ANTISENSE REGULATION OF ONCOGENES IN HUMAN CANCER

Gene transfer or manipulation of genes for the treatment of cancer is a rapidly expanding field. In recent years, much attention has been fo cused on manipulating cancer genes and applying antisense technology i n therapeutic ways. Consequently, antisense RNA control is now recogni zed as a specific means of regulating gene expression at the posttrans criptional level. Defects in vital genes occur in many human diseases, including cancer, defects that may be due to an accumulation of mutat ions in the genes that leads to the production of faulty proteins. Alt hough the biological significance of such mutant proteins still remain s in question, recent experiments have demonstrated that genes overpro ducing faulty proteins are often associated with increased tumor cell growth. Moreover, using a stretch of antisense RNA to block the produc tion of such defective proteins can effectively silence their genes; a s a result, tumor cells stop dividing rapidly and revert to a more nor mal phenotype. Therefore, antisense RNA technology could have a signif icant impact on cancer gene therapy. Here, we have tried to give compr ehensive coverage to some major cases of antisense RNA control of canc er-related genes highlighting the biological systems involved, the eff icacy of the antisense RNA in altering target gene function, and how s uch antisense control affects the malignant phenotype. Furthermore, th e therapeutic potential of the antisense technique depends on the in-d epth understanding of the target gene function and its role in carcino genesis.