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Stable gene delivery to CNS cells using lentiviral vectors.

Recombinant viral vectors have been used to study a variety of fundamental issues in developmental neurobiology, as well as pathogenesis and treatments for various neurodegenerative diseases. Lentiviral vectors are valuable tools for neurobiology research owing to their ability to transduce nondividing cells, such as neurons, and to introduce therapeutic or reporter genes into central nervous system (CNS) cells in vivo and in vitro.

Animals↗

Cationic liposome conjugation to recombinant adenoviral vector reduces viral antigenicity.

Adenoviral (Ad) vectors are commonly used in gene therapy trials because of their efficiency in gene transfer. However, their use is limited by immune responses that reduce transgene expression and decrease the efficacy of repeated vector administration. In this study, we demonstrated that conjugation of Ad vector with our novel cationic liposomes could reduce viral antigenicity in vivo. Mice subcutaneously injected with liposome-conjugated Ad vector showed a 6.5-fold reduction of anti-Ad antibodies with neutralizing activity, compared to those with unconjugated Ad vector. Interestingly, we also found that the conjugated vector is less susceptible to inactivation by neutralizing antibodies in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that liposome conjugation reduces viral antigenicity, shields vectors from neutralizing antibody, and may allow repeated Ad vector administration.

Adenoviridae↗

Delivery of herpes simplex virus vectors through liposome formulation.

Viral vectors have been widely used as gene delivery vehicles for both experimental and clinical investigations. Although these vectors are capable of achieving high gene transduction efficiency in vitro, one of the major limitations facing the therapeutic viral vectors is that the preexisting host anti-vector immunity can substantially reduce their transduction efficiency in vivo. This is especially of concern when the therapeutic remedy requires repeated systemic administration. Here we report the delivery of herpes simplex virus (HSV) derived vectors through liposome formulation. In these studies, we have prepared HSV vectors in three different forms for liposome formulation: purified viral DNA (obtained from a bacterial artificial chromosome containing an infectious HSV genome), HSV capsids, and intact viral particles. All three forms of HSV were readily transfected into cultured cells and infectious virus was efficiently generated. Furthermore, introduction of HSV vectors as DNA/liposome complexes improved in vivo transduction efficiency, by effectively evading the host anti-HSV immunity during systemic administration. We conclude that viral vectors such as HSV can be systemically delivered through liposome formulation for safe and repeated administration for gene transduction or oncolytic purposes.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Intracellular trafficking and transgene expression of viral and non-viral gene vectors.

The objective of this review is to summarize the critical steps in intracellular trafficking and the principal factors involved in transgene expression by a comparison of viral and non-viral gene vectors. Intracellular trafficking of viral and non-viral gene vectors are reviewed kinetically as well as from the mechanistic point of view. The peptide-dependent specific mechanism of endosomal escape by viral vectors is compared with the non-specific mechanism of non-viral vectors. Regarding the nuclear transport of DNA, a number of recently developed strategies in non-viral vectors such as the application of nuclear localization signals or cell specific transcription factors are summarized in comparison with viral nuclear gene delivery. The molecular mechanisms of transcription and the translation of delivered genes to nucleus are also summarized in view of drug delivery systems. This information is intended to serve as a basis for developing a new gene delivery system for both viral and non-viral gene vectors. Optimizing the gene delivery system by integrating this intracellular trafficking as well as transgene expression will be required in order to develop an efficient and an safe gene delivery system.

Animals↗

Cancer gene therapy by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer.

Cancer arises as a direct result of genetic mutations. It therefore stands to reason that cancer should be well suited for the correction through gene therapy. Recent advances in the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of cancer and the rapid development of recombinant DNA technology have made cancer gene therapy feasible in the clinical setting. The current efforts for cancer gene therapy mainly focus on immunogene therapy, chemogene therapy, restoration of tumor suppressor gene function, and oncolytic virus therapy. Central to all these therapies is the development of efficient vectors for gene delivery--this remains a work in progress. These vectors can be classified as viral and non-viral vectors. This paper will concentrate on viral vectors because of their practical advantages over non-viral vectors. Of the viral vectors, by far the most important are the human adenoviruses as is reflected by the enormous data and literature accumulated by studies relating to animal tumor models and clinical trials. In this review, we examine the recent progress in adenovirus-mediated cancer gene therapy with regard to cytokine gene, tumor suppressor gene, chemogene, and oncolytic adenovirus. We also discuss the current limitations of the adenoviral vector system and how they may be circumvented in future developments relating to targeted gene delivery.

