Anti-K-ras ribozyme induces growth inhibition and increased chemosensitivity in human colon cancer cells

Colon cancer is one of the carcinomas that is resistant to a variety of therapies. To develop a new therapy by regulating the activated K-ras gene in colon cancers, we prepared synthetic DNA encoding the ribozyme (catalytic RNA), and inserted it into an expression vector (LNCX) originated from a retrovirus. Transfection of the vector into SW620 human colon cancer cells brought about significant suppression of K-ras mRNA synthesis and inhibition of the cell growth. Studies in athymic mice, in which K-ras ribozyme- introduced SW620 cells were transplanted, also revealed a marked reduction of tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, the ribozyme-introduced tumors became more sensitive to treatment with anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin, adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil, vincristine, and etoposide. These data suggest that the possible efficacy of anti-K-ras ribozyme increases the chemosensitivity of human colon cancers as well as the inhibitory effect on the growth of human colon cancers.