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Grigore FN, Yang SJ, Chen CC, Koga T. Pioneering models of pediatric brain tumors. Neoplasia 2023; 36:100859. [PMID: 36599191 PMCID: PMC9823239 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2022.100859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Among children and adolescents in the United States (0 to 19 years old), brain and other central nervous system tumors are the second most common types of cancers, surpassed in incidence only by leukemias. Despite significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment modalities, brain cancer remains the leading cause of death in the pediatric population. There is an obvious unfulfilled need to streamline the therapeutic strategies and improve survival for these patients. For that purpose, preclinical models play a pivotal role. Numerous models are currently used in pediatric brain tumor research, including genetically engineered mouse models, patient-derived xenografts and cell lines, and newer models that utilize novel technologies such as genome engineering and organoids. Furthermore, extensive studies by the Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) researchers and others have revealed multiomic landscapes of variable pediatric brain tumors. Combined with such integrative data, these novel technologies have enabled numerous applicable models. Genome engineering, including CRISPR/Cas9, expanded the flexibility of modeling. Models generated through genome engineering enabled studying particular genetic alterations in clean isogenic backgrounds, facilitating the dissection of functional mechanisms of those mutations in tumor biology. Organoids have been applied to study tumor-to-tumor-microenvironment interactions and to address developmental aspects of tumorigenesis, which is essential in some pediatric brain tumors. Other modalities, such as humanized mouse models, could potentially be applied to pediatric brain tumors. In addition to current valuable models, such novel models are anticipated to expedite functional tumor biology study and establish effective therapeutics for pediatric brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florina-Nicoleta Grigore
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, MMC96, Room D-429, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Serena Johanna Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, MMC96, Room D-429, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Clark C Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, MMC96, Room D-429, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Tomoyuki Koga
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, MMC96, Room D-429, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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2
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Perez GI, Broadbent D, Zarea AA, Dolgikh B, Bernard MP, Withrow A, McGill A, Toomajian V, Thampy LK, Harkema J, Walker JR, Kirkland TA, Bachmann MH, Schmidt J, Kanada M. In Vitro and In Vivo Analysis of Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Metastasis Using a Bright, Red-Shifted Bioluminescent Reporter Protein. ADVANCED GENETICS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2022; 3:2100055. [PMID: 36619349 PMCID: PMC9744575 DOI: 10.1002/ggn2.202100055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Cancer cells produce heterogeneous extracellular vesicles (EVs) as mediators of intercellular communication. This study focuses on a novel method to image EV subtypes and their biodistribution in vivo. A red-shifted bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) EV reporter is developed, called PalmReNL, which allows for highly sensitive EV tracking in vitro and in vivo. PalmReNL enables the authors to study the common surface molecules across EV subtypes that determine EV organotropism and their functional differences in cancer progression. Regardless of injection routes, whether retro-orbital or intraperitoneal, PalmReNL positive EVs, isolated from murine mammary carcinoma cells, localized to the lungs. The early appearance of metastatic foci in the lungs of mammary tumor-bearing mice following multiple intraperitoneal injections of the medium and large EV (m/lEV)-enriched fraction derived from mammary carcinoma cells is demonstrated. In addition, the results presented here show that tumor cell-derived m/lEVs act on distant tissues through upregulating LC3 expression within the lung.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria I. Perez
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,College of Osteopathic MedicineMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - David Broadbent
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,College of Osteopathic MedicineMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Ahmed A. Zarea
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,Department of Biological SciencesPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIN47906USA
| | - Benedikt Dolgikh
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,College of Natural ScienceMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Matthew P. Bernard
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Alicia Withrow
- Center for Advanced MicroscopyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Amelia McGill
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA
| | - Victoria Toomajian
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,Department of Biomedical EngineeringMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Lukose K. Thampy
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,College of Osteopathic MedicineMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Jack Harkema
- Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Joel R. Walker
- Promega Biosciences LLC227 Granada DrSan Luis ObispoCA93401USA
| | | | - Michael H. Bachmann
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Jens Schmidt
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyCollege of Human MedicineMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Masamitsu Kanada
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMichigan48824USA,Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
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3
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Prommersberger S, Monjezi R, Botezatu L, Miskey C, Amberger M, Mestermann K, Hudecek M, Ivics Z. Generation of CAR-T Cells with Sleeping Beauty Transposon Gene Transfer. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2521:41-66. [PMID: 35732992 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2441-8_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Human T lymphocytes that transgenically express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) have proven efficacy and safety in gene- and cell-based immunotherapy of certain hematological cancers. Appropriate gene vectors and methods of genetic engineering are required for therapeutic cell products to be biologically potent and their manufacturing to be economically viable. Transposon-based gene transfer satisfies these needs, and is currently being evaluated in clinical trials. In this protocol we describe the basic Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon vector components required for stable gene integration in human cells, with special emphasis on minicircle DNA vectors and the use of synthetic mRNA. We provide a protocol for functional validation of the vector components in cultured human cell lines on the basis of fluorescent reporter gene expression. Finally, we provide a protocol for CAR-T cell engineering and describe assays that address transgene expression, biological potency and genomic vector copy numbers in polyclonal cell populations. Because transposons allow virus-free gene transfer with naked nucleic acids, the protocol can be adopted by any laboratory equipped with biological safety level S1 facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Razieh Monjezi
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Csaba Miskey
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany
| | | | - Katrin Mestermann
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Hudecek
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany.
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4
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Yoo HJ, Harapan BN. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapy: basic principles, current advances, and future prospects in neuro-oncology. Immunol Res 2021; 69:471-486. [PMID: 34554405 PMCID: PMC8580929 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-021-09236-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
With recent advances, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapy has become a promising modality for patients with refractory cancer diseases. The successful results of CAR T cell therapy in relapsed and refractory B-cell malignancies shifted the paradigm of cancer immunotherapy by awakening the scientific, clinical, and commercial interest in translating this technology for the treatment of solid cancers. This review elaborates on fundamental principles of CAR T cell therapy (development of CAR construct, challenges of CAR T cell therapy) and its application on solid tumors as well as CAR T cell therapy potential in the field of neuro-oncology. Glioblastoma (GBM) is identified as one of the most challenging solid tumors with a permissive immunological milieu and dismal prognosis. Standard multimodal treatment using maximal safe resection, radiochemotherapy, and maintenance chemotherapy extends the overall survival beyond a year. Recurrence is, however, inevitable. GBM holds several unique features including its vast intratumoral heterogeneity, immunosuppressive environment, and a partially permissive anatomic blood–brain barrier, which offers a unique opportunity to investigate new treatment approaches. Tremendous efforts have been made in recent years to investigate novel CAR targets and target combinations with standard modalities for solid tumors and GBM to improve treatment efficacy. In this review, we outline the history of CAR immunotherapy development, relevant CAR target antigens validated with CAR T cells as well as preclinical approaches in combination with adjunct approaches via checkpoint inhibition, bispecific antibodies, and second-line systemic therapies that enhance anticancer efficacy of the CAR-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon Joo Yoo
- Department of Internal Medicine V, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Biyan Nathanael Harapan
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.
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5
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CARAMBA: a first-in-human clinical trial with SLAMF7 CAR-T cells prepared by virus-free Sleeping Beauty gene transfer to treat multiple myeloma. Gene Ther 2021; 28:560-571. [PMID: 33846552 PMCID: PMC8455317 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-021-00254-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Clinical development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy has been enabled by advances in synthetic biology, genetic engineering, clinical-grade manufacturing, and complex logistics to distribute the drug product to treatment sites. A key ambition of the CARAMBA project is to provide clinical proof-of-concept for virus-free CAR gene transfer using advanced Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon technology. SB transposition in CAR-T engineering is attractive due to the high rate of stable CAR gene transfer enabled by optimized hyperactive SB100X transposase and transposon combinations, encoded by mRNA and minicircle DNA, respectively, as preferred vector embodiments. This approach bears the potential to facilitate and expedite vector procurement, CAR-T manufacturing and distribution, and the promise to provide a safe, effective, and economically sustainable treatment. As an exemplary and novel target for SB-based CAR-T cells, the CARAMBA consortium has selected the SLAMF7 antigen in multiple myeloma. SLAMF7 CAR-T cells confer potent and consistent anti-myeloma activity in preclinical assays in vitro and in vivo. The CARAMBA clinical trial (Phase-I/IIA; EudraCT: 2019-001264-30) investigates the feasibility, safety, and anti-myeloma efficacy of autologous SLAMF7 CAR-T cells. CARAMBA is the first clinical trial with virus-free CAR-T cells in Europe, and the first clinical trial that uses advanced SB technology worldwide.
