ANTISENSE KNOCKOUT OF A NEUROPEPTIDE GENE REDUCES FIBROBLAST PROLIFERATION

The opioid peptides enkephalins are widely expressed throughout the bo dy. While their role in the nervous system is well characterized, thei r function in other tissues is unclear. The antisense knockout approac h nas used to investigate the involvement of proenkephalin A gene in p roliferation of cultured embryonic fibroblasts. Transfection of fibrob lasts with enkephalin antisense vectors reduced [H-3] thymidine incorp oration and fibroblast colony growth. Moreover, FACS analysis indicate d that transient or stable transfection with the enkephalin antisense vectors shifted fibroblasts from their normal G1 restriction point to one in the S-phase.