ,采用 MTT 法、平板克隆形成试验、流式细胞术和裸鼠成瘤试验探讨 TGIF 对胃癌细胞生物学行为的影响,通过免疫组织化学分析裸鼠瘤组织基质金属蛋白酶 (matrix metallo proteinases, MMP) MMP2 、 MMP9 和血管内皮生长因子 (vascular eudothelial growth factor, VEGF) 的表达,通过 ELISA 和明胶酶谱试验分别分析 TGIF 转染细胞上清液中 VEGF 和活性 MMP2 与 MMP9 的含量变化 . TGIF 对 SGC-7901 细胞的生长、细胞周期分布和克隆形成率无影响 . TGIF 转染细胞接种裸鼠后无癌栓形成,但对照组有癌栓形成,且其瘤组织 MMP9 和 VEGF 的表达明显低于对照组,但 MMP2 在 3 组间的表达无差别 . TGIF 基因转染细胞、 PcDNA3.1 转染细胞和 SGC-7901 细胞上清液中 VEGF 的浓度分别为 (635 ± 20.3) ng/L 、 (780±25.4) ng/L 和 (791±23.9) ng/L , TGIF 转染细胞 VEGF 的含量明显低于对照组细胞 (P <0.01) , TGIF 转染细胞上清液中活性 MMP9 的含量明显低于对照组 . 尽管 TGIF 能部分拮抗 TGF-β1 介导的生长抑制和细胞周期阻滞作用,但它并不能使胃癌细胞的生物学行为恶化,相反 TGIF 通过下调 VEGF 和 MMP9 的表达降低胃癌细胞的浸润与转移能力 .     

胃癌与癌旁组织miRNA差异表达谱的研究

目的研究胃癌中表达失调的miRNA及其生物学功能,从而进一步阐明miRNA在胃癌发生中的分子机制。方法将总RNA加ploy（A）尾后进行反转录PCR扩增特异miRNA,使用QuantityOne软件进行定量分析,计算每对样本胃癌与癌旁组织比值（T／NRatio）,使用SAM软件进行统计分析。MTT法检测miR-21和miR-17-5p对胃癌细胞系生长的影响。结果在8对胃癌及癌旁组织样本中对237个miRNA进行了表达谱分析。对于检测到表达的161个miRNA,使用SAM软件进行统计分析,确认22个在胃癌中表达上调,2个在胃癌中表达下调（FDR=0．0963）。进一步通过生长抑制试验证实在胃癌组织中表达异常增高的miR-21和miR-17-5p对胃癌细胞的生长有明显的促进作用。结论这些在胃癌中异常表达的miRNAs具有成为新一代胃癌标记物的潜力,能够为胃癌的精确诊断分型提供依据,同时针对这些靶点可以开发新的核酸治疗技术,通过抑制或增强其功能来达到治疗胃癌的目的。     

人参皂苷Rg5对胃癌细胞周期和侵袭的影响及其机制

目的:观察ginsenoside-Rg5 (Rg5) 对胃癌细胞周期和侵袭的影响,并探讨其机制。方法:采用不同浓度人参皂苷ginsenoside-Rg3 (Rg3)和Rg5 (10、20、30、40、50 μmol/L) 处理人正常胃粘膜细胞GES-1和胃癌细胞株AGS、MKN-45 24 h,每个浓度设3个复孔。通过CCK-8检测细胞存活率。通过流式细胞仪检测细胞周期、Transwell小室分析迁移和免疫印迹法及ELISA法检测相关蛋白。结果:CCK8 实验结果显示人参皂苷Rg3和Rg5 对GES-1细胞无毒副作用,但可以抑制胃癌细胞AGS和MKN-45的增值。且Rg5抗胃癌细胞的活性强于Rg3。 20 μmol/L Rg5诱导MKN-45细胞发生S期阻滞通过降低CyclinA1/CDK2/PCNA 的表达和升高P21^CIPI蛋白表达。Rg5还可以抑制MKN-45癌细胞的迁移通过降低MMP2和MMP9的表达。WB结果显示Rg5抑制胃癌增殖及迁移主要是通过抑制Notch1蛋白的表达从而调控其下游的周期及侵袭相关蛋白。结论:Rg5抗胃癌细胞活性高于Rg3且通过调控Notch1通路抑制细胞增殖和迁移。     

