TRAIL enhances thymidine kinase/ganciclovir gene therapy of neuroblastoma cells

The clinical benefit of suicide gene therapy of tumors has been marginal, mostly due to the low gene transfer efficiency in vivo. The death-inducing ligand, TRAIL, effectively kills many tumor cell types, while sparing most normal tissues. We hypothesized that TRAIL may enhance HSV thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (TK/GCV) gene therapy of tumor cells by augmenting both target and bystander cell kill. Human SH-EP neuroblastoma cells expressing TK as well as bystander cells were effectively killed by apoptosis, and their clonogenicity was ablated following GCV. Human TRAIL enhanced TK/GCV-induced cell death and decreased clonogenicity of TK-expressing cells and also of bystander cells. Cooperation between TRAIL and TK/GCV depended both on caspase activation and on mitochondrial apoptogenic function because both the broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor zVAD.fmk and overexpression of Bcl-2 decreased enhancement of cell kill by TRAIL. Facilitation of TRAIL signalling by up-regulation of TRAIL receptors did not contribute to enhancement because cell surface expression of the agonistic TRAIL receptors 1 and 2 was not increased by TK/GCV. In conclusion, the concerted activation of caspases and the mitochondrial amplification of caspase activation by TK/GCV may explain the cooperative effect of TK/GCV and TRAIL on the kill of neuroblastoma cells. Because combined treatment also augmented the bystander cell kill, the addition of TRAIL may increase the efficacy of TK/GCV gene therapy of neuroblastoma.