Ex vivo and in vivo delivery of anti-tissue factor short interfering RNA inhibits mouse pulmonary metastasis of B16 melanoma cells.

PURPOSE: The coagulation trigger tissue factor has been implicated in tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis. In this study, we explore the effects of ex vivo and in vivo delivery of short interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting tissue factor on B16 melanoma colonization of the lung in a murine model for metastasis. The purposes of this work are to establish a noncytotoxic in vivo model for investigation of tissue factor function and provide preclinical assessment of the therapeutic potential of tissue factor siRNA for prevention of metastasis. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESULTS: C57BL/6 mice were evaluated for pulmonary metastases following tail vein injection of B16 cells transfected with either active or inactive siRNA. Mice receiving cells transfected with active siRNA had significantly lower numbers of pulmonary tumors compared with mice injected with control cells (transfected with inactive siRNA). The average time point at which the mice started to exhibit tumor-associated stress was also increased significantly from 22 days for the control group to 27 days for the experimental group (P = 0.01). In a therapeutically more relevant model, where the siRNA was delivered i.p. and the cells (untransfected) by tail vein injection, an inhibitory effect on metastasis was observed when the siRNA treatment was initiated either before or at the time of cell injection. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that tissue factor has a crucial function in promoting lung tumor metastasis of blood-borne tumor cells in the early stages of the tumor take process and further suggest that treatment with tissue factor siRNA may become a viable clinical strategy for prevention of tumor metastasis.

Positional effects of short interfering RNAs targeting the human coagulation trigger Tissue Factor.

Chemically synthesised 21-23 bp double-stranded short interfering RNAs (siRNA) can induce sequence-specific post-transcriptional gene silencing, in a process termed RNA interference (RNAi). In the present study, several siRNAs synthesised against different sites on the same target mRNA (human Tissue Factor) demonstrated striking differences in silencing efficiency. Only a few of the siRNAs resulted in a significant reduction in expression, suggesting that accessible siRNA target sites may be rare in some human mRNAs. Blocking of the 3'-OH with FITC did not reduce the effect on target mRNA. Mutations in the siRNAs relative to target mRNA sequence gradually reduced, but did not abolish mRNA depletion. Inactive siRNAs competed reversibly with active siRNAs in a sequence-independent manner. Several lines of evidence suggest the existence of a near equilibrium kinetic balance between mRNA production and siRNA-mediated mRNA depletion. The silencing effect was transient, with the level of mRNA recovering fully within 4-5 days, suggesting absence of a propagative system for RNAi in humans. Finally, we observed 3' mRNA cleavage fragments resulting from the action of the most effective siRNAs. The depletion rate-dependent appearance of these fragments argues for the existence of a two-step mRNA degradation mechanism.

Chemical modification patterns compatible with high potency dicer-substrate small interfering RNAs.

Dicer-substrate small interfering RNAs (DsiRNAs) are synthetic RNA duplexes that are processed by Dicer into 21-mer species and show improved potency as triggers of RNA interference, particularly when used at low dose. Chemical modification patterns that are compatible with high potency 21-mer small interfering RNAs have been reported by several groups. However, modification patterns have not been studied for Dicer-substrate duplexes. We therefore synthesized a series of chemically modified 27-mer DsiRNAs and correlated modification patterns with functional potency. Some modification patterns profoundly reduced function although other patterns maintained high potency. Effects of sequence context were observed, where the relative potency of modification patterns varied between sites. A modification pattern involving alternating 2'-O-methyl RNA bases was developed that generally retains high potency when tested in different sites in different genes, evades activation of the innate immune system, and improves stability in serum.