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. 2008 Apr 10;13(2):240–249. doi: 10.2478/s11658-007-0050-x

Can CYP1A1 siRNA be an effective treatment for lung cancer?

Kulthum Mohammed 1, Amal Shervington 1,✉
PMCID: PMC6275798  PMID: 18161011

Abstract

Abstract: Previously, we identified a novel correlation between the upregulated expression of telomerase (hTERT) and cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) in A549 human lung cancer cell line. The expression correlation was confirmed by silencing CYP1A1 expression using siRNA technology and observing a silencing of hTERT transcription. Furthermore, silencing CYP1A1 and subsequently downregulating hTERT resulted in the reduction of cancer cell viability by more than 40%, which appeared as early as 24 hours after the treatment. The concomitant downregulation of CYP1A1 and hTERT resulted in rapid cell death. This finding can be further exploited to develop new molecular targets for the treatment of lung cancer.

Key words: siRNA, gene knockdown, CYP1A1, hTERT, transfection

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Abbreviations used

AhR

aryl hydrocarbon receptor

CYP1A1

cytochrome P450 1A1

hTERT

telomerase

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