胃癌组织中溶菌酶的免疫组织化学及其与浸润转移的关系

应用微波－ＳＰ法免疫组化技术,检测了９７例胃癌和３０例手术胃切端正常胃粘膜组织中溶菌酶（ＬＺＭ）表达状况。其阳性率分别为８５．６％和６６．７％,前者显著高于后者（Ｐ＜０．０５）。ＬＺＭ在胃癌中的表达阳性率比较,差分化癌和粘液细胞癌均显著高于分化型腺癌（Ｐ值均＜０．０５）,有淋巴结转移性胃癌显著高于无淋巴结转移者（Ｐ＜０．００５）。在一组原发部位和淋巴结转移性胃癌配对标本中,ＬＺＭ表达无明显差异性,提示胃癌ＬＺＭ活性增高发生在淋巴结转移之前。结果表明,ＬＺＭ表达与胃癌细胞的分化程度及生物学行为密切相关     

ALKBH5对人胃癌AGS细胞迁移和侵袭的影响

该研究探讨了6-甲基腺嘌呤(N6-methyladenosine,m~6A)去甲基酶ALKBH5(alk B homolog5)对人胃癌AGS细胞迁移和侵袭的影响。通过数据库分析ALKBH5在胃癌组织中的表达水平;Real-time PCR和Western blot检测ALKBH5在胃癌细胞中表达水平;用sh-EGFP和sh-ALKBH5质粒转染人胃腺癌AGS细胞,Transwell实验检测细胞的迁移和侵袭能力,细胞划痕实验进一步检测细胞的迁移能力;用Western blot检测上皮–间质转化(epithelial-mesenchymal transition,EMT)相关蛋白质的变化。结果显示,弥漫性胃腺癌中ALKBH5的m RNA水平明显低于正常胃组织和其他类型的胃癌组织,且其基因拷贝数也明显低于正常胃组织。在胃癌细胞系中,AGS细胞ALKBH5蛋白质和m RNA水平最高,sh-ALKBH5干扰能明显促进AGS细胞迁移和侵袭能力,且下调其上皮指标水平,而上调间质指标水平。上述结果提示,ALKBH5在胃癌组织中可能是一个抑癌基因,与胃癌细胞的迁移和侵袭能力负相关。     

n5-氟尿嘧啶敏感与非敏感的人胃癌BGC-823细胞基因表达谱差异分析

利用化疗药物5-氟尿嘧啶(5-Fu)对胃癌细胞株进行筛选和诱导,建立具有耐药性的胃癌细胞株.与亲代细胞株对比生长特性及基因表达谱,初步探讨胃癌细胞的耐药机制.采用四唑盐比色法（MTT）测定5-Fu 对胃癌细胞株BGC-823的半数抑制浓度（IC50）;根据IC50设计5-Fu剂量,用大剂量的5-Fu逐渐递增间歇给药的方法,反复筛选,获得5株胃癌耐药细胞株.比较耐药细胞株和亲本细胞株的形态和生长特性,继而再用人类肿瘤基因芯片（human cancer arrays）比较测试亲本与耐药细胞株的基因表达谱差异;对其中189个上调基因和133个下调基因采用Gene Ontology中的BP（Biological Process）分析这些基因相关的功能,并用MAS2.0分析这些基因可能涉及的信号通路．结果提示,胃癌细胞株耐药（5-Fu）相关基因可能与转录因子信号转导、TNF受体介导的细胞凋亡和抗凋亡、细胞周期调节、细胞粘附及MAP激酶类的功能相关．对细胞周期、信号转导相关的6个基因采用定量PCR验证,结果与基因表达芯片结果一致．上述结果有利于进一步发现胃癌细胞的耐药基因和相关信号通路,探索抗胃癌治疗的耐药机制．     

Novel replication-incompetent vector derived from adenovirus type 11 (Ad11) for vaccination and gene therapy: low seroprevalence and non-cross-reactivity with Ad5

