RNA interference silences the human papillomavirus 6b/11 early gene E7 in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

BACKGROUND: RNA interference (RNAi) is a potential therapeutic tool in the treatment of various diseases, such as cancers and viral infections. Silencing of E7 genes is an effective method to suppress human papilloma virus (HPV)-related tumours. AIM: To determine the therapeutic potential of RNAi in controlling condyloma acuminatum (CA). METHODS: Small interfering (si)RNA duplexes or small-hairpin (sh)RNA-expressing plasmids targeting the E7 genes of HPV-6b or HPV-11were inoculated into cultured E7-expressing cells via cationic liposomes, or into E7 gene-expressing mouse tumour models intratumorally or intravenously. Experiments were performed in triplicate and E7 mRNA level was analysed by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The in vitro experiments found that both siRNAs and shRNA-expressing plasmids reduced the mRNA levels of HPV-6b or HPV-11 E7 to 20-40% at the optimum dosage of 25-50 nmol/L for siRNAs and 0.1-0.2 microg/mL for shRNA-expressing vectors. The optimum time for this to happen was 72 h. E7 mRNA expression in tumour models was reduced to 45-50% after three intratumural injections. Intratumoral injections of RNAi effectors induced greater inhibition than did intravenous injections. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that HPV-6b/11 E7 gene expression can be specifically modulated by RNAi, which may provide a useful method in the management of CA.