Adenoviridae↗

Viral vector-mediated delivery of competing glycosyltransferases modifies epitope expression cell specifically.

The glycoconjugate epitopes 3-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine (CD15) and sulfoglucuronylcarbohydrate (SGC) mediate cell adhesion events in several systems, and are regulated both spatially and temporally during cerebellar development. In cotransfection studies using COS-1 cells, competition between glycosyltransferases that utilize a common precursor involved in the final synthetic steps of these epitopes, can modulate epitope expression. For example, cotransfection of rat alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase IV (Fuc-TIV) and either rat glucuronic acid transferase P (GlcAT) or pig alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase (GalT) resulted in the dominance of either SGC or GalalphaGal epitope expression, respectively, with blockage of CD15 epitope expression. Viral vectors expressing these glycosyltransferases were used to determine whether competition plays a role in establishing epitope dominance in cerebellar cells, and whether overexpression of competing glycosyltransferases could be used to block epitope expression. Infection of cerebellar astrocytes with viral vectors expressing either Fuc-TIV, or Fuc-TIX, caused dramatic increases in CD15 expression in the presence of continued endogenous SGC epitope expression. Likewise, viral transduction with GalT resulted in GalalphaGal expression without affecting endogenous CD15 or SGC expression. Thus, competition between these enzymes does not appear to play a role in establishing epitope expression in astrocytes, and transduction of these enzymes does not provide a method of blocking the expression of endogenous epitopes. In contrast to what was observed for astrocytes, infection with viral vectors expressing either Fuc-T, GlcAT, or GalT did not result in significant expression of the relevant epitopes (CD15, SGC or GalalphaGal, respectively) on granule neurons. These results suggest a different complement of precursors are present in granule neurons and astrocytes, presumably due to the presence of different complements of glycosyltransferases in these cells.

Animals↗

Modified montmorillonite as vector for gene delivery.

Currently, gene delivery systems can be divided into two parts: viral or non-viral vectors. In general, viral vectors have a higher efficiency on gene delivery. However, they may sometimes provoke mutagenesis and carcinogenesis once re-activating in human body. Lots of non-viral vectors have been developed that tried to solve the problems happened on viral vectors. Unfortunately, most of non-viral vectors showed relatively lower transfection rate. The aim of this study is to develop a non-viral vector for gene delivery system. Montmorillonite (MMT) is one of clay minerals that consist of hydrated aluminum with Si-O tetrahedrons on the bottom of the layer and Al-O(OH)2 octahedrons on the top. The inter-layer space is about 12 A. The room is not enough to accommodate DNA for gene delivery. In the study, the cationic hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) will be intercalated into the interlayer of MMT as a layer expander to expand the layer space for DNA accommodation. The optimal condition for the preparation of DNA-HDTMA-MMT is as follows: 1 mg of 1.5CEC HDTMA-MMT was prepared under pH value of 10.7 and with soaking time for 2 h. The DNA molecules can be protected from nuclease degradation, which can be proven by the electrophoresis analysis. DNA was successfully transfected into the nucleus of human dermal fibroblast and expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene with green fluorescence emission. The HDTMA-MMT has a great potential as a vector for gene delivery in the future.

Aluminum↗

Long-term gene transfer in porcine myocardium after coronary infusion of an adeno-associated virus vector.