A novel plasmid-based adenovirus vector system that enables manufacturing of replication-incompetent (DeltaE1) adenovirus type 11 (Ad11)-based vectors is described. Ad11 vectors are produced on PER.C6/55K cells yielding high-titer vector batches after purification. Ad11 seroprevalence proves to be significantly lower than that of Ad5, and neutralizing antibody titers against Ad11 are low. Ad11 seroprevalence among human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV(+)) individuals is as low as that among HIV(-) individuals, independent of the level of immune suppression. The low level of coinciding seroprevalence between Ad11 and Ad35 in addition to a lack of correlation between high neutralizing antibody titers towards either adenovirus strongly suggest that the limited humoral cross-reactive immunity between these two highly related B viruses appears not to preclude the use of both vectors in the same individual. Ad11 transduces primary cells including smooth muscle cells, synoviocytes, and dendritic cells and cardiovascular tissues with higher efficiency than Ad5. Ad11 and Ad35 appear to have a similar tropism as judged by green fluorescent protein expression levels determined by using a panel of cancer cell lines. In addition, Ad5 preimmunization did not significantly affect Ad11-mediated transduction in C57BL/6 mice. We therefore conclude that the Ad11-based vector represents a novel and useful candidate gene transfer vehicle for vaccination and gene therapy.     

PTEN inhibits the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer via downregulation of FAK expression

The tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is essential in inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis. However, the mechanism by which PTEN restricts gastric cancer progression and metastasis remains largely elusive. Here we demonstrated that PTEN overexpression or knockdown in gastric cancer cells led to the downregulation or upregulation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and decreased or increased cell invasion, respectively. Moreover, FAK overexpression could rescue the inhibition of cell invasion by PTEN. These results were further confirmed in orthotropic gastric cancer nude mice model. In addition, in human gastric cancer tissues, PTEN protein level was conversely correlated with FAK protein level. Mechanistically, we found that PTEN inhibited PI3K/NF-κB pathway and inhibited the DNA binding of NF-κB on FAK promoter. Taken together, our data reveal a novel mechanism that PTEN inhibits the growth and invasion of gastric cancer via the downregulation of FAK expression and suggest that exploiting PTEN/PI3K/NF-κB/FAK axis is a promising approach to treat gastric cancer metastasis.     

针对Oct-4和Survivin基因的双靶向shRNA腺病毒载体的构建及其对肝癌细胞的抑制作用

转录因子Oct-4和Survivin是细胞增殖的关键调控因子,构建针对Oct-4和Survivin基因的双靶向shRNA腺病毒载体Ad5-Dual-shRNA,并研究其对肝癌细胞及移植瘤的生长抑制作用。合成Oct-4和Survivin基因的shRNA序列,插入腺病毒穿梭载体pDC312,含有shRNA的穿梭载体与腺病毒骨架载体pBHGloxdeltaE13Cre共转染HEK293细胞,经Cre/LoxP位点特异性重组获得重组腺病毒Ad5-Dual-shRNA;腺病毒Ad5-Dual-shRNA感染肝癌细胞系EHBH-H1,经Western blotting检测Oct-4和Survivin基因的表达情况,用3-(4,5-二甲基噻唑-2)-2,5-二苯基四氮唑溴盐染色法(MTT实验)和裸鼠荷瘤实验检测对肿瘤细胞生长的影响。研究结果显示,双靶向重组腺病毒Ad5-Dual-shRNA感染肝癌细胞系EHBH-H1能够有效沉默Oct-4与Survivin基因的表达,并且在MTT实验和裸鼠荷瘤试验中都显示出较单一靶向的shRNA腺病毒载体Ad5-Surv-shRNA、Ad5-Oct4-shRNA具有更为明显的肿瘤细胞生长抑制作用。实验结果表明,特异性双靶向shRNA腺病毒载体Ad5-Dual-shRNA是一种更为高效的靶向肿瘤基因治疗载体。     

AEG‐1 induces gastric cancer metastasis by upregulation of eIF4E expression

Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide, and patients with lymph node, peritoneal and distant metastasis have a poor prognosis. Overexpression of Astrocyte‐elevated gene‐1 (AEG‐1) has been reported to be correlated with the progression and metastasis of gastric cancer. However, its mechanisms are quite unclear. In this study, we found that elevated expression of AEG‐1 was correlated with metastasis in human gastric cancer tissues. Moreover, gain‐ or loss‐of‐function of AEG‐1, respectively, promoted or suppressed epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells. AEG‐1 positively regulated eIF4E, MMP‐9 and Twist expression. Manipulating eIF4E expression by transfection of overexpression constructs or siRNAs partially eliminated AEG‐1‐regulated EMT, cell migration and invasion. In addition, overexpression or knockdown of eIF4E promoted or suppressed EMT, cell migration and invasion in parallel with upregulation of MMP‐9 and Twist expression, while manipulating eIF4E expression partially abrogated AEG‐1‐induced MMP‐9 and Twist. Finally, silencing of AEG‐1 expression not only inhibited tumour growth in parallel with downregulation of eIF4E, MMP‐9 and Twist expression in a xenograft nude mouse model, but also suppressed lymph node and peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer in an orthotopic nude mouse model. These findings suggest that AEG‐1 promotes gastric cancer metastasis through upregulation of eIF4E‐mediated MMP‐9 and Twist, which provides new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for cancer metastasis.     