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6
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Zhuang M, Chen X, Du D, Shi J, Deng M, Long Q, Yin X, Wang Y, Rao L. SPION decorated exosome delivery of TNF-α to cancer cell membranes through magnetism. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:173-188. [PMID: 31803890 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr05865f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) is capable of inducing apoptosis and is a promising candidate for genetic engineering drugs in cancer therapy; however, the serious side-effects of TNF-α hinder their clinical application. In the present study, a method for preparing fusion proteins of cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) and TNF-α (CTNF-α)-anchored exosomes coupled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (CTNF-α-exosome-SPIONs) with membrane targeting anticancer activity has been demonstrated. To acquire exosomes with TNF-α anchored in its membrane, a CTNF-α expression vector was constructed and a stable mesenchymal stem cell cell line that expressed CTNF-α was established. Conjugating transferrin-modified SPIONs (Tf-SPIONs) onto CTNF-α-exosomes through transferrin-transferrin receptor (Tf-TfR) interaction yields CTNF-α-exosome-SPIONs with good water dispersibility. The incorporation of TNF-α into exosomes and the conjugation of SPIONs significantly enhanced the binding capacity of TNF-α to its membrane-bound receptor TNFR I, thus increasing the therapeutic effects. CTNF-α-exosome-SPIONs significantly enhanced tumor cell growth inhibition via induction of the TNFR I-mediated apoptotic pathway. In vivo studies using murine melanoma subcutaneous cancer models showed that TNF-α-loaded exosome-based vehicle delivery enhanced cancer targeting under an external magnetic field and suppressed tumor growth with mitigating toxicity. Taken together, our results suggest that CTNF-α-exosome-SPIONs showed great potential in membrane targeting therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjiao Zhuang
- West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xuelian Chen
- Department of Biomedicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
| | - Dan Du
- Department of Biomedicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
| | - Jiamei Shi
- Department of Biomedicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
| | - Mian Deng
- Department of Biomedicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
| | - Qian Long
- Department of Biomedicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
| | - Xiaofei Yin
- Department of Biomedicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
| | - Yayu Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Lei Rao
- Department of Biomedicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
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7
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Kanada M, Kim BD, Hardy JW, Ronald JA, Bachmann MH, Bernard MP, Perez GI, Zarea AA, Ge TJ, Withrow A, Ibrahim SA, Toomajian V, Gambhir SS, Paulmurugan R, Contag CH. Microvesicle-Mediated Delivery of Minicircle DNA Results in Effective Gene-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Cancer Therapy. Mol Cancer Ther 2019; 18:2331-2342. [PMID: 31451563 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-0299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
An emerging approach for cancer treatment employs the use of extracellular vesicles, specifically exosomes and microvesicles, as delivery vehicles. We previously demonstrated that microvesicles can functionally deliver plasmid DNA to cells and showed that plasmid size and sequence, in part, determine the delivery efficiency. In this study, delivery vehicles comprised of microvesicles loaded with engineered minicircle (MC) DNA that encodes prodrug converting enzymes developed as a cancer therapy in mammary carcinoma models. We demonstrated that MCs can be loaded into shed microvesicles with greater efficiency than their parental plasmid counterparts and that microvesicle-mediated MC delivery led to significantly higher and more prolonged transgene expression in recipient cells than microvesicles loaded with the parental plasmid. Microvesicles loaded with MCs encoding a thymidine kinase (TK)/nitroreductase (NTR) fusion protein produced prolonged TK-NTR expression in mammary carcinoma cells. In vivo delivery of TK-NTR and administration of prodrugs led to the effective killing of both targeted cells and surrounding tumor cells via TK-NTR-mediated conversion of codelivered prodrugs into active cytotoxic agents. In vivo evaluation of the bystander effect in mouse models demonstrated that for effective therapy, at least 1% of tumor cells need to be delivered with TK-NTR-encoding MCs. These results suggest that MC delivery via microvesicles can mediate gene transfer to an extent that enables effective prodrug conversion and tumor cell death such that it comprises a promising approach to cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masamitsu Kanada
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California. .,Department of Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Bryan D Kim
- Deptartment of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California
| | - Jonathan W Hardy
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - John A Ronald
- Department of Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael H Bachmann
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Matthew P Bernard
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Gloria I Perez
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Ahmed A Zarea
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - T Jessie Ge
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Alicia Withrow
- Center for Advanced Microscopy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Sherif A Ibrahim
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Deptartment of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Victoria Toomajian
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Sanjiv S Gambhir
- Department of Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Materials Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Ramasamy Paulmurugan
- Department of Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California. .,Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Christopher H Contag
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California. .,Department of Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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8
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Zhao Y, Song G, Ren J, Li Q, Zhong S, Cui Z. Sleeping beauty transposon-mediated poly(A)-trapping and insertion mutagenesis in mouse embryonic stem cells. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2018; 59:687-697. [PMID: 30280432 DOI: 10.1002/em.22234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Saturation mutagenesis of all endogenous genes within the mouse genome remains a challenging task, although a plenty of gene-editing approaches are available for this purpose. Here, a poly(A)-trap vector was generated for insertion mutagenesis in mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells. This vector contains an expression cassette of neomycin (Neo)-resistant gene lacking a poly(A) signal and flanked by two inverted terminal repeats of the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon. The whole poly(A)-trap cassette can transpose into target TA dinucleotides, properly splice with endogenous genes and effectively interrupt the transcription of trapped genes in mES cells after transient induction of SB expression by doxycycline (DOX)-treatment at 1 μg/ml, leading to the formation of multiple geneticin (G418)-resistant cell clones. In the first round of mutation screening, we identified six transposition events from 23 cell clones, including four inserted into an endogenous gene and two landed between endogenous genes. The abilities of self-renewal, totipotency, genetic stability and differentiation of syngap1+/- cells were not affected by DOX-treatment and G418-selection. These findings suggest that this SB transposon-mediated poly(A)-trap vector can be used as an alternative tool for a large-scale screening of mES cells with a gene mutation and for further generation of mutant mouse strains. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:687-697, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhao
- Department of Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Guili Song
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Qing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Shan Zhong
- Department of Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zongbin Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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Hodge R, Narayanavari SA, Izsvák Z, Ivics Z. Wide Awake and Ready to Move: 20 Years of Non-Viral Therapeutic Genome Engineering with the Sleeping Beauty Transposon System. Hum Gene Ther 2018; 28:842-855. [PMID: 28870121 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2017.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene therapies will only become a widespread tool in the clinical treatment of human diseases with the advent of gene transfer vectors that integrate genetic information stably, safely, effectively, and economically. Two decades after the discovery of the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon, it has been transformed into a vector system that is fulfilling these requirements. SB may well overcome some of the limitations associated with viral gene transfer vectors and transient non-viral gene delivery approaches that are being used in the majority of ongoing clinical trials. The SB system has achieved a high level of stable gene transfer and sustained transgene expression in multiple primary human somatic cell types, representing crucial steps that may permit its clinical use in the near future. This article reviews the most important aspects of SB as a tool for gene therapy, including aspects of its vectorization and genomic integration. As an illustration, the clinical development of the SB system toward gene therapy of age-related macular degeneration and cancer immunotherapy is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russ Hodge
- 1 Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) , Berlin, Germany
| | - Suneel A Narayanavari
- 1 Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) , Berlin, Germany
| | - Zsuzsanna Izsvák
- 1 Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) , Berlin, Germany
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- 2 Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute , Langen, Germany
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10
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Benner NL, Near KE, Bachmann MH, Contag CH, Waymouth RM, Wender PA. Functional DNA Delivery Enabled by Lipid-Modified Charge-Altering Releasable Transporters (CARTs). Biomacromolecules 2018; 19:2812-2824. [PMID: 29727572 PMCID: PMC6542359 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.8b00401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Safe and effective DNA delivery systems are required to enable or enhance clinical strategies and research involving gene therapy and DNA vaccinations. To address this delivery problem, a series of charge-altering releasable transporters (CARTs) with varied lipid content were prepared and evaluated for plasmid DNA (pDNA) delivery into cultured cells. These lipid-modified CART co-oligomers were synthesized in only two steps via sequential organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization of lipid-containing cyclic carbonate monomers and morpholinone monomers. Lipid variations of the CARTs substantially impacted the delivery efficiency of pDNA, with oleyl- and linoleyl-based CARTs showing enhanced performance relative to the commercial transfection agent Lipofectamine 2000 (L2000). The best-performing oleyl CART was carried forward to study stable luciferase transfection with a Sleeping Beauty ( SB) transposon system. The oleyl CART outperformed the L2000 positive control with respect to stable transfection efficiency. CART-pDNA complexes represent a new DNA delivery system for research and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy L. Benner
