Adenovirus-mediated expression of p53 or p21 in a papillary serous endometrial carcinoma cell line (SPEC-2) results in both growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death: potential application of gene therapy to endometrial cancer.

Papillary serous endometrial carcinoma is an aggressive tumor characterized by late-stage presentation, i.p. spread, and poor prognosis. It is histologically similar to serous papillary carcinoma of the ovary. Preclinical studies have shown that adenovirus-mediated expression of p53 in ovarian cancer cell lines causes growth inhibition and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Such studies provide the rationale for Phase I Adp53 gene therapy clinical trials in ovarian cancer. In the present study, we compared the efficacy of adenoviral vectors containing p53 (Adp53) or p21 (Adp21) in a papillary serous endometrial tumor cell line (SPEC-2) that contains mutated p53. Growth assays revealed that both Adp53 and Adp21 were efficacious in decreasing cell proliferation as assessed by anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent growth assays. However, as compared with Adp53, the effects of Adp21 tended to be more transient and less marked. Strikingly, Adp21, but not Adp53, induced a G1 arrest in SPEC-2 endometrial adenocarcinoma cells. In contrast, as assessed by induction of hypodiploid peaks, free DNA ends detected by a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-based assay, and annexin V positivity, p53 was more effective than p21 in inducing cell death by apoptosis. Compatible with the more efficient induction of apoptosis, Adp53, but not Adp21, induced a marked increase in expression of the preapoptotic molecule BAX without a concomitant change in expression of the antiapoptotic mediator Bcl-2. The differential effects of Adp53 and Adp21 on cell cycle progression and apoptosis may be related to the reversibility of p21-induced cell cycle arrest and the irreversibility of p53-induced apoptosis. Thus, at least in the papillary serous endometrial carcinoma cell line SPEC-2, Adp53 may be more effective than Adp21 as a gene therapeutic. Nevertheless, these preclinical studies suggest that papillary serous endometrial carcinoma is a potential target for p53- or p21-mediated gene therapy.