BACKGROUND: Transgenic mice that recapitulate the progression of human diseases are potentially useful models for testing the effectiveness of new therapeutic strategies. Their use in pre-clinical testing of adenovirally-delivered gene therapies, however, is limited because of restricted cell surface expression of Coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR) in mice. METHODS: To develop a more suitable transgenic mouse model for testing adenoviral-based gene therapies for prostate cancer, we generated prostate specific antigen/human CAR (PSA/hCAR) transgenic mice in which a chimeric enhancer/promoter sequence of the human PSA gene drives expression of a functional hCAR coding sequence. RESULTS: Expression of an adenovirally-delivered luciferase reporter gene in prostate tumor cells in bigenic mice (PSA/hCAR + TRAMP) was enhanced compared to the level in tumor cells lacking the PSA/hCAR transgene. CONCLUSIONS: Breeding PSA/hCAR mice to existing transgenic mouse models for prostate cancer (e.g., TRAMP) results in improved mouse models for testing adenovirally-delivered therapeutic genes. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
BACKGROUND:Transgenic mice that recapitulate the progression of human diseases are potentially useful models for testing the effectiveness of new therapeutic strategies. Their use in pre-clinical testing of adenovirally-delivered gene therapies, however, is limited because of restricted cell surface expression of Coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR) in mice. METHODS: To develop a more suitable transgenic mouse model for testing adenoviral-based gene therapies for prostate cancer, we generated prostate specific antigen/humanCAR (PSA/hCAR) transgenic mice in which a chimeric enhancer/promoter sequence of the humanPSA gene drives expression of a functional hCAR coding sequence. RESULTS: Expression of an adenovirally-delivered luciferase reporter gene in prostate tumor cells in bigenic mice (PSA/hCAR + TRAMP) was enhanced compared to the level in tumor cells lacking the PSA/hCAR transgene. CONCLUSIONS: Breeding PSA/hCARmice to existing transgenic mouse models for prostate cancer (e.g., TRAMP) results in improved mouse models for testing adenovirally-delivered therapeutic genes. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.