연구배경 : 종양괴사인자(tumor necrosis factor ; TNF)는 다양한 생물학적 기능을 가지고 있는 바, 그 중 생체 외에서 증명된 뚜렷한 항암 효과로 말미암아 최근 항암 유전자요법의 중요한 대상으로 관심을 모으고 있다. 현재 유전자 이입의 기술적 문제로 생체 외에서 암세포에 유전자 이입을 시행한 후 이를 다시 환자의 생체내로 이식하는 방법이 연구의 주종을 이루고 있다. 그러나 저자들의 과거의 연구를 포함한 여러 연구에서 TNF가 이입된 암세포는 TNF에 대해 내성을 보이는 것으로 증명되었고 이에는 새로이 방어 단백질을 합성하는 것이 관여할 것이라는 시사가 있었다. 이 획득내성의 기전을 밝히는 것이 종양생물학의 이해를 넓히고 보다 효과적인 항암 유전자요법을 개발하기위한 매우 중요한 과제로 생각된다.
Background : Tumor necrosis factor(TNF) has been considered as an important candidate for cancer gene therapy based on its potent anti-tumor activity. However, since the efficiency of current techniques of gene transfer is not satisfactory, the majority of current protocols is aiming the in vitro gene transfer to cancer cells and re-introducing genetically modified cancer cells to host. In the previous study, it was shown that TNF-sensitive cancer cells transfected with TNF-$alpha$ cDNA would become highly resistant to TNF, and the probability was shown that the acquired resistance to TNF might be associated with synthesis of some protective protein. Understanding the mechanisms of TNF-resistance in TNF-$alpha$ cDNA transfected cancer cells would be an important step for improving the efficacy of cancer gene therapy as well as for better understandings of tumor biology. This study was designed to evaluate whether the levels of TNF receptor mRNA expression and soluble TNF receptor release from cancer cells are changed after TNF-$alpha$ cDNA transfection. Method : We transfected TNF-$alpha$ c-DNA to WEHI164(murine fibrosarcoma cell line), NCI-H2058(human mesothelioma cell line), A549(human non-small cell lung cancer cell line), ME180(human cervix cancer cell line) cells using retroviral vector(pLT12SN(TNF)) and confirm the expression of TNF with PCR, EUSA, MTT assay. Then we determined the TNF resistance of TNF-$alpha$ cDNA transfected cells(WEHI164-TNF, NCIH2058-TNF, A549-TNF, ME180-TNF) and evaluated the TNF receptor mRNA expression with Northern blot analysis and soluble TNF receptor release with EUSA. Results : The TNF receptor mRNA expressions of parental cells and genetically modified cells were not significantly different. The soluble TNF receptor levels of media from genetically modified cells were lower than those from parental cells. Conclusion : The acquired resistance to TNF after TNF-$alpha$ cDNA transfection may not be associated with the change in the TNF receptor and the soluble TNF receptor expression.