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Katherine E. Near
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Michael H. Bachmann
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Christopher H. Contag
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Robert M. Waymouth
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Paul A. Wender
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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11
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Aravalli RN, Steer CJ. CRISPR/Cas9 therapeutics for liver diseases. J Cell Biochem 2018; 119:4265-4278. [PMID: 29266637 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.26627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The development of innovative genome editing techniques in recent years has revolutionized the field of biomedicine. Among the novel approaches, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas9) technology has become the most popular, in part due to its matchless ability to carry out gene editing at the target site with great precision. With considerable successes in animal and preclinical studies, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing has paved the way for its use in human trials, including patients with a variety of liver diseases. Gene editing is a logical therapeutic approach for liver diseases because many metabolic and acquired disorders are caused by mutations within a single gene. In this review, we provide an overview on current and emerging therapeutic strategies for the treatment of liver diseases using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajagopal N Aravalli
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Clifford J Steer
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.,Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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12
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Kumaresan PR, da Silva TA, Kontoyiannis DP. Methods of Controlling Invasive Fungal Infections Using CD8 + T Cells. Front Immunol 2018; 8:1939. [PMID: 29358941 PMCID: PMC5766637 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) cause high rates of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Pattern-recognition receptors present on the surfaces of innate immune cells recognize fungal pathogens and activate the first line of defense against fungal infection. The second line of defense is the adaptive immune system which involves mainly CD4+ T cells, while CD8+ T cells also play a role. CD8+ T cell-based vaccines designed to prevent IFIs are currently being investigated in clinical trials, their use could play an especially important role in acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients. So far, none of the vaccines used to treat IFI have been approved by the FDA. Here, we review current and future antifungal immunotherapy strategies involving CD8+ T cells. We highlight recent advances in the use of T cells engineered using a Sleeping Beauty vector to treat IFIs. Recent clinical trials using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to treat patients with leukemia have shown very promising results. We hypothesized that CAR T cells could also be used to control IFI. Therefore, we designed a CAR that targets β-glucan, a sugar molecule found in most of the fungal cell walls, using the extracellular domain of Dectin-1, which binds to β-glucan. Mice treated with D-CAR+ T cells displayed reductions in hyphal growth of Aspergillus compared to the untreated group. Patients suffering from IFIs due to primary immunodeficiency, secondary immunodeficiency (e.g., HIV), or hematopoietic transplant patients may benefit from bioengineered CAR T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pappanaicken R. Kumaresan
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Thiago Aparecido da Silva
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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The Antibiotic-free pFAR4 Vector Paired with the Sleeping Beauty Transposon System Mediates Efficient Transgene Delivery in Human Cells. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2017; 11:57-67. [PMID: 29858090 PMCID: PMC5852330 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The anti-angiogenic and neurogenic pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) demonstrated a potency to control choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients. The goal of the present study was the development of an efficient and safe technique to integrate, ex vivo, the PEDF gene into retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells for later transplantation to the subretinal space of AMD patients to allow continuous PEDF secretion in the vicinity of the affected macula. Because successful gene therapy approaches require efficient gene delivery and stable gene expression, we used the antibiotic-free pFAR4 mini-plasmid vector to deliver the hyperactive Sleeping Beauty transposon system, which mediates transgene integration into the genome of host cells. In an initial study, lipofection-mediated co-transfection of HeLa cells with the SB100X transposase gene and a reporter marker delivered by pFAR4 showed a 2-fold higher level of genetically modified cells than when using the pT2 vectors. Similarly, with the pFAR4 constructs, electroporation-mediated transfection of primary human RPE cells led to 2.4-fold higher secretion of recombinant PEDF protein, which was still maintained 8 months after transfection. Thus, our results show that the pFAR4 plasmid is a superior vector for the delivery and integration of transgenes into eukaryotic cells.
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Kebriaei P, Izsvák Z, Narayanavari SA, Singh H, Ivics Z. Gene Therapy with the Sleeping Beauty Transposon System. Trends Genet 2017; 33:852-870. [PMID: 28964527 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The widespread clinical implementation of gene therapy requires the ability to stably integrate genetic information through gene transfer vectors in a safe, effective, and economical manner. The latest generation of Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon vectors fulfills these requirements, and may overcome limitations associated with viral gene transfer vectors and transient nonviral gene delivery approaches that are prevalent in ongoing clinical trials. The SB system enables high-level stable gene transfer and sustained transgene expression in multiple primary human somatic cell types, thereby representing a highly attractive gene transfer strategy for clinical use. Here, we review the most important aspects of using SB for gene therapy, including vectorization as well as genomic integration features. We also illustrate the path to successful clinical implementation by highlighting the application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Partow Kebriaei
- Department of Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zsuzsanna Izsvák
- Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Suneel A Narayanavari
- Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Harjeet Singh
- Department of Pediatrics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recent breakthrough advances in Multiple Myeloma (MM) immunotherapy have been achieved with the approval of the first two monoclonal antibodies, elotuzumab and daratumumab. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) represents yet another, maybe the most powerful modality of immunotherapy, in which allogeneic or autologous effector cells are expanded and activated ex vivo followed by their re-infusion back into patients. Infused effector cells belong to two categories: naturally occurring, non-engineered cells (donor lymphocyte infusion, myeloma infiltrating lymphocytes, deltagamma T cells) or genetically- engineered antigen-specific cells (chimeric antigen receptor T or NK cells, TCR-engineered cells). Areas covered: This review article summarizes our up-to-date knowledge on ACT in MM, its promises, and upcoming strategies to both overcome its toxicity and to integrate it into future treatment paradigms. Expert opinion: Early results of clinical studies using CAR T cells or TCR- engineered T cells in relapsed and refractory MM are particularly exciting, indicating the potential of long-term disease control or even cure. Despite several caveats including toxicity, costs and restricted availability in particular, these forms of immunotherapy are likely to once more revolutionize MM therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Vallet
- a Department of Internal Medicine , Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, University Hospital , Krems an der Donau , Austria
| | - Martin Pecherstorfer
- a Department of Internal Medicine , Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, University Hospital , Krems an der Donau , Austria
| | - Klaus Podar
- a Department of Internal Medicine , Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, University Hospital , Krems an der Donau , Austria
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16
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A novel rapid and reproducible flow cytometric method for optimization of transfection efficiency in cells. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182941. [PMID: 28863132 PMCID: PMC5580984 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Transfection is one of the most frequently used techniques in molecular biology that is also applicable for gene therapy studies in humans. One of the biggest challenges to investigate the protein function and interaction in gene therapy studies is to have reliable monospecific detection reagents, particularly antibodies, for all human gene products. Thus, a reliable method that can optimize transfection efficiency based on not only expression of the target protein of interest but also the uptake of the nucleic acid plasmid, can be an important tool in molecular biology. Here, we present a simple, rapid and robust flow cytometric method that can be used as a tool to optimize transfection efficiency at the single cell level while overcoming limitations of prior established methods that quantify transfection efficiency. By using optimized ratios of transfection reagent and a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) vector directly labeled with a fluorochrome, this method can be used as a tool to simultaneously quantify cellular toxicity of different transfection reagents, the amount of nucleic acid plasmid that cells have taken up during transfection as well as the amount of the encoded expressed protein. Finally, we demonstrate that this method is reproducible, can be standardized and can reliably and rapidly quantify transfection efficiency, reducing assay costs and increasing throughput while increasing data robustness.
