Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor expression on primary osteosarcoma specimens and implications for gene therapy with recombinant adenoviruses

摘要

We have read with great interest the article by Gu and coworkers reporting the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) status on primary musculoskeletal tumors (1). We are particularly interested in their findings on osteosarcomas because we are developing gene therapy strategies for this cancer. CAR is the high-affinity viral receptor for most human adenovirus serotypes including serotype 5, which is the most commonly used serotype for gene therapy applications. CAR expression, which is often low on primary human tumors (2-5), is an important determining factor for adenoviral gene transfer efficiency.