Adenovirus-mediated expression of pig a(1, 3) galactosyltransferase reconstructs Gal a(1, 3) Gal epitope on the surface of human tumor cells

XING Li, Guo Hong XIA, Jian FEI, Fang HUANG, Li He GUO^*

Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China

Gal a(1, 3) Gal (gal epitope) is a carbohydrate epitope and synthesized in large amount by a(1, 3) galactosyltransferase [a(1, 3) GT] enzyme on the cells of lower mammalian animals such as pigs and mice. Human has no gal epitope due to the inactivation ofa(1, 3) GT gene but produces a large amount of antibodies (anti-Gal) which recognize Gal a(1, 3) Gal structures specifically. In this study, a replication-deficient recombinant adenoviral vector Ad5sGT containing pig a(1, 3) GT cDNA was constructed and characterized. Adenoviral vector-mediated transfer of pig a(1, 3) GT gene into human tumor cells such as malignant melanoma A375, stomach cancer SGC-7901, and lung cancer SPC-A-1 was reported for the first time. Results showed that Gal epitope did not increase the sensitivity of human tumor cells to human complement-mediated lysis, although human complement activation and the binding of human IgG and IgM natural antibodies to human tumor cells were enhanced significantly after Ad5sGT transduction. Appearance of gal epitope on the human tumor cells changed the expression of cell surface carbohydrates reacting with Ulex europaeus I (UEA I) lectins, Vicia villosa agglutinin (VVA), Arachis hypogaea agglutinin (PNA), and Glycine max agglutinin (SBA) to different degrees. In addition, no effect of gal epitope on the growth in vitro of human tumor cells was observed in MTT assay.

Key words: Adenoviral vector, galactosyltransferase, Gal a (1, 3) Gal, gene expression, human tumor cell.