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17
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Kenkel JA, Tseng WW, Davidson MG, Tolentino LL, Choi O, Bhattacharya N, Seeley ES, Winer DA, Reticker-Flynn NE, Engleman EG. An Immunosuppressive Dendritic Cell Subset Accumulates at Secondary Sites and Promotes Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 2017; 77:4158-4170. [PMID: 28611041 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) after complete surgical resection is often followed by distant metastatic relapse for reasons that remain unclear. In this study, we investigated how the immune response at secondary sites affects tumor spread in murine models of metastatic PDAC. Early metastases were associated with dense networks of CD11b+CD11c+MHC-II+CD24+CD64lowF4/80low dendritic cells (DC), which developed from monocytes in response to tumor-released GM-CSF. These cells uniquely expressed MGL2 and PD-L2 in the metastatic microenvironment and preferentially induced the expansion of T regulatory cells (Treg) in vitro and in vivo Targeted depletion of this DC population in Mgl2DTR hosts activated cytotoxic lymphocytes, reduced Tregs, and inhibited metastasis development. Moreover, blocking PD-L2 selectively activated CD8 T cells at secondary sites and suppressed metastasis, suggesting that the DCs use this particular pathway to inhibit CD8 T-cell-mediated tumor immunity. Phenotypically similar DCs accumulated at primary and secondary sites in other models and in human PDAC. These studies suggest that a discrete DC subset both expands Tregs and suppresses CD8 T cells to establish an immunosuppressive microenvironment conducive to metastasis formation. Therapeutic strategies to block the accumulation and immunosuppressive activity of such cells may help prevent PDAC progression and metastatic relapse after surgical resection. Cancer Res; 77(15); 4158-70. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Kenkel
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - William W Tseng
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Matthew G Davidson
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Lorna L Tolentino
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Okmi Choi
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Nupur Bhattacharya
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - E Scott Seeley
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Daniel A Winer
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | | | - Edgar G Engleman
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
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18
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Chimeric Antigen Receptors: A Cell and Gene Therapy Perspective. Mol Ther 2017; 25:1117-1124. [PMID: 28456379 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are synthetic receptors that reprogram T lymphocytes to target chosen antigens. The targeting of CD19, a cell surface molecule expressed in the vast majority of leukemias and lymphomas, has been successfully translated in the clinic, earning CAR therapy a special distinction in the selection of "cancer immunotherapy" by Science as the breakthrough of the year in 2013. CD19 CAR therapy is predicated on advances in genetic engineering, T cell biology, tumor immunology, synthetic biology, target identification, cell manufacturing sciences, and regulatory compliance-the central tenets of CAR therapy. Here, we review two of these foundations: the genetic engineering approaches and cell types to engineer.
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19
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Hudecek M, Izsvák Z, Johnen S, Renner M, Thumann G, Ivics Z. Going non-viral: the Sleeping Beauty transposon system breaks on through to the clinical side. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2017; 52:355-380. [PMID: 28402189 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2017.1304354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Molecular medicine has entered a high-tech age that provides curative treatments of complex genetic diseases through genetically engineered cellular medicinal products. Their clinical implementation requires the ability to stably integrate genetic information through gene transfer vectors in a safe, effective and economically viable manner. The latest generation of Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon vectors fulfills these requirements, and may overcome limitations associated with viral gene transfer vectors and transient non-viral gene delivery approaches that are prevalent in ongoing pre-clinical and translational research. The SB system enables high-level stable gene transfer and sustained transgene expression in multiple primary human somatic cell types, thereby representing a highly attractive gene transfer strategy for clinical use. Here we review several recent refinements of the system, including the development of optimized transposons and hyperactive SB variants, the vectorization of transposase and transposon as mRNA and DNA minicircles (MCs) to enhance performance and facilitate vector production, as well as a detailed understanding of SB's genomic integration and biosafety features. This review also provides a perspective on the regulatory framework for clinical trials of gene delivery with SB, and illustrates the path to successful clinical implementation by using, as examples, gene therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the engineering of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hudecek
- a Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II , Universitätsklinikum Würzburg , Würzburg , Germany
| | - Zsuzsanna Izsvák
- b Mobile DNA , Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) , Berlin , Germany
| | - Sandra Johnen
- c Department of Ophthalmology , University Hospital RWTH Aachen , Aachen , Germany
| | - Matthias Renner
- d Division of Medical Biotechnology , Paul Ehrlich Institute , Langen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Thumann
- e Département des Neurosciences Cliniques Service d'Ophthalmologie , Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève , Genève , Switzerland
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- d Division of Medical Biotechnology , Paul Ehrlich Institute , Langen, Germany
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20
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Ma K, Fu D, Yu D, Cui C, Wang L, Guo Z, Mao C. Targeted delivery of in situ PCR-amplified Sleeping Beauty transposon genes to cancer cells with lipid-based nanoparticle-like protocells. Biomaterials 2017; 121:55-63. [PMID: 28081459 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.12.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
A Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system is made of a transposon plasmid (containing gene encoding a desired functional or therapeutic protein) and a transposase plasmid (encoding an enzyme capable of cutting and pasting the gene into the host cell genome). It is a kind of natural, nonviral gene delivery vehicle, which can achieve efficient genomic insertion, providing long-term transgenic expression. However, before the SB transposon system could play a role in promoting gene expression, it has to be delivered efficiently first across cell membrane and then into cell nuclei. Towards this end, we used a nanoparticle-like lipid-based protocell, a closed bilayer of the neutral lipids with the DNA encapsulated inside, to deliver the SB transposon system to cancer cells. The SB transposon system was amplified in situ inside the protocells by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process, realizing more efficient loading and delivery of the target gene. To reach a high transfection efficiency, we introduced two targeting moieties, folic acid (FA) as a cancer cell-targeting motif and Dexamethasone (DEX) as a nuclear localization signaling molecule, into the protocells. As a result, the FA enabled the modified targeting protocells to deliver the DNA into the cancer cells with an increased efficiency and the DEX promoted the DNA to translocate to cell nuclei, eventually leading to the increased chromosome insertion efficiency of the SB transposon. In vivo study strongly suggested that the transfection efficiency of FA-modified protocells in the tumor tissue was much higher than that in other tissues, which was consistent with the in vitro results. Our studies implied that with the targeting ligand modification, the protocells could be utilized as an efficient targeting gene carrier. Since the protocells were made of neutral lipids without cationic charges, the cytotoxicity of protocells was significantly lower than that of traditional cationic gene carriers such as cationic liposomes and polyethylenimine, enabling the protocells to be employed in a wider dosage range in gene therapy. Our work shows that the protocells are a promising gene carrier for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Ma
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin, Liaoning 124221, China; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, OK, 73019, USA.
| | - Duo Fu
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin, Liaoning 124221, China
| | - Dongli Yu
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin, Liaoning 124221, China
| | - Changhao Cui
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin, Liaoning 124221, China
| | - Li Wang
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin, Liaoning 124221, China
| | - Zhaoming Guo
- School of Life Science and Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin, Liaoning 124221, China
| | - Chuanbin Mao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, OK, 73019, USA; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China.
