Lentiviral vector-mediated upregulation of let-7a inhibits gastric carcinoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

Objective. Let-7a, a molecule that is reduced in various cancers, has been associated with cell growth and proliferation. Upregulation of let-7a may inhibit tumor cell growth. To verify this hypothesis, let-7a gene overexpression was studied in gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Material and methods. A lentiviral system harboring both enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter gene and the let-7a short hairpin RNA expression cassette was firstly constructed. Then the stable let-7a gene overexpression SGC-7901 cells were established and real-time RT-PCR analysis was used to evaluate the expression of the let-7a gene. Their growth-inhibiting, cell cycle arrest characteristics were identified. Results. In SGC-7901/let-7a cells, let-7a expression was significantly increased. Their proliferation was obviously retarded and the cell cycle changed with increased G0/G1 arrest and decreased S phase. In animal experiments, SGC-7901/let-7a cell xenografts demonstrated growth suppression compared to parental or control gastric cancer cell xenografts. Conclusion. The results demonstrated that lentiviral vector was capable of upregulating let-7a, resulting in impressive anticancer effects. It offers a powerful new strategy for the development of novel therapeutic interventions to treat human gastric carcinomas.

Key Words::

• Gastric carcinoma
• genetic therapy
• microRNA

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by research grants from the key science and technology projects of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region China (10124001A-49).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.