Analysis of the expression of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor in five colon cancer cell lines.

Aim: To investigate the expression of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) and adenovirus-mediated reporter gene transfer in five human colon cancer cell lines.

Methods: Expression of CAR-specific mRNA and protein was analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Adenovirus-based gene delivery was evaluated by infection of cells with adenoviral vector carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene.

Results: All the colon cancer cell lines examined (HT29, LS180, SW480, SW948 and SW1116) expressed CAR full-length mRNA and an alternatively-spliced variant that lacks the transmembrane coding exon. All cell lines were detected as CAR-positive by Western blot analysis. Further, all cells we examined were efficiently infected with adenoviral vector-GFP.

Conclusion: The data indicated that the five colon cancer cell lines tested expressed adenovirus primary receptor and could be efficiently infected by adenoviral vectors. Therefore, these cell lines will be useful for adenovirus-based gene transfer and research.