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21
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Chung SI, Moon H, Ju HL, Kim DY, Cho KJ, Ribback S, Dombrowski F, Calvisi DF, Ro SW. Comparison of liver oncogenic potential among human RAS isoforms. Oncotarget 2016; 7:7354-66. [PMID: 26799184 PMCID: PMC4872791 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.6931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutation in one of three RAS genes (i.e., HRAS, KRAS, and NRAS) leading to constitutive activation of RAS signaling pathways is considered a key oncogenic event in human carcinogenesis. Whether activated RAS isoforms possess different oncogenic potentials remains an unresolved question. Here, we compared oncogenic properties among RAS isoforms using liver-specific transgenesis in mice. Hydrodynamic transfection was performed using transposons expressing short hairpin RNA downregulating p53 and an activated RAS isoform, and livers were harvested at 23 days after gene delivery. No differences were found in the hepatocarcinogenic potential among RAS isoforms, as determined by both gross examination of livers and liver weight per body weight ratio (LW/BW) of mice expressing HRASQ61L, KRAS4BG12V and NRASQ61K. However, the tumorigenic potential differed significantly between KRAS splicing variants. The LW/BW ratio in KRAS4AG12V mice was significantly lower than in KRAS4BG12V mice (p < 0.001), and KRAS4AG12V mice lived significantly longer than KRRAS4BG12V mice (p < 0.0001). Notably, tumors from KRAS4AG12V mice displayed higher expression of the p16INK4A tumor suppressor when compared with KRAS4BG12V tumors. Forced overexpression of p16INK4A significantly reduced tumor growth in KRAS4BG12V mice, suggesting that upregulation of p16INK4A by KRAS4AG12V presumably delays tumor development driven by the latter oncogene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sook In Chung
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyuk Moon
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hye-Lim Ju
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Dae Yeong Kim
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kyung Joo Cho
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Silvia Ribback
- Institute of Pathology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Frank Dombrowski
- Institute of Pathology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Diego F Calvisi
- Institute of Pathology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Simon Weonsang Ro
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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22
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Barbon E, Ferrarese M, van Wittenberghe L, Sanatine P, Ronzitti G, Collaud F, Colella P, Pinotti M, Mingozzi F. Transposon-mediated Generation of Cellular and Mouse Models of Splicing Mutations to Assess the Efficacy of snRNA-based Therapeutics. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 5:e392. [PMID: 27898092 PMCID: PMC5155329 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2016.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Disease-causing splicing mutations can be rescued by variants of the U1 small nuclear RNA (U1snRNAs). However, the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of modified U1snRNAs as therapeutic tools is limited by the availability of cellular and animal models specific for a given mutation. Hence, we exploited the hyperactive Sleeping Beauty transposon system (SB100X) to integrate human factor IX (hFIX) minigenes into genomic DNA in vitro and in vivo. We generated stable HEK293 cell lines and C57BL/6 mice harboring splicing-competent hFIX minigenes either wild type (SChFIX-wt) or mutated (SChFIXex5-2C). In both models the SChFIXex5-2C variant, found in patients affected by Hemophilia B, displayed an aberrant splicing pattern characterized by exon 5 skipping. This allowed us to test, for the first time in a genomic DNA context, the efficacy of the snRNA U1-fix9, delivered with an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector. With this approach, we showed rescue of the correct splicing pattern of hFIX mRNA, leading to hFIX protein expression. These data validate the SB100X as a versatile tool to quickly generate models of human genetic mutations, to study their effect in a stable DNA context and to assess mutation-targeted therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mattia Ferrarese
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- Genethon, Evry, France
- INSERM U951, Evry, France
- Institute of Myology, University Pierre and Marie Curie – Paris 6, Paris, France
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23
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Aravalli RN, Steer CJ. Gene editing technology as an approach to the treatment of liver diseases. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2016; 16:595-608. [DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2016.1158808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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24
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Deniger DC, Pasetto A, Tran E, Parkhurst MR, Cohen CJ, Robbins PF, Cooper LJ, Rosenberg SA. Stable, Nonviral Expression of Mutated Tumor Neoantigen-specific T-cell Receptors Using the Sleeping Beauty Transposon/Transposase System. Mol Ther 2016; 24:1078-1089. [PMID: 26945006 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2016.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neoantigens unique to each patient's tumor can be recognized by autologous T cells through their T-cell receptor (TCR) but the low frequency and/or terminal differentiation of mutation-specific T cells in tumors can limit their utility as adoptive T-cell therapies. Transfer of TCR genes into younger T cells from peripheral blood with a high proliferative potential could obviate this problem. We generated a rapid, cost-effective strategy to genetically engineer cancer patient T cells with TCRs using the clinical Sleeping Beauty transposon/transposase system. Patient-specific TCRs reactive against HLA-A*0201-restriced neoantigens AHNAK(S2580F) or ERBB2(H473Y) or the HLA-DQB*0601-restricted neoantigen ERBB2IP(E805G) were assembled with murine constant chains and cloned into Sleeping Beauty transposons. Patient peripheral blood lymphocytes were coelectroporated with SB11 transposase and Sleeping Beauty transposon, and transposed T cells were enriched by sorting on murine TCRβ (mTCRβ) expression. Rapid expansion of mTCRβ(+) T cells with irradiated allogeneic peripheral blood lymphocytes feeders, OKT3, interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-15, and IL-21 resulted in a preponderance of effector (CD27(-)CD45RA(-)) and less-differentiated (CD27(+)CD45RA(+)) T cells. Transposed T cells specifically mounted a polyfunctional response against cognate mutated neoantigens and tumor cell lines. Thus, Sleeping Beauty transposition of mutation-specific TCRs can facilitate the use of personalized T-cell therapy targeting unique neoantigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew C Deniger
- Surgery Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anna Pasetto
- Surgery Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Eric Tran
- Surgery Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Maria R Parkhurst
- Surgery Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Cyrille J Cohen
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Paul F Robbins
- Surgery Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Laurence Jn Cooper
- Division of Pediatrics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA; ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Steven A Rosenberg
- Surgery Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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25
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Papadopoulou A, Kaloyannidis P, Yannaki E, Cruz CR. Adoptive transfer of Aspergillus-specific T cells as a novel anti-fungal therapy for hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: Progress and challenges. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2015; 98:62-72. [PMID: 26527379 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2015.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Revised: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although newer antifungal drugs have substantially altered the natural history of invasive aspergillosis, the disease still accounts for significant morbidity and mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Both the evidence supporting a protective role of T cells against this fungal pathogen and the documented efficacy of adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells for prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections post-transplant have stimulated much interest towards development of Aspergillus-specific T cells (Asp-STs) for adoptive immunotherapy in the allogeneic transplant setting. In contrast to the remarkable progress with virus-specific T cells, clinical development of fungus-specific T cells is still in its infancy. Several groups have characterized Asp-STs in healthy individuals and patients with malignant hematological diseases, while others sought to develop GMP-compliant methods of expanding or bioengineering Asp-STs ex vivo as immunotherapy. This review highlights the recent advances in this field, and discusses critical issues involved in development and protocol design of Asp-ST immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Papadopoulou
- Hematology Department/Hematopoietic Cell-Transplantation Unit, Gene and Cell Therapy Center, "George Papanicolaou" Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Panayotis Kaloyannidis
- Adult Hematology & Stem cell Transplant, King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Evangelia Yannaki
- Hematology Department/Hematopoietic Cell-Transplantation Unit, Gene and Cell Therapy Center, "George Papanicolaou" Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Conrad Russell Cruz
- Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy, Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National Health System, WA, United States
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26
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Ju HL, Han KH, Lee JD, Ro SW. Transgenic mouse models generated by hydrodynamic transfection for genetic studies of liver cancer and preclinical testing of anti-cancer therapy. Int J Cancer 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Lim Ju
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine; Seoul Korea
| | - Kwang-Hyub Han
- Department of Internal Medicine; Yonsei University College of Medicine; Seoul Korea
| | - Jong Doo Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine; Catholic Kwandong University; Seoul Korea
| | - Simon Weonsang Ro
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine; Seoul Korea
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine; Seoul Korea
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27
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Belmadi N, Midoux P, Loyer P, Passirani C, Pichon C, Le Gall T, Jaffres PA, Lehn P, Montier T. Synthetic vectors for gene delivery: An overview of their evolution depending on routes of administration. Biotechnol J 2015; 10:1370-89. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201400841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Aravalli RN, Belcher JD, Steer CJ. Liver-targeted gene therapy: Approaches and challenges. Liver Transpl 2015; 21:718-37. [PMID: 25824605 PMCID: PMC9353592 DOI: 10.1002/lt.24122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2014] [Revised: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The liver plays a major role in many inherited and acquired genetic disorders. It is also the site for the treatment of certain inborn errors of metabolism that do not directly cause injury to the liver. The advancement of nucleic acid-based therapies for liver maladies has been severely limited because of the myriad untoward side effects and methodological limitations. To address these issues, research efforts in recent years have been intensified toward the development of targeted gene approaches using novel genetic tools, such as zinc-finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats as well as various nonviral vectors such as Sleeping Beauty transposons, PiggyBac transposons, and PhiC31 integrase. Although each of these methods uses a distinct mechanism of gene modification, all of them are dependent on the efficient delivery of DNA and RNA molecules into the cell. This review provides an overview of current and emerging therapeutic strategies for liver-targeted gene therapy and gene repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajagopal N. Aravalli
- Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455
| | - John D. Belcher
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455
| | - Clifford J. Steer
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455,Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455
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29
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Calinescu AA, Núñez FJ, Koschmann C, Kolb BL, Lowenstein PR, Castro MG. Transposon mediated integration of plasmid DNA into the subventricular zone of neonatal mice to generate novel models of glioblastoma. J Vis Exp 2015. [PMID: 25741859 DOI: 10.3791/52443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
An urgent need exists to test the contribution of new genes to the pathogenesis and progression of human glioblastomas (GBM), the most common primary brain tumor in adults with dismal prognosis. New potential therapies are rapidly emerging from the bench and require systematic testing in experimental models which closely reproduce the salient features of the human disease. Herein we describe in detail a method to induce new models of GBM with transposon-mediated integration of plasmid DNA into cells of the subventricular zone of neonatal mice. We present a simple way to clone new transposons amenable for genomic integration using the Sleeping Beauty transposon system and illustrate how to monitor plasmid uptake and disease progression using bioluminescence, histology and immuno-histochemistry. We also describe a method to create new primary GBM cell lines. Ideally, this report will allow further dissemination of the Sleeping Beauty transposon system among brain tumor researchers, leading to an in depth understanding of GBM pathogenesis and progression and to the timely design and testing of effective therapies for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carl Koschmann
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of Michigan School of Medicine
| | - Bradley L Kolb
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan School of Medicine
| | - Pedro R Lowenstein
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan School of Medicine; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan
| | - Maria G Castro
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan School of Medicine; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan;
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Abstract
With the recent advances in regenerative medicine, nanotechnology has created a niche for itself as a promising avenue in this field. Innumerable studies have been carried out by researchers using virus-based methodologies for the purpose of epigenetic reprogramming. Although this method is ostensibly safe, nonetheless, they are tagged with the risk of viral genome integration into the host genome or insertional mutagenesis. Transient transfection by the use of nanocarriers is the best way to overcome these problems. This review focuses on some of the significant works carried out by researchers utilizing nanocarrier systems that have shown promising results and thus created a landmark in the epigenetic reprogramming.