BACKGROUND: Viral vector-mediated gene transfer into the heart represents a potentially powerful tool for studying both cardiac physiology as well as gene therapy of cardiac disease. We report here the use of a defective viral vector, which expresses no viral gene products, for gene transfer into the mammalian heart. Previous studies have used recombinant viral vectors, which retained viral genes and yielded mostly short-term expression, often with significant inflammation. METHODS: An adeno-associated virus vector was used that contains no viral genes and is completely free of contaminating helper viruses. The adeno-associated virus vector was applied to rat hearts by direct intramuscular injection; adeno-associated virus was also infused into pig hearts in vivo via percutaneous intraarterial infusion into the coronary vasculature using routine catheterization techniques. RESULTS: Gene transfer into rat heart yielded no apparent inflammation, and expression was observed for at least 2 months after injection. Infusion into pig circumflex coronary arteries resulted in successful transfer and expression of the reporter gene in cardiac myocytes without apparent toxicity or inflammation; gene expression was observed for at least 6 months after infusion. CONCLUSIONS: We report the use of adeno-associated virus vectors in the cardiovascular system as well as successful myocardial gene transfer after percutaneous coronary artery infusion of viral vectors in a large, clinically relevant mammalian model. These results suggest that safe and stable gene transfer can be achieved in the heart using standard outpatient cardiac catheterization techniques.

Animals↗

Physical and biological barriers to viral vector-mediated delivery of genes to the airway epithelium.

A gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease by intralumenal delivery of therapeutic transgenes into the lung is a logical treatment strategy if efficient gene transfer can be achieved without detrimental effects to the patient. Indeed, pioneering work in the late 1980s showed that genetically engineered viruses could deliver the CF corrective transgene to cultured cells from patients with CF. However, after many attempts to deliver the corrective gene to the lungs of patients with CF in vivo and with the luxury of 20/20 hindsight, it is realized that although logical, the strategy to accomplish this task did not appreciate the evolution of the lung to resist invasion by pathogens such as viruses. It is now apparent that several levels of barriers exist that restrict exogenous gene delivery to the airway epithelium by commonly used viral vectors. Components of the innate and cell-mediated immune system collectively limit both the access to and duration of gene transfer vectors to the airway epithelium. Alternative viral vectors that have evolved to circumvent these barriers will require further development if gene transfer is ever to be considered a therapy for CF lung disease.

Animals↗

Recombinant adeno-associated viral vector-mediated glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor gene transfer protects nigral dopamine neurons after onset of progressive degeneration in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Previous work has demonstrated that viral vector mediated gene transfer of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), when administered prior to a striatal injection of the specific neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), can protect nigral dopamine (DA) neurons from cell death. When considering gene therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), vector delivery prior to the onset of neuropathology is not possible and chronic delivery will likely be necessary in a GDNF-based PD therapy. The present study was undertaken to determine if GDNF delivered via a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV) could affect nigral DA cell survival when initiated just after the administration of striatal 6-OHDA. The onset of rAAV-mediated GDNF transgene expression near the substantia nigra was determined to begin somewhere between 1 and 7 days after the 6-OHDA injection and subsequent vector administration. The cell survival data indicate that rAAV-GDNF delivery results in a highly significant sparing of nigral DA neurons. These data indicate that a single delivery of rAAV encoding GDNF is efficacious when delivered after the onset of progressive degeneration in a rat model of PD.

Animals↗

Gene therapy: optimising DNA delivery to the nucleus.

Gene therapy, the expression in cells of genetic material that has therapeutic activity, holds great promise for the treatment of a number of human diseases. A gene delivery vehicle, or vector, that may be of viral or non-viral origin, is generally used to carry the genetic material. Viral vectors have been developed that exclude immunogenic genes while taking advantage of the genes responsible for proficient integration of the viral genome into that of the host. In this way, viral vectors improve the probability of long-term expression of the therapeutic gene, whereas non-viral vectors, that are not as efficient at introducing and maintaining foreign gene expression, have the advantage of being non-pathogenic and non-immunogenic. Although thousands of patients have been involved in clinical trials for gene therapy, using hundreds of different protocols, true success has been limited. A major limitation of gene therapy approaches, especially when non-viral vectors are used, is the poor efficiency of DNA delivery to the nucleus; a crucial step to ensure ultimate expression of the therapeutic gene product. Here we review existing gene delivery approaches and, in particular, explore the possibility of enhancing non-viral gene delivery to the nucleus by incorporating specific nuclear targeting sequences in vectors, using a range of different strategies.

Animals↗

Engineering viral expression vectors for plants: the 'full virus' and the 'deconstructed virus' strategies.

