Experimental study on the antitumor effect of chicken anemia virus vp3 gene against liver carcinoma in vivo.

In order to testify the antitumor effect, especially its effect against liver carcinoma in vivo, of VP3 protein, one kind of protein coded by chicken anemia virus, recombinants pcDNA-vp3 containing chicken anemia virus vp3 gene, and control vector pcDNA3 were mixed with murine liver carcinoma cell lines H22 respectively. The mixture was injected subcutaneously into Balb/C mice. Some days later, the mice were killed and the solid tumor weighed. The antitumor efficiency was evaluated. The manners of VP3 protein in vivo inducing tumor cell death were identified by using TUNEL assay. All the results suggested that the injection of pcDNA-vp3 and H22 mixture resulted in a significant reduction of tumor growth in mice when compared with the results of control groups. TUNEL assay revealed that VP3 induced apoptosis in vivo. All these indicated that CAV vp3 might be a potential new gene in reducing the growth rate of tumor cells in liver carcinoma or in other kind of solid tumors in vivo.