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31
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Vector modifications to eliminate transposase expression following piggyBac-mediated transgenesis. Sci Rep 2014; 4:7403. [PMID: 25492703 PMCID: PMC4261183 DOI: 10.1038/srep07403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgene insertion plays an important role in gene therapy and in biological studies. Transposon-based systems that integrate transgenes by transposase-catalyzed “cut-and-paste” mechanism have emerged as an attractive system for transgenesis. Hyperactive piggyBac transposon is particularly promising due to its ability to integrate large transgenes with high efficiency. However, prolonged expression of transposase can become a potential source of genotoxic effects due to uncontrolled transposition of the integrated transgene from one chromosomal locus to another. In this study we propose a vector design to decrease post-transposition expression of transposase and to eliminate the cells that have residual transposase expression. We design a single plasmid construct that combines the transposase and the transpositioning transgene element to share a single polyA sequence for termination. Consequently, the separation of the transposase element from the polyA sequence after transposition leads to its deactivation. We also co-express Herpes Simplex Virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) with the transposase. Therefore, cells having residual transposase expression can be eliminated by the administration of ganciclovir. We demonstrate the utility of this combination transposon system by integrating and expressing a model therapeutic gene, human coagulation Factor IX, in HEK293T cells.
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Hosseinkhani H, Abedini F, Ou KL, Domb AJ. Polymers in gene therapy technology. POLYM ADVAN TECHNOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/pat.3432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Hosseinkhani
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering; National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech); Taipei 10607 Taiwan
- Center of Excellence in Nanomedicine; National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech); Taipei 10607 Taiwan
- Research Center for Biomedical Devices and Prototyping Production, Research Center for Biomedical Implants and Microsurgery Devices, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Department of Dentistry; Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital; Taipei 235 Taiwan
| | - Fatemeh Abedini
- Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute; Karaj Alborz IRAN
| | - Keng-Liang Ou
- Research Center for Biomedical Devices and Prototyping Production, Research Center for Biomedical Implants and Microsurgery Devices, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Department of Dentistry; Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital; Taipei 235 Taiwan
| | - Abraham J. Domb
- Institute of Drug Research, The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem 91120 Israel
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Suen CM, Mei SHJ, Kugathasan L, Stewart DJ. Targeted delivery of genes to endothelial cells and cell- and gene-based therapy in pulmonary vascular diseases. Compr Physiol 2014; 3:1749-79. [PMID: 24265244 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c120034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease that, despite significant advances in medical therapies over the last several decades, continues to have an extremely poor prognosis. Gene therapy is a method to deliver therapeutic genes to replace defective or mutant genes or supplement existing cellular processes to modify disease. Over the last few decades, several viral and nonviral methods of gene therapy have been developed for preclinical PAH studies with varying degrees of efficacy. However, these gene delivery methods face challenges of immunogenicity, low transduction rates, and nonspecific targeting which have limited their translation to clinical studies. More recently, the emergence of regenerative approaches using stem and progenitor cells such as endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have offered a new approach to gene therapy. Cell-based gene therapy is an approach that augments the therapeutic potential of EPCs and MSCs and may deliver on the promise of reversal of established PAH. These new regenerative approaches have shown tremendous potential in preclinical studies; however, large, rigorously designed clinical studies will be necessary to evaluate clinical efficacy and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin M Suen
- Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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34
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Park KE, Telugu BPVL. Role of stem cells in large animal genetic engineering in the TALENs-CRISPR era. Reprod Fertil Dev 2014; 26:65-73. [PMID: 24305178 DOI: 10.1071/rd13258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The establishment of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and gene targeting technologies in mice has revolutionised the field of genetics. The relative ease with which genes can be knocked out, and exogenous sequences introduced, has allowed the mouse to become the prime model for deciphering the genetic code. Not surprisingly, the lack of authentic ESCs has hampered the livestock genetics field and has forced animal scientists into adapting alternative technologies for genetic engineering. The recent discovery of the creation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by upregulation of a handful of reprogramming genes has offered renewed enthusiasm to animal geneticists. However, much like ESCs, establishing authentic iPSCs from the domestic animals is still beset with problems, including (but not limited to) the persistent expression of reprogramming genes and the lack of proven potential for differentiation into target cell types both in vitro and in vivo. Site-specific nucleases comprised of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and clustered regulated interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) emerged as powerful genetic tools for precisely editing the genome, usurping the need for ESC-based genetic modifications even in the mouse. In this article, in the aftermath of these powerful genome editing technologies, the role of pluripotent stem cells in livestock genetics is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki-Eun Park
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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35
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Singh H, Huls H, Kebriaei P, Cooper LJN. A new approach to gene therapy using Sleeping Beauty to genetically modify clinical-grade T cells to target CD19. Immunol Rev 2014; 257:181-90. [PMID: 24329797 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The advent of efficient approaches to the genetic modification of T cells has provided investigators with clinically appealing methods to improve the potency of tumor-specific clinical grade T cells. For example, gene therapy has been successfully used to enforce expression of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that provide T cells with ability to directly recognize tumor-associated antigens without the need for presentation by human leukocyte antigen. Gene transfer of CARs can be undertaken using viral-based and non-viral approaches. We have advanced DNA vectors derived from the Sleeping Beauty (SB) system to avoid the expense and manufacturing difficulty associated with transducing T cells with recombinant viral vectors. After electroporation, the transposon/transposase improves the efficiency of integration of plasmids used to express CAR and other transgenes in T cells. The SB system combined with artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPC) can selectively propagate and thus retrieve CAR(+) T cells suitable for human application. This review describes the translation of the SB system and aAPC for use in clinical trials and highlights how a nimble and cost-effective approach to developing genetically modified T cells can be used to implement clinical trials infusing next-generation T cells with improved therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harjeet Singh
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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36
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Razumilava N, Gradilone SA, Smoot RL, Mertens JC, Bronk SF, Sirica AE, Gores GJ. Non-canonical Hedgehog signaling contributes to chemotaxis in cholangiocarcinoma. J Hepatol 2014; 60:599-605. [PMID: 24239776 PMCID: PMC3944428 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2013.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2013] [Revised: 10/09/2013] [Accepted: 11/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The Hedgehog signaling pathway contributes to cholangiocarcinoma biology. However, canonical Hedgehog signaling requires cilia, and cholangiocarcinoma cells often do not express cilia. To resolve this paradox, we examined non-canonical (G-protein coupled, pertussis toxin sensitive) Hedgehog signaling in cholangiocarcinoma cells. METHODS Human [non-malignant (H69), malignant (HuCC-T1 and Mz-ChA-1)] and rat [non-malignant (BDE1 and NRC), and malignant (BDEneu)] cell lines were employed for this study. A BDE(ΔLoop2) cell line with the dominant-negative receptor Patched-1 was generated with the Sleeping Beauty transposon transfection system. RESULTS Cilia expression was readily identified in non-malignant, but not in malignant cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. Although the canonical Hh signaling pathway was markedly attenuated in cholangiocarcinoma cells, they were chemotactic to purmorphamine, a small-molecule direct Smoothened agonist. Purmorphamine also induced remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton with formation of filopodia and lamellipodia-like protrusions. All these biological features of cell migration were pertussis toxin sensitive, a feature of G-protein coupled (Gis) receptors. To further test the role of Hedgehog signaling in vivo, we employed a syngeneic orthotopic rat model of cholangiocarcinoma. In vivo, genetic inhibition of the Hedgehog signaling pathway employing BDE(ΔLoop2) cells or pharmacological inhibition with a small-molecule antagonist of Smoothened, vismodegib, was tumor and metastasis suppressive. CONCLUSIONS Cholangiocarcinoma cells exhibit non-canonical Hedgehog signaling with chemotaxis despite impaired cilia expression. This non-canonical Hedgehog signaling pathway appears to contribute to cholangiocarcinoma progression, thereby, supporting a role for Hedgehog pathway inhibition in human cholangiocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliya Razumilava
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Sergio A Gradilone
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Rory L Smoot
- Department of General Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Joachim C Mertens
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Steven F Bronk
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Alphonse E Sirica
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Gregory J Gores
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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37