Incorporation of Porcine Adenovirus 4 Fiber Protein Enhances Infectivity of Adenovirus Vector on Dendritic Cells: Implications for Immune-Mediated Cancer Therapy

One strategy in cancer immunotherapy is to capitalize on the key immunoregulatory and antigen presenting capabilities of dendritic cells (DCs). This approach is dependent on efficient delivery of tumor specific antigens to DCs, which subsequently induce an anti-tumor T-cell mediated immune response. Human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV5) has been used in human studies for gene delivery, but has limited infection in DCs, which lack the proper receptors. Addition of the porcine fiber knob (PK) from porcine adenovirus type 4 to HAdV5 allows the virus to deliver genetic material via binding to glycosylated surface proteins and bypasses the coxsackie-and-adenovirus receptor required by wild-type HAdV5. In this study we explored the potential therapeutic applications of an adenovirus with PK-based tropism against cancers expressing mesothelin. Infectivity and gene transfer assays were used to compare Ad5-PK to wild-type HAdV5. Mouse models were used to demonstrate peptide specificity and T-cell responses. We show that the PK modification highly augmented infection of DCs, including the CD141+ DC subset, a key subset for activation of naïve CD8+ T-cells. We also show that Ad5-PK increases DC infectivity and tumor specific antigen expression. Finally, vaccination of mice with the Ad5-PK vector resulted in enhanced T-cell-mediated interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release in response to both mesothelin peptide and a tumor line expressing mesothelin. Ad5-PK is a promising tool for cancer immunotherapy as it improves infectivity, gene transfer, protein expression, and subsequent T-cell activation in DCs compared to wild-type HAdV5 viruses.     

Adenovirus vector-mediated FAM176A overexpression induces cell death in human H1299 non-small cell lung cancer cells

FAM176A (family with sequence similarity 176 member A) is a novel molecule related to programmed cell death. A decreased expression of FAM176A has been found in several types of human tumors in including lung cancers. In the present study, we investigated the biological activities of FAM176A on the human non–small cell lung cancer cell line H1299 cells. We constructed a recombinant adenovirus 5-FAM176A vector (Ad5-FAM176A) and evaluated the expression and anti-tumor activities in vitro. Cell viability analysis revealed that the adenovirus-mediated increase of FAM176A inhibited the growth of the tumor cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This inhibitory effect was mediated by both autophagy and apoptosis that involved caspase activation. In addition, cell cycle analysis suggested that Ad5-FAM176A could induce cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, all of which suggested that adenovirus-mediated FAM176A gene transfer might present a new therapeutic approach for lung cancer treatment. [BMB Reports 2014; 47(2): 104-109]     

Downregulation of RPL6 by siRNA inhibits proliferation and cell cycle progression of human gastric cancer cell lines

Our previous study revealed that human ribosomal protein L6 (RPL6) was up-regulated in multidrug-resistant gastric cancer cells and over-expression of RPL6 could protect gastric cancer from drug-induced apoptosis. It was further demonstrated that up-regulation of RPL6 accelerated growth and enhanced in vitro colony forming ability of GES cells while down-regulation of RPL6 exhibited the opposite results. The present study was designed to investigate the potential role of RPL6 in therapy of gastric cancer for clinic. The expression of RPL6 and cyclin E in gastric cancer tissues and normal gastric mucosa was evaluated by immunohistochemisty. It was found that RPL6 and cyclin E were expressed at a higher level in gastric cancer tissues than that in normal gastric mucosa and the two were correlative in gastric cancer. Survival time of postoperative patients was analyzed by Kaplan- Meier analysis and it was found that patients with RPL6 positive expression showed shorter survival time than patients that with RPL6 negative expression. RPL6 was then genetically down-regulated in gastric cancer SGC7901 and AGS cell lines by siRNA. It was demonstrated that down-regulation of RPL6 reduced colony forming ability of gastric cancer cells in vitro and reduced cell growth in vivo. Moreover, down-regulation of RPL6 could suppress G1 to S phase transition in these cells. Further, we evidenced that RPL6 siRNA down-regulated cyclin E expression in SGC7901 and AGS cells. Taken together, these data suggested that RPL6 was over-expressed in human gastric tissues and caused poor prognosis. Down-regulation of RPL6 could suppress cell growth and cell cycle progression at least through down-regulating cyclin E and which might be used as a novel approach to gastric cancer therapy.     

