RAPID KILLING OF UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA-CELLS BY WILD-TYPE P53

The effect of the tumor suppressor p53 on urothelial carcinoma cells w as studied by transfecting six cell lines containing different mutatio ns in the p53 gene with an expression construct for the wild-type prot ein. In all cell lines, the number of cell clones resistant to a neomy cin analogue was strongly diminished when pCMVhup53 was cotransfected with the resistance plasmid pRSVneo as compared to cotransfection with either a plasmid vector, a p53 deletion and a mutant p53 expression v ector. Cytochemical analysis showed that cells cotransfected with pCMV hup53 and an expression plasmid for beta-galactosidase disappeared dur ing the second day after transfection. Thus, reexpression of wildtype p53 efficiently and rapidly kills urothelial carcinoma cells, independ ent of the different mutations in p53 they contain.