Antibody to CD40 ligand inhibits both humoral and cellular immune responses to adenoviral vectors and facilitates repeated administration to mouse airway

Adenovirus-mediated persistent cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator expression in mouse airway epithelium

Replication-defective adenovirus (Ad) vectors have been used for gene transfer to the respiratory epithelium of experimental animals and individuals with cystic fibrosis. Studies from several laboratories have suggested that administration of first-generation Ad vectors results only in transient gene expression in the lung, due at least in part to destruction of vector-transduced cells by host cellular immune responses directed against viral proteins and/or immunogenic transgene products. We have constructed new Ad2-based, E1-deleted vectors encoding a weakly immunogenic transgene, the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (hCFTR) under the control of the cytomegalovirus enhancer-promoter. These vectors contain wild-type E2 and E4 regions. These new Ad/CFTR vectors were instilled into the lungs of immunocompetent C57BL/6, BALB/c, and C3H mice. In vitro cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) analysis indicated the presence of Ad-specific CTLs in treated mice. However, we were not able to demonstrate a CTL response specific for hCFTR. Reverse transcriptase PCR analysis demonstrated that hCFTR mRNA expression continued in all three strains of mice for at least 70 days, the last time point analyzed. The E3 region did not play a significant role in persistence of the Ad/CFTR vectors in the mouse lung. Functional hCFTR expression was also observed in the nasal epithelia of CF mutant mice. These results suggest that long-term expression of hCFTR is possible in the airway epithelia of immunocompetent mice without radical modification of Ad vector and in spite of the presence of CTLs.

Tumor suppressor gene therapy for cancer: from the bench to the clinic

There is a growing list of possible tumor suppressors that can potentially be used to control cancer cell growth in the clinic. These include p53, Rb, p21, p16, p27, BRCAI and APC, some of which are already in clinical trials, p53 induces apoptosis and suppresses cancer cells containing multiple genetic alterations as well as multidrug-resistant cells, making it a promising and popular target. Other agents such as CDK-inhibitors are generally cytostatic with little evidence for apoptosis. The genetic make-up may help guide a rational therapy of particular tumors. Preclinical studies are exploring combinations of gene therapy and chemotherapy. Some early results are beginning to emerge from clinical trials including those using the E1b-deleted adenovirus that is unique in being a tumor-specific cytotoxic agent for the most common types of cancer.