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Abi-Nader KN, Rodeck CH, David AL. Prenatal gene therapy for the early treatment of genetic disorders. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1586/17474108.4.1.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Skipper KA, Andersen PR, Sharma N, Mikkelsen JG. DNA transposon-based gene vehicles - scenes from an evolutionary drive. J Biomed Sci 2013; 20:92. [PMID: 24320156 PMCID: PMC3878927 DOI: 10.1186/1423-0127-20-92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA transposons are primitive genetic elements which have colonized living organisms from plants to bacteria and mammals. Through evolution such parasitic elements have shaped their host genomes by replicating and relocating between chromosomal loci in processes catalyzed by the transposase proteins encoded by the elements themselves. DNA transposable elements are constantly adapting to life in the genome, and self-suppressive regulation as well as defensive host mechanisms may assist in buffering ‘cut-and-paste’ DNA mobilization until accumulating mutations will eventually restrict events of transposition. With the reconstructed Sleeping Beauty DNA transposon as a powerful engine, a growing list of transposable elements with activity in human cells have moved into biomedical experimentation and preclinical therapy as versatile vehicles for delivery and genomic insertion of transgenes. In this review, we aim to link the mechanisms that drive transposon evolution with the realities and potential challenges we are facing when adapting DNA transposons for gene transfer. We argue that DNA transposon-derived vectors may carry inherent, and potentially limiting, traits of their mother elements. By understanding in detail the evolutionary journey of transposons, from host colonization to element multiplication and inactivation, we may better exploit the potential of distinct transposable elements. Hence, parallel efforts to investigate and develop distinct, but potent, transposon-based vector systems will benefit the broad applications of gene transfer. Insight and clever optimization have shaped new DNA transposon vectors, which recently debuted in the first DNA transposon-based clinical trial. Learning from an evolutionary drive may help us create gene vehicles that are safer, more efficient, and less prone for suppression and inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jacob Giehm Mikkelsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilh, Meyers Allé 4, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
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Abstract
Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells has been adapted by investigators for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). To overcome issues of immune tolerance which limits the endogenous adaptive immune response to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), robust systems for the genetic modification and characterization of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to redirect specificity have been produced. Refinements with regards to persistence and trafficking of the genetically modified T cells are underway to help improve potency. Clinical trials utilizing this technology demonstrate feasibility, and increasingly, these early-phase trials are demonstrating impressive anti-tumor effects, particularly for CLL patients, paving the way for multi-center trials to establish the efficacy of CAR(+) T cell therapy.
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40
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Ju HL, Ahn SH, Kim DY, Baek S, Chung SI, Seong J, Han KH, Ro SW. Investigation of oncogenic cooperation in simple liver-specific transgenic mouse models using noninvasive in vivo imaging. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59869. [PMID: 23555816 PMCID: PMC3610734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/19/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is a complex multistep process requiring genetic alterations in multiple proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Although hundreds of genes are known to play roles in hepatocarcinogenesis, oncogenic collaboration among these genes is still largely unknown. Here, we report a simple methodology by which oncogenic cooperation between cancer-related genes can be efficiently investigated in the liver. We developed various non-germline transgenic mouse models using hydrodynamics-based transfection which express HrasG12V, SmoM2, and a short-hairpin RNA down-regulating p53 (shp53) individually or in combination in the liver. In this transgenic system, firefly luciferase was co-expressed with the oncogenes as a reporter, allowing tumor growth in the liver to be monitored over time without an invasive procedure. Very strong bioluminescence imaging (BLI) signals were observed at 4 weeks post-hydrodynamic injection (PHI) in mice co-expressing HrasG12V and shp53, while only background signals were detected in other double or single transgenic groups until 30 weeks PHI. Consistent with the BLI data, tumors were observed in the HrasG12V plus shp53 group at 4 weeks PHI, while other transgenic groups failed to exhibit a hyperplastic nodule at 30 weeks PHI. In the HrasG12V plus shp53 transgenic group, BLI signals were well-correlated with actual tumor growth in the liver, confirming the versatility of BLI-based monitoring of tumor growth in this organ. The methodology described here is expected to accelerate and facilitate in vivo studies of the hepatocarcinogenic potential of cancer-related genes by means of oncogenic cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Lim Ju
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sang Hoon Ahn
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Do Young Kim
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sinhwa Baek
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sook In Chung
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jinsil Seong
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kwang-Hyub Han
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Simon Weonsang Ro
- Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are programmable nucleases that join FokI endonuclease with the modular DNA-binding domain of TALEs. Although zinc-finger nucleases enable a variety of genome modifications, their application to genetic engineering of livestock has been slowed by technical limitations of embryo-injection, culture of primary cells, and difficulty in producing reliable reagents with a limited budget. In contrast, we found that TALENs could easily be manufactured and that over half (23/36, 64%) demonstrate high activity in primary cells. Cytoplasmic injections of TALEN mRNAs into livestock zygotes were capable of inducing gene KO in up to 75% of embryos analyzed, a portion of which harbored biallelic modification. We also developed a simple transposon coselection strategy for TALEN-mediated gene modification in primary fibroblasts that enabled both enrichment for modified cells and efficient isolation of modified colonies. Coselection after treatment with a single TALEN-pair enabled isolation of colonies with mono- and biallelic modification in up to 54% and 17% of colonies, respectively. Coselection after treatment with two TALEN-pairs directed against the same chromosome enabled the isolation of colonies harboring large chromosomal deletions and inversions (10% and 4% of colonies, respectively). TALEN-modified Ossabaw swine fetal fibroblasts were effective nuclear donors for cloning, resulting in the creation of miniature swine containing mono- and biallelic mutations of the LDL receptor gene as models of familial hypercholesterolemia. TALENs thus appear to represent a highly facile platform for the modification of livestock genomes for both biomedical and agricultural applications.
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Abstract
Prenatal gene therapy aims to deliver genes to cells and tissues early in prenatal life, allowing correction of a genetic defect, before irreparable tissue damage has occurred. In contrast to postnatal gene therapy, prenatal application may target genes to a large population of stem cells, and the smaller fetal size allows a higher vector to target cell ratio to be achieved. Early gestation delivery may allow the development of immune tolerance to the transgenic protein, which would facilitate postnatal repeat vector administration if needed. Moreover, early delivery would avoid anti-vector immune responses which are often acquired in postnatal life. The NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee considered that a candidate disease for prenatal gene therapy should pose serious morbidity and mortality risks to the fetus or neonate, and not have any effective postnatal treatment. Prenatal gene therapy would therefore be appropriate for life-threatening disorders, in which prenatal gene delivery maintains a clear advantage over cell transplantation or postnatal gene therapy. If deemed safer and more efficacious, prenatal gene therapy may be applicable for nonlethal conditions if adult gene transfer is unlikely to be of benefit. Many candidate diseases will be inherited congenital disorders such as thalassaemia or lysosomal storage disorders. However, obstetric conditions such as fetal growth restriction may also be treated using a targeted gene therapy approach. In each disease, the condition must be diagnosed prenatally, either via antenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis, for example, in the case of hemophilias, or by ultrasound assessment of the fetus, for example, congenital diaphragmatic hernia. In this chapter, we describe some examples of the candidate diseases and discuss how a prenatal gene therapy approach might work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L David
- Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.
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43
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Song G, Li Q, Long Y, Hackett PB, Cui Z. Effective Expression-Independent Gene Trapping and Mutagenesis Mediated by Sleeping Beauty Transposon. J Genet Genomics 2012; 39:503-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2012.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2012] [Revised: 05/21/2012] [Accepted: 05/28/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Effective gene trapping mediated by Sleeping Beauty transposon. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44123. [PMID: 22952894 PMCID: PMC3432063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2012] [Accepted: 07/30/2012] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene trapping is a high-throughput approach to elucidate gene functions by disrupting and recapitulating expression of genes in a target genome. A number of transposon-based gene-trapping systems are developed for mutagenesis in cells and model organisms, but there is still much room for the improvement of their efficiency in gene disruption and mutation. Herein, a gene-trapping system mediated by Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon was developed by inclusion of three functional cassettes. The mutation cassette can abrogate the splice of trapped genes and terminate their translation. Once an endogenous gene is captured, the finding cassette independently drives the translation of reporter gene in HeLa cells and zebrafish embryos. The efficiency cassette controls the remobilization of integrated traps through inducible expression of SB gene. Analysis of transposon-genome junctions indicate that most of trap cassettes are integrated into an intron without an obvious 3′ bias. The transcription of trapped genes was abrogated by alternative splicing of the mutation cassette. In addition, integrated transposons can be induced to excise from their original insertion sites. Furthermore, the Cre/LoxP system was introduced to delete the efficiency cassette for stabilization of gene interruption and bio-safety. Thus, this gene-trap vector is an alternative and effective tool for the capture and disruption of endogenous genes in vitro and in vivo.
