pDRIVE-SV40 / AFP

SV40 enhancer and the human alpha-fetoprotein promoter in pDRIVE expression plasmid

The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene is normally expressed in fetal but not adult livers. However, about 70% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are known to overexpress AFP, this up-regulation occurring at the transcriptional level.

The AFP promoter has been extensively studied and shown to confer a selective expression of a transgene in vitro and in vivo [1]. The expression level of the transgene is proportional to the level of AFP expression in the transfected cells [2].

Several studies have reported the use of AFP promoter to express a cytokine or suicide gene into HCC cells after delivery with viral or plasmid vectors [1, 2]. 

References:

1. Kanai F. et al. 1997. In vivo gene therapy for alpha-fetoprotein-producing hepatocellular carcinoma by adenovirus-mediated transfer of cytosine deaminase gene. Cancer Res. 57(3):461-5.
2. He P. et al. 2000. The targeted expression of interleukin-2 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 19(2):183-7.