INCREASED RADIOSENSITIVITY OF P16 GENE-DELETED HUMAN GLIOMA-CELLS AFTER TRANSFECTION WITH WILD-TYPE P16 GENE

The A1235 and T98 cell lines derived from human gliomas have homozygou s deletions in their p16 genes and are radiosensitive and radioresista nt, respectively, with respect to other established glioma cell lines, These differences in radiosensitivity may be due to variations to som e extent among cell lines, rather than genetically defined resistance or sensitivity, We examined the effect on radiation sensitivity of int roducing a wild-type p16 gene into both p16-deficient glioma cell line s, The plasmid pOPMTS containing human wild-type p16 cDNA and a neomyc in resistance gene, or the control plasmid pOPRSV1, were transfected i nto these cells, Clones from both cell lines, which expressed wild-typ e p16 mRNA constitutively after transfection with pOPMTS, were more ra diosensitive than the parental cells and clones obtained after transfe ction with the negative control plasmid.