Abstract
The inhibitor of growth (ING) family proteins have been defined as candidate tumor suppressors. ING4 as a novel member of ING family has potential tumor-suppressive effects via multiple pathways. However, the therapeutic effect of adenovirus-mediated ING4 (Ad-ING4) gene transfer in human osteosarcoma is still unknown. In this study, we explored the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of Ad-ING4 in human osteosarcoma and its potential mechanism using a MG-63 human osteosarcoma cell line. We demonstrated that Ad-ING4 induced significant growth inhibition and apoptosis, upregulated the expression of P21, P27 and Bax, downregulated the Bcl-2 expression and activated Caspase-3 in MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, intratumoral injections of Ad-ING4 in athymic nude mice bearing MG-63 human osteosarcoma tumors significantly suppressed osteosarcoma xenografted tumor growth, increased the expression of P21, P27 and Bax, reduced the Bcl-2 and CD34 expression and microvessel density (MVD) in tumors. This retarded MG-63 osteosarcoma growth in vitro and in vivo in an athymic nude mouse model elicited by Ad-ING4 was closely associated with the increase in the expression of cell cycle-related molecules P21 and P27, decrease in the ratio of anti- to pro-apoptotic molecules Bcl-2/Bax followed by the activation of Caspase-3 leading to apoptosis via intrinsic apoptotic pathways, and the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Thus, our results indicate that Ad-ING4 is a potential candidate for human osteosarcoma gene therapy.