OLIGONUCLEOTIDES PROTECT CELLS FROM THE CYTOTOXICITY OF SEVERAL ANTICANCER CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC DRUGS

The possibility of inhibiting gene expression with antisense oligonucl eotides (AS ODNs) in combination with more conventional chemotherapy i s a very attractive modality in oncology. However, possible interactio n between the ODN and drug must be considered. Here we show that ODNs protect cells from the cytostatic/cytotoxic action of actinomycin D (A MD), adriamycin, daunomycin or quinacrine, but not mitomycin, camptoth ecin, vincristine, cisplatin, etoposide (VP-16) or cycloheximide. The cytoprotective effect depends on ODN length as well as ability to inte ract directly with the cytotoxic drug and is only slightly sequence se lective.