In this study, we successfully used Ad-CALR/MAGE-A3 to express CALR and MAGE-A3 proteins in the glioblastoma cell line U87. In both in vitro and in vivo experiments

we demonstrate that tumor growth and invasive abilities are reduced, while apoptosis is induced, in Ad-CALR/MAGE-A3-transfected GS-1101 solubility dmso U87 cells. In addition, molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of Ad-CALR/MAGE-A3 are partially revealed, which could serve as a rationale for gene therapy in the treatment of glioblastoma. Methods Cell lines and cell culture Cells of the human embryo kidney cell line 293-LP and human glioblastoma cell line U87 were grown in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM), supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were grown in Kaighn’s modification of Ham’s F-12 medium (F-12 K), with 0.1 mg/mL heparin, 0.03-0.05 mg/mL endothelial Maraviroc cell line cell growth supplement, and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2 at 37°C. All cells were purchased from the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All media and sera were purchased from Gibco. Adenoviral vector construction and transfection To create Ad-CALR, a fragment of CALR was excised using EcoRI/KpnI and cloned into a pShuttle- green fluorescent protein (GFP)- cytomegalovirus (CMV) plasmid

to produce the shuttle PD184352 (CI-1040) vector. CALR was subsequently excised from the shuttle vector using I-CeuI and I-SceI

and ligated into the pAd vector for the recombinant generation of Ad-CALR. To create Ad-CALR/MAGE-A3, a fragment of CALR was excised using NheI/PmeI and cloned into a pShuttle-GFP-CMV plasmid; a fragment of MAGE-A3 was excised by BglII/XhoI and cloned into the pShuttle-(ΔGFP)-CALR plasmid. CALR/MAGE-A3 was subsequently excised from the shuttle vector using I-CeuI and I-SceI and ligated into the pAd vector for the recombinant generation of Ad-CALR/MAGE-A3. Ad-CALR and Ad-CALR/MAGE-A3 were further amplified in HEK293LP cells. Viral particles were purified using cesium chloride density gradient centrifugation. 293-LP cells in serum-free DMEM were transfected with Ad-GFP to identify the optimal conditions. U87 cells (2 × 106) were transfected with Ad-vector, Ad-CALR, and Ad-CALR/MAGE-A3 at 100 multiplicity of infection (MOI), (calculated as the number of plaque-forming units [PFU] per cell), in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2 at 37°C. Transfection with a null plasmid served as a control. The cells were harvested 48 h after transfection for analyses. Reverse transcription-PCR and real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) All PCR kits were purchased from Takara, Japan. Total RNA was isolated from cultured cells using an RNAiso Plus kit (1 mL per 5 × 106 cells). The concentration and purity of RNA were detected by an ultraviolet spectrometer.