Figure 3.

Survivin- vs. Cox-2-directed apoptosis of MB49 cells in vivo. Sham-treated control mice, mice treated with survivin-directed iCasp9 plasmids, and mice treated with alternating survivin- and Cox-2-directed plasmids had large, red bladders containing solid tumors. Bladders from negative control group mice and mice treated with gene therapy complexes containing mixtures of survivin- and Cox-2-directed plasmids or Cox-2-iCasp9 plasmids only were clear and generally devoid of large tumors. There was not a significant difference between these latter groups (P>0.05; ANOVA; n≥4). Negative control treatments involved the delivery of Cox-2-iCasp9, alternating Surv/Cox-2-driven iCasp9, or a mixture of Surv/Cox-2-driven iCasp9 plasmids, with subsequent AP20187 activation, in animals without tumor cells.