p75 neurotrophin receptor inhibits invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) is a focus for study at present. However, its function in gastric cancer was not elucidated. Here, we investigated its relation with metastasis of gastric cancer. By immunohistochemistry, we found that the positive rate of p75NTR expression in metastatic gastric cancer was 15.09% (16 of 106), which was lower compared with nonmetastatic gastric cancer (64.15%; 68 of 106). The average staining score in nonmetastatic gastric cancer was significantly higher than in metastatic gastric cancer (1.21 +/- 0.35 versus 0.23 +/- 0.18; P<0.01). p75NTR protein level was also lowly expressed in the highly liver-metastatic gastric cancer cell line XGC9811-L compared with other gastric cancer cell lines by Western blotting. It could also significantly inhibit the in vitro adhesive, invasive, and migratory and in vivo metastatic abilities of gastric cancer cell lines SGC7901 and MKN45 by reducing urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 proteins and by increasing tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 protein. Further studies showed that p75NTR could suppress the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signal. SN50, a specific inhibitor of NF-kappaB, which could inhibit in vitro invasive and migratory abilities of gastric cancer cells, reduced expression of uPA and MMP9 proteins and increased expression of TIMP1 protein. Taken together, p75NTR had the function of inhibiting the invasive and metastatic abilities of gastric cancer cells, which was mediated, at least partially, by down-regulation of uPA and MMP9 proteins and up-regulation of TIMP1 protein via the NF-kappaB signal transduction pathway. Our studies suggested that p75NTR may be used as a new potential therapeutic target in metastatic gastric cancer.     

Selective targeting of human cells by a chimeric adenovirus vector containing a modified fiber protein.

The adenovirus fiber protein is responsible for attachment of the virion to unidentified cell surface receptors. There are at least two distinct adenovirus fiber receptors which interact with the group B (Ad3) and group C (Ad5) adenoviruses. We have previously shown by using expressed adenovirus fiber proteins that it is possible to change the specificity of the fiber protein by exchanging the head domain with another serotype which recognizes a different receptor (S. C. Stevenson et al., J. Virol. 69:2850-2857, 1995). A chimeric fiber cDNA containing the Ad3 fiber head domain fused to the Ad5 fiber tail and shaft was incorporated into the genome of an adenovirus vector with E1 and E3 deleted encoding beta-galactosidase to generate Av9LacZ4, an adenovirus particle which contains a chimeric fiber protein. Western blot analysis of the chimeric fiber vector confirmed expression of the chimeric fiber protein and its association with the adenovirus capsid. Transduction experiments with fiber protein competitors demonstrated the altered receptor tropism of the chimeric fiber vector compared to that of the parental Av1LacZ4 vector. Transduction of a panel of human cell lines with the chimeric and parental vectors provided evidence for a different cellular distribution of the Ad5 and Ad3 receptors. Three cell lines (THP-1, MRC-5, and FaDu) were more efficiently transduced by the vector containing the Ad3 fiber head than by the Ad5 fiber vector. In contrast, human coronary artery endothelial cells were transduced more readily with the vector containing the Ad5 fiber than with the chimeric fiber vector. HeLa and human umbilical vein endothelial cells were transduced at equivalent levels compared with human diploid fibroblasts, which were refractory to transduction with both vectors. These results provide evidence for the differential expression of the Ad5 and Ad3 receptors on human cell lines derived from clinically relevant target tissues. Furthermore, we show that exchange of the fiber head domain is a viable approach to the production of adenovirus vectors with cell-type-selective transduction properties. It may be possible to extend this approach to the use of ligands for a range of different cellular receptors in order to target gene transfer to specific cell types at the level of transduction.