Down‐regulation of the nm23.h1 gene inhibits cell proliferation

• Published in: International journal of cancer Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 297 - 302
• Main Authors: Cipollini, Giovanna, Berti, Andrea, Fiore, Lisa, Rainaldi, Giuseppe, Basolo, Fulvio, Bevilacqua, Generoso, Caligo, Maria A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 09.10.1997; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Breast - metabolism; Cell Division - drug effects; Cell Division - physiology; Cell Line, Transformed; Cell physiology; Cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Action of oncogenes and antioncogenes; DNA - biosynthesis; DNA - drug effects; Down-Regulation; Epithelium; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic - physiology; Humans; Molecular and cellular biology; Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins; NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase - genetics; Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase - metabolism; Oligonucleotides, Antisense - pharmacology; RNA, Messenger - drug effects; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transfection; Human; Cell proliferation; Metastasis suppressor gene; Established cell line; Mammary gland; Cell immortalization; Inhibition
• ISSN: 0020-7136; 1097-0215
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19971009)73:2<297::AID-IJC22>3.0.CO;2-B

nm23 gene expression is strictly related to the state of cell growth. The level of its expression parallels the fraction of thymidine‐incorporating cells (S‐phase cells) in neoplastic mammary tissues and in the synchronously cycling fraction of MCF10A cells. nm23.h1 reaches a peak of expression in the S‐phase, and is present at very low level during the G0/G1 phase. Two strategies are used to demonstrate the direct involvement of the nm23.h1 gene in the process of cell proliferation. The first consists of transient inhibition of nm23.h1 expression by using anti‐sense oligonucleotide treatment; weak inhibitory effect on cell proliferation is observed. The second strategy involves the stable inhibition of nm23.h1 expression by transfection of MCF10A cells with a plasmid vector expressing the human nm23.h1 anti‐sense mRNA. The anti‐sense‐transfected cells show consistently slower proliferative activity than the control. Int. J. Cancer 73:297–302, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.