Inhibitory effect of p53 gene on telomerase activity and proliferative activity in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma cells

Abstract

To evaluate the inhibitory effect of p53 gene on salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) cells. Adenoviral vector pDeltaE1-p53 was constructed and transfected into SACC-83 cells. The enhanced p53 expression was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the effects of transfected p53 on SACC-83 cells were analyzed by TRAP-PCR-ELISA, luciferase reporter, flow cytometry (FCM), soft agar assay and tumorigenicity test. The expression of p53 gene in SACC-83 cells was increased after introduction of pDeltaE1-p53. The telomerase activity and the transcriptional activity of hTERT promoter were inhibited. The cells cycles of transfected SACC-83 were arrested in G(1) phase and the rate of colony-formation was decreased, and similarly the tumorigenicity in nude mice was also decreased. The introduction of wild-type p53 by adenoviral vector could suppress the telomerase activity and malignant phenotypes of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma cells.