start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=64 cd-vols= no-issue=17 article-no= start-page=6259 end-page=6265 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2004 dt-pub=20040901 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Visualization of intrathoracically disseminated solid tumors in mice with optical imaging by telomerase-specific amplification of a transferred green fluorescent protein gene en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Currently available methods for detection of tumors in vivo such as X-ray, computed tomography, and ultrasonography are noninvasive and have been well studied; the images, however, are not specific for tumors. Direct optical imaging of tumor cells in vivo that can clearly distinguish them from surrounding normal tissues may be clinically useful. Here, we describe a new approach to visualizing tumors whose fluorescence can be detected using tumor-specific replication-competent adenovirus (OBP-301, Telomelysin) in combination with Ad-GFP, a replication-deficient adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP). Human telomerase reverse transcriptase is the catalytic subunit of telomerase, which is highly active in cancer cells but quiescent in most normal somatic cells. We constructed an adenovirus 5 vector in which the human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter element drives expression of E1A and E1B genes linked with an internal ribosome entry site and showed that OBP-301 replicated efficiently in human cancer cells, but not in normal cells such as human fibroblasts. When the human lung and colon cancer cell lines were infected with Ad-GFP at a low multiplicity of infection, GFP expression could not be detected under a fluorescence microscope; in the presence of OBP-301, however, Ad-GFP replicated in these tumor cells and showed strong green signals. In contrast, coinfection with OBP-301 and Ad-GFP did not show any signals in normal cells such as fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells. We also found that established subcutaneous tumors could be visualized after intraturnoral injection of OBP-301 and Ad-GFP. A549 human lung tumors and SW620 human colon tumors transplanted into BALB/c nu/nu mice were intraturnorally injected with 8 X 10(5) plaque-forming units of Ad-GFP in combination with 8 X 106 plaque-forming units of OBP-301. Within 3 days of treatment, the fluorescence of the expressed GFP became visible by a three-chip color cooled charged-coupled device camera in these tumors, whereas intraturnoral injection of Ad-GFP alone could not induce GFP fluorescence. Moreover, intrathoracic administration of Ad-GFP and OBP-301 could visualize disseminated A549 tumor nodules in mice after intrathoracic implantation. Our results indicate that intratumoral or intrathoracic injection of Ad-GFP in combination with OBP-301 might be a useful diagnostic method that provides a foundation for future clinical application. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=UmeokaTatsuo en-aut-sei=Umeoka en-aut-mei=Tatsuo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawashimaTakeshi en-aut-sei=Kawashima en-aut-mei=Takeshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=KagawaShunsuke en-aut-sei=Kagawa en-aut-mei=Shunsuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=TeraishiFuminori en-aut-sei=Teraishi en-aut-mei=Fuminori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=TakiMasaki en-aut-sei=Taki en-aut-mei=Masaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishizakiMasahiko en-aut-sei=Nishizaki en-aut-mei=Masahiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=KyoSatoru en-aut-sei=Kyo en-aut-mei=Satoru kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=NagaiKatsuyuki en-aut-sei=Nagai en-aut-mei=Katsuyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=UrataYasuo en-aut-sei=Urata en-aut-mei=Yasuo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=TanakaNoriaki en-aut-sei=Tanaka en-aut-mei=Noriaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiwaraToshiyoshi en-aut-sei=Fujiwara en-aut-mei=Toshiyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry affil-num=4 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry affil-num=5 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry affil-num=6 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry affil-num=7 en-affil= kn-affil=Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kanazawa University School of Medicine affil-num=8 en-affil= kn-affil=Oncolys BioPharma, Inc. affil-num=9 en-affil= kn-affil=Oncolys BioPharma, Inc. affil-num=10 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry affil-num=11 en-affil= kn-affil=Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry en-keyword=GFP kn-keyword=GFP en-keyword=adenovirus kn-keyword=adenovirus en-keyword=telomerase kn-keyword=telomerase en-keyword=replication kn-keyword=replication en-keyword=gene therapy kn-keyword=gene therapy END