p14(ARF) the alternative product from the human INK4a/ARF locus, is one of the major targets for alterations in the development of human cancers. Overexpression of p14(ARF) results in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. To examine the potential therapeutic role of re-expressing p14(ARF) gene product in human breast cancer, a recombinant adenovirus expressing the human p14(ARF) cDNA (Adp14(ARF)) was constructed and used to infect breast cancer cells. Five days after infection, Adp14(ARF) had considerable cytotoxicity on p53-wild-type MCF-7 cells. A time-course study showed that Adp14(ARF) infection of MCF-7 cells at 100pfu/cell increased the number of cells in G0/G1 phase and decreased that in S and G2/M phases. The presence of apoptotic cells was confirmed using the TUNEL assay. Adp14(ARF)-mediated expression of p14(ARF) also resulted in a considerable increase in the amounts of p53 and its target proteins, P21(WAF1) and MDM2. Furthermore, the combination treatment of MCF-7 cells with Adp14(ARF) and cisplatin resulted in a significantly greater cell death. Together, we conclude that p14(ARF) plays an important role in the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells and recombinant adenovirus-mediated p14(ARF) expression greatly increases the sensitivity of these cells to cisplatin. These results demonstrate that the proper combination of Adp14(ARF) with conventional chemotherapeutic drug(s) could have potential benefits in treating breast cancer that carries wild-type p53 gene. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.