Molecular mechanisms of anti-tumor effect of D-glucuronil-С5-epimerase in experimental lung cancer models in vivo

The effect of ectopic expression of D-glucuronil C5-epimerase gene on the growth of experimental small-cell lung cancer tumors in SCID-line mice was studied. The study showed that epimerase expression in small-cell lung cancer cells U2020 significantly inhibited the tumor growth in experimental animals, whereas epimerase expression was not nearly observed in growing tumors. The analysis of possible molecular mechanisms of epimerase activity in vivo was carried out using the Cancer PathFinder RT Profiles PCR reagent set allowing the assessment of expression of 84 genes involved into carcinogenesis. The results showed relation of D-glucuronil C5-epimerase expression with molecular pathways of angiogenesis and apoptosis. Thus, epimerase inactivation in growing experimental tumors is the important link in the process of cancer development, that makes it possible to consider D-glucuronil C5-epimerase as a potential regulator of cell proliferation and tumor growth and as a basis for producing new agents for genotherapy of small-cell lung cancer