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Hyland KA, Olson ER, Clark KJ, Aronovich EL, Hackett PB, Blazar BR, Tolar J, Scott McIvor R. Sleeping Beauty-mediated correction of Fanconi anemia type C. J Gene Med 2012; 13:462-9. [PMID: 21766398 DOI: 10.1002/jgm.1589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system can insert defined sequences into chromosomes to direct the extended expression of therapeutic genes. Our goal is to develop the SB system for nonviral complementation of Fanconi anemia (FA), a rare autosomal recessive disorder accompanied by progressive bone marrow failure. METHODS We used a CytoPulse electroporation system (CytoPulse, Glen Burnie, MD, USA) to introduce SB transposons into human lymphoblastoid cells (LCL) derived from both Fanconi anemia type C (FA-C) defective and normal patients. Correction of the FA-C defect was assessed by resistance to mitomycin C, a DNA-crosslinking agent. RESULTS Culture of both cell types with the antioxidant N-acetyl- l-cysteine improved cell viability after electroporation. Co-delivery of enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) transposon with SB100X transposase-encoding plasmid supported a 50- to 90-fold increase in stable GFP expression compared to that observed in the absence of SB100X for normal LCL, but in FA-C defective LCL SB100X enhancement of stable GFP-expression was a more moderate five- to 13-fold. SB-mediated integration and expression of the FA-C gene was demonstrated by the emergence of a mitomycin C-resistant population bearing characteristic transposon-chromosome junction sequences and exhibiting a mitomycin dose response identical to that of normal LCL. CONCLUSIONS The SB transposon system achieved stable expression of therapeutic FA-C genes, complementing the genetic defect in patient-derived cells by nonviral gene transfer.
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Ivics Z, Izsvák Z. Nonviral gene delivery with the sleeping beauty transposon system. Hum Gene Ther 2012; 22:1043-51. [PMID: 21867398 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2011.143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective gene therapy requires robust delivery of therapeutic genes into relevant target cells, long-term gene expression, and minimal risks of secondary effects. Nonviral gene transfer approaches typically result in only short-lived transgene expression in primary cells, because of the lack of nuclear maintenance of the vector over several rounds of cell division. The development of efficient and safe nonviral vectors armed with an integrating feature would thus greatly facilitate clinical gene therapy studies. The latest generation transposon technology based on the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon may potentially overcome some of these limitations. SB was shown to provide efficient stable gene transfer and sustained transgene expression in primary cell types, including human hematopoietic progenitors, mesenchymal stem cells, muscle stem/progenitor cells (myoblasts), induced pluripotent stem cells, and T cells. These cells are relevant targets for stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, and gene- and cell-based therapies of complex genetic diseases. Moreover, the first-in-human clinical trial has been launched to use redirected T cells engineered with SB for gene therapy of B cell lymphoma. We discuss aspects of cellular delivery of the SB transposon system, transgene expression provided by integrated transposon vectors, target site selection of the transposon vectors, and potential risks associated with random genomic insertion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Ivics
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin 13125, Germany.
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Kebriaei P, Huls H, Jena B, Munsell M, Jackson R, Lee DA, Hackett PB, Rondon G, Shpall E, Champlin RE, Cooper LJN. Infusing CD19-directed T cells to augment disease control in patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation for advanced B-lymphoid malignancies. Hum Gene Ther 2012; 23:444-50. [PMID: 22107246 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2011.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Limited curative treatment options exist for patients with advanced B-lymphoid malignancies, and new therapeutic approaches are needed to augment the efficacy of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Cellular therapies, such as adoptive transfer of T cells that are being evaluated to target malignant disease, use mechanisms independent of chemo- and radiotherapy with nonoverlapping toxicities. Gene therapy is employed to generate tumor-specific T cells, as specificity can be redirected through enforced expression of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) to achieve antigen recognition based on the specificity of a monoclonal antibody. By combining cell and gene therapies, we have opened a new Phase I protocol at the MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) to examine the safety and feasibility of administering autologous genetically modified T cells expressing a CD19-specific CAR (capable of signaling through chimeric CD28 and CD3-ζ) into patients with high-risk B-lymphoid malignancies undergoing autologous HSCT. The T cells are genetically modified by nonviral gene transfer of the Sleeping Beauty system and CAR(+) T cells selectively propagated in a CAR-dependent manner on designer artificial antigen-presenting cells. The results of this study will lay the foundation for future protocols including CAR(+) T-cell infusions derived from allogeneic sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Partow Kebriaei
- Division of Cancer Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77005, USA
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Kebriaei P, Kelly SS, Manuri P, Jena B, Jackson R, Shpall E, Champlin R, Cooper LJN. Chimeric antibody receptors (CARs): driving T-cell specificity to enhance anti-tumor immunity. Front Biosci (Schol Ed) 2012; 4:520-31. [PMID: 22202074 DOI: 10.2741/282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells is a compelling tool to treat cancer. To overcome issues of immune tolerance which limits the endogenous adaptive immune response to tumor-associated antigens, robust systems for the genetic modification and characterization of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to redirect specificity have been produced. Refinements with regards to persistence and trafficking of the genetically modified T cells are underway to help improve the potency of genetically modified T cells. Clinical trials utilizing this technology demonstrate feasibility, and increasingly, antitumor activity, paving the way for multi-center trials to establish the efficacy of this novel T-cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Partow Kebriaei
- Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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Tan WS, Carlson DF, Walton MW, Fahrenkrug SC, Hackett PB. Precision editing of large animal genomes. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2012; 80:37-97. [PMID: 23084873 PMCID: PMC3683964 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-404742-6.00002-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Transgenic animals are an important source of protein and nutrition for most humans and will play key roles in satisfying the increasing demand for food in an ever-increasing world population. The past decade has experienced a revolution in the development of methods that permit the introduction of specific alterations to complex genomes. This precision will enhance genome-based improvement of farm animals for food production. Precision genetics also will enhance the development of therapeutic biomaterials and models of human disease as resources for the development of advanced patient therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfang Spring Tan
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Doenecke A, Krömer A, Scherer MN, Schlitt HJ, Geissler EK. AAV plasmid DNA simplifies liver-directed in vivo gene therapy: comparison of expression levels after plasmid DNA-, adeno-associated virus- and adenovirus-mediated liver transfection. J Gene Med 2011; 12:810-7. [PMID: 20809479 DOI: 10.1002/jgm.1498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Successful liver gene therapy depends on efficient gene transfer techniques and long-lasting gene expression after successful transfer. Over the last decades, important progress has been made with the introduction of viral vectors using animal models, although their use is hampered by a complex and costly preparation compared to the simple and cost-effective preparation of plasmid DNA. These problems become even more critical when considering the application of viral vectors in human gene therapy and gene therapy trials. In a previous study, we were able to show that the hydrodynamics-based gene transfer of plasmid-DNA, containing the adeno-associated-virus specific inverted terminal repeats (AAV-ITR), prolongs gene expression in the liver, although it remained unclear whether plasmid gene transfer could achieve similar expression levels compared to viral-vector gene transfer. METHODS Rat livers were transfected in-vivo with AAV-ITR-containing plasmid-DNA using a modified hydrodynamics-based procedure. Expression levels were monitored thereafter and compared with expression levels after viral-vector gene transfer. RESULTS A high and stable long-term expression was achieved after in vivo transfection of rat livers with AAV-ITR-containing plasmids. The expression course resembled that after AAV-mediated gene transfer, and the expression was at least as high, and lasted as long, compared to recombinant AAV-mediated gene transfer. CONCLUSIONS We consider AAV-ITR-containing plasmids as a simple and cost-effective alternative to recombinant viral vectors, especially for liver-directed gene therapy in rodents. With ongoing progress in gene transfer methods for naked DNA, these plasmids may also become a successful alternative to recombinant viral vectors in human gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Doenecke
- University Medical Center Regensburg, Department of Surgery, Regensburg, Germany.
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