Alkylating agents, such as temozolomide, are among the most effective cytotoxic agents used for malignant gliomas, but responses remain very poor. The DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) plays an important role in cellular resistance to alkylating agents. IFN-β can act as a drug sensitizer, enhancing toxicity against a variety of neoplasias, and is widely used in combination with other antitumor agents such as nitrosoureas. Here, we show that IFN-β sensitizes glioma cells that harbor the unmethylated MGMT promoter and are resistant to temozolomide. By means of oligonucleotide microarray and RNA interference, we reveal that the sensitizing effect of IFN-β was possibly due to attenuation of MGMT expression via induction of the protein p53. Our study suggests that clinical efficacy of temozolomide might be improved by combination with IFN-β using appropriate doses and schedules of administration.
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Natsume et al. (2005) studied this question.
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