Plant viral vectors are being successfully developed and exploited for the industrial-scale expression of heterologous proteins and as a research tool for studies of gene expression. The initial engineering strategy (the 'full virus' vector strategy) aimed to design a vector that was essentially a wildtype virus, which was modified to carry and express a heterologous sequence that encoded a gene of interest. The new emerging trend (the 'deconstructed virus' vector strategy) reflects an ideology that recognises the inherent limitations of the viral process. It attempts to 'deconstruct' the virus, by eliminating functions that are limiting or undesired, and to rebuild it, either by delegating the missing necessary functions to the host (which is genetically modified to provide those functions) or by replacing them with analogous functions that are not derived from a virus.

Gene Expression↗

Adeno-associated viral vector-mediated hypoxia response element-regulated gene expression in mouse ischemic heart model.

Intramyocardial injection of genes encoding angiogenic factors could provide a useful approach for the treatment of ischemic heart disease. However, uncontrolled expression of angiogenic factors in vivo may cause some unwanted side effects, such as hemangioma formation, retinopathy, and arthritis. It may also induce occult tumor growth and artherosclerotic plaque progression. Because hypoxia-inducible factor 1 is up-regulated in a variety of hypoxic conditions and it regulates gene expression by binding to a cis-acting hypoxia-responsive element (HRE), we propose to use HRE, found in the 3' end of the erythropoietin gene to control gene expression in ischemic myocardium. A concatemer of nine copies of the consensus sequence of HRE isolated from the erythropoietin enhancer was used to mediate hypoxia induction. We constructed two adeno-associated viral vectors in which LacZ and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions were controlled by this HRE concatemer and a minimal simian virus 40 promoter. Both LacZ and VEGF expression were induced by hypoxia and/or anoxia in several cell lines transduced with these vectors. The functions of these vectors in ischemic myocardium were tested by injecting them into normal and ischemic mouse myocardium created by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The expression of LacZ gene was induced eight times and of VEGF 20 times in ischemic myocardium compared with normal myocardium after the viral vector transduction. Hence, HRE is a good candidate for the control of angiogenic factor gene expression in ischemic myocardium.

3T3 Cells↗

cis requirements for the efficient production of recombinant DNA vectors based on autonomous parvoviruses.

The replication of viral genomes and the production of recombinant viral vectors from infectious molecular clones of parvoviruses MVMp and H1 were greatly improved by the introduction of a consensus NS-1 nick site at the junction between the left-hand viral terminus and the plasmid DNA. Progressive deletions of up to 1600 bp in the region encoding the structural genes as well as insertions of foreign DNA in replacement of those sequences did not appreciably affect the replication ability of the recombinant H1 virus genomes. In contrast, the incorporation of these genomes into recombinant particles appeared to depend on in cis-provided structural gene sequences. Indeed, the production of H1 viral vectors by cotransfection of recombinant clones and helper plasmids providing the structural proteins (VPs) in trans, drastically decreased when more than 800 bp was removed from the VP transcription unit. Furthermore, titers of viral vectors, in which most of the VP-coding region was replaced by an equivalent-length sequence consisting of reporter cDNA and stuffer DNA, were reduced more than 50 times in comparison with recombinant vectors in which stuffer DNA was not substituted for the residual VP sequence. In addition, viral vector production was restricted by the overall size of the genome, with a mere 6% increase in DNA length leading to an approximately 10 times lower encapsidation yield. Under conditions fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements for efficient packaging, titers of virus vectors from improved recombinant molecular DNA clones amounted to 5 x 10(7) infectious units per milliliter of crude extract. These titers should allow the assessment of the therapeutic effect of recombinant parvoviruses expressing small transgenes in laboratory animals.

Capsid↗

Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) vector-mediated in vivo gene transfer into adult rabbit retina.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential usefulness of HIV-2 viral vector in in vivo retinal gene therapy. METHODS: An HIV-2 virus based viral vector was constructed and administered subretinally and intravitreally into rabbit eyes. After viral vector administration, the eyes were closely monitored for any adverse effects by slit lamp, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and fundus photography. Eyes were enucleated at specified times after injection, and reporter gene expression was identified within cell types and graded by the pattern and distribution of staining cells using fluorescent microscopy. RESULTS: The HIV-2 viral vector demonstrated efficient gene transfer into many types of retinal cells without apparent cytotoxicity. Notably with subretinal injection, the HIV-2 vector resulted in higher efficiency of transduction of photoreceptor cells than of the other cell types (p < 0.05). With the intravitreal administration of HIV-2 viral vectors, cellular transduction and transgene expression in the ganglion cell layer was the dominant finding. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-2 viral vector may be a useful gene delivery vehicle for retinal photoreceptor cells and ganglion cells. It deserves further exploration to investigate its potential merit in long term gene therapy protocols and in other animal species.

