Inhibition of urokinase receptor gene expression and cell invasion by anti‐uPAR DNAzymes in osteosarcoma cells

Abstract

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor (uPAR) has been implicated in signal transduction and biological processes including cancer metastasis, angiogenesis, cell migration, and wound healing. It is a specific cell surface receptor for its ligand uPA, which catalyzes the formation of plasmin from plasminogen, thereby activating the proteolytic cascade that contributes to the breakdown of extracellular matrix, a key step in cancer metastasis. We have synthesized three different DNA enzymes (Dz372, Dz483 and Dz720) targeting uPAR mRNA at three separate purine (A or G)-pyrimidine (U or C) junctions. Two of these DNAzymes, Dz483 and Dz720, cleaved uPAR transcript in vitro with high efficacy and specificity at a molar ratio (uPAR to Dz) as low as 1 : 0.2. When analyzed over 2 h with a 200-fold molar excess of DNAzymes to uPAR transcript, Dz720 and Dz483 were able to decrease uPAR transcript in vitro by approximately 93% and approximately 84%, respectively. They also showed an ability to cleave uPAR mRNA in the human osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2 after transfection. The DNAzyme Dz720 decreased uPAR mRNA within 4 h of transfection, and inhibited uPAR protein concentrations by 55% in Saos-2 cells. The decrease in uPAR mRNA and protein concentrations caused by Dz720 significantly suppressed Saos-2 cell invasion as assessed by an in vitro Matrigel assay. The use of DNAzyme methodology adds a new potential clinical agent for decreasing uPAR mRNA expression and inhibiting cancer invasion and metastasis.