Animals↗

What Role Can Chemistry Play in Cationic Liposome-Based Gene Therapy Research Today?

Gene therapy research is still in trouble owing to a paucity of acceptable vector systems to deliver nucleic acids to patients for therapy. Viral vectors are efficient but may be too dangerous for routine clinical use. Synthetic non-viral vectors are inherently much safer but are currently not efficient enough to be clinically viable. The solution for gene therapy lies with improved synthetic non-viral vectors based upon well-found platform technologies and a thorough understanding of the barriers to efficient gene delivery and expression (transfection) relevant to clinical applications of interest. Here we introduce and interpret synthetic non-viral vector systems through the ABCD nanoparticle structural paradigm that represents, in our view, an appropriate lens through which to view all synthetic, non-viral vector systems applicable to in vitro use or in vivo applications and gene therapy. Our intention in introducing this paradigm is to shift the focus of organic and physical chemists away from the design of yet another cytofectin, and instead encourage them to appreciate the wider challenges presented by the need to produce tool kits of meaningful chemical components from which to assemble viable, tailor-made nanoparticles for in vivo applications and gene therapy, both now and in the future.

Journal Article↗

What role can chemistry play in cationic liposome-based gene therapy research today?

Gene therapy research is still in trouble owing to a paucity of acceptable vector systems to deliver nucleic acids to patients for therapy. Viral vectors are efficient but may be too dangerous for routine clinical use. Synthetic non-viral vectors are inherently much safer but are currently not efficient enough to be clinically viable. The solution for gene therapy lies with improved synthetic non-viral vectors based upon well-found platform technologies and a thorough understanding of the barriers to efficient gene delivery and expression (transfection) relevant to clinical applications of interest. Here we introduce and interpret synthetic non-viral vector systems through the ABCD nanoparticle structural paradigm that represents, in our view, an appropriate lens through which to view all synthetic, non-viral vector systems applicable to in vitro use or in vivo applications and gene therapy. Our intention in introducing this paradigm is to shift the focus of organic and physical chemists away from the design of yet another cytofectin, and instead encourage them to appreciate the wider challenges presented by the need to produce tool kits of meaningful chemical components from which to assemble viable, tailor-made nanoparticles for in vivo applications and gene therapy, both now and in the future.

Biogenic Polyamines↗

Non-viral in vivo immune gene therapy of cancer: combined strategies for treatment of systemic disease.

Many patients with various types of cancers have already by the time of presentation, micrometastases in their tissues and are left after treatment in a minimal residual disease state [Am J Gastroenterol 95(12), 2000]. To prevent tumour recurrence these patients require a systemic based therapy, but current modalities are limited by toxicity or lack of efficacy. We have previously reported that immune reactivity to the primary tumour is an important regulator of micrometastases and determinant of prognosis. This suggests that recruitment of specific anti-tumour mechanisms within the primary tumour could be used advantageously for tumour control as either primary or neo-adjuvant treatments. Recently, we have focused on methods of stimulating immune eradication of solid tumours and minimal residual disease using gene therapy approaches. Gene therapy is now a realistic prospect and a number of delivery approaches have been explored, including the use of viral and non-viral vectors. Non-viral vectors have received significant attention since, in spite of their relative delivery inefficiency, they may be safer and have greater potential for delivery of larger genetic units. By in vivo electroporation of the primary tumour with plasmid expressing GM-CSF and B7-1, we aim to stimulate immune eradication of the treated tumour and associated metastases. In this symposium report, we describe an effective gene based approach for cancer immunotherapy by inducing cytokine and immune co-stimulatory molecule expression by the growing cells of the primary tumour using a plasmid electroporation gene delivery strategy. We discuss the potential for enhancement of this therapy by its application as a neoadjuvant to surgical excision and by its use in combination with suppressor T cell depletion.

B7-1 Antigen↗