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Hua X, Xuan S, Tang Y, You S, Zhao S, Qiu Y, Li Y, Li Y, Su Y, Qu P. Progression of oncolytic virus in liver cancer treatment. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1446085. [PMID: 39391253 PMCID: PMC11464341 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1446085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 10/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The liver plays a crucrial role in detoxification, metabolism, and nutrient storage. Because liver cancer ranks among the top three leading causes of death globally, there is an urgent need for developing treatment strategies for liver cancer. Although traditional approaches such as radiation, chemotherapy, surgical removal, and transplantation are widely practiced, the number of patients with liver cancer continues to increase rapidly each year. Some novel therapeutics for liver cancer have been studied for many years. In the past decade, oncolytic therapy has emerged, in which viruses selectively infect and destroy cancer cells while sparing normal cells. However, oncolytic virotherapy for liver cancer remains relatively obscure due to the aggressive nature of the disease and the limited effectiveness of treatment. To keep pace with the latest developments in oncolytic tumor therapy for liver cancer, this review summarizes basic science studies and clinical trials conducted within 5 years, focusing on the efficacy and safety profiles of the five most commonly used oncolytic viruses: herpes simplex virus, adenovirus, influenza virus, vaccinia virus, and coxsackievirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesi Hua
- School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Siyu Xuan
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yangyang Tang
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Shilin You
- Department of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Innovation Practice Center, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Shang Zhao
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Ye Qiu
- Department of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Innovation Practice Center, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Yinqing Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Innovation Practice Center, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Yongqing Li
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanping Su
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Peng Qu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Innovation Practice Center, Changchun, Jilin, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University of Technology Fuyang Yinhu Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Fekrirad Z, Gharedaghi M, Saadatpour F, Molabashi ZA, Rezayof A, Korourian A, Soleimani M, Arefian E. Combination of microRNA and suicide gene for targeting Glioblastoma: Inducing apoptosis and significantly suppressing tumor growth in vivo. Heliyon 2024; 10:e37041. [PMID: 39286083 PMCID: PMC11403485 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM), a grade IV brain tumor, presents a severe challenge in treatment and eradication due to its high genetic variability and the existence of stem-like cells with self-renewal potential. Conventional therapies fall short of preventing recurrence and fail to extend the median survival of patients significantly. However, the emergence of gene therapy, which has recently obtained significant clinical outcomes, brings hope. It has the potential to be a suitable strategy for the treatment of GBM. Notably, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been noticed as critical players in the development and progress of GBM. The combined usage of hsa-miR-34a and Cytosine Deaminase (CD) suicide gene and 5-fluorocytosine (5FC) prodrug caused cytotoxicity against U87MG Glioma cells in vitro. The apoptosis and cell cycle arrest rates were measured by flow cytometry. The lentiviral vector generated overexpression of CD/miR-34a in the presence of 5FC significantly promoted apoptosis and caused cell cycle arrest in U87MG cells. The expression level of the BCL2, SOX2, and P53 genes, target genes of hsa-miR-34a, was examined by quantitative real-time PCR. The treatment led to a substantial downregulation of Bcl2 and SOX2 genes while elevating the expression levels of Caspase7 and P53 genes compared to the scrambled control. The hsa-miR-34a hindered the proliferation of GBM cancer cells and elevated apoptosis through the P53-miR-34a-Bcl2 axis. The CD suicide gene with 5FC treatment demonstrated similar results to miR-34a in the apoptosis, cell cycle, and real-time assays. The combination of CD and miR-34a produced a synergistic effect. In vivo, anti-GBM efficacy evaluation in rats bearing intracranial C6 Glioma cells revealed a remarkable induction of apoptosis and a significant inhibition of tumor growth compared with the scrambled control. The simultaneous use of CD/miR-34a with 5FC almost entirely suppressed tumor growth in rat models. The combined application of hsa-miR-34a and CD suicide gene against GBM tumors led to significant induction of apoptosis in U87MG cells and a considerable reduction in tumor growth in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Fekrirad
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Milad Gharedaghi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Saadatpour
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Asghari Molabashi
- Department of Plant Molecular Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ameneh Rezayof
- Neuroscience Lab, Department of Animal Biology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Korourian
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Soleimani
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Arefian
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Stem Cells Technology and Tissue Regeneration, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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Gurrola TE, Effah SN, Sariyer IK, Dampier W, Nonnemacher MR, Wigdahl B. Delivering CRISPR to the HIV-1 reservoirs. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1393974. [PMID: 38812680 PMCID: PMC11133543 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1393974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is well known as one of the most complex and difficult viral infections to cure. The difficulty in developing curative strategies arises in large part from the development of latent viral reservoirs (LVRs) within anatomical and cellular compartments of a host. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/ CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system shows remarkable potential for the inactivation and/or elimination of integrated proviral DNA within host cells, however, delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to infected cells is still a challenge. In this review, the main factors impacting delivery, the challenges for delivery to each of the LVRs, and the current successes for delivery to each reservoir will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore E. Gurrola
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Samuel N. Effah
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ilker K. Sariyer
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Inflammation and Center for Neurovirology and Gene Editing, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Will Dampier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Michael R. Nonnemacher
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Brian Wigdahl
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Davis A, Morris KV, Shevchenko G. Hypoxia-directed tumor targeting of CRISPR-Cas9 and HSV-TK suicide gene therapy using lipid nanoparticles. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2022; 25:158-169. [PMID: 35402634 PMCID: PMC8971340 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2022.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia is a characteristic feature of solid tumors that contributes to tumor aggressiveness and is associated with resistance to cancer therapy. The hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) transcription factor complex mediates hypoxia-specific gene expression by binding to hypoxia-responsive element (HRE) sequences within the promoter of target genes. HRE-driven expression of therapeutic cargo has been widely explored as a strategy to achieve cancer-specific gene expression. By utilizing this system, we achieve hypoxia-specific expression of two therapeutically relevant cargo elements: the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) suicide gene and the CRISPR-Cas9 nuclease. Using an expression vector containing five copies of the HRE derived from the vascular endothelial growth factor gene, we are able to show high transgene expression in cells in a hypoxic environment, similar to levels achieved using the cytomegalovirus (CMV) and CBh promoters. Furthermore, we are able to deliver our therapeutic cargo to tumor cells with high efficiency using plasmid-packaged lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to achieve specific killing of tumor cells in hypoxic conditions while maintaining tight regulation with no significant changes to cell viability in normoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Davis
- Center for Gene Therapy, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Kevin V. Morris
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, School of Pharmacy and Medical Science Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Galina Shevchenko
- Center for Gene Therapy, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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Wang J, Hao R, Jiang T, Guo X, Zhou F, Cao L, Gao F, Wang G, Wang J, Ning K, Zhong C, Chen X, Huang Y, Xu J, Gao S. Rebuilding hippocampus neural circuit with hADSC-derived neuron cells for treating ischemic stroke. Cell Biosci 2022; 12:40. [PMID: 35379347 PMCID: PMC8981707 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00774-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) have been demonstrated to be a promising autologous stem cell source for treating various neuronal diseases. Our study indicated that hADSCs could be induced into neuron-like cells in a stepwise manner that are characterized by the positive expression of MAP2, SYNAPSIN 1/2, NF-200, and vGLUT and electrophysiological activity. We first primed hADSCs into neuron-like cells (hADSC-NCs) and then intracerebrally transplanted them into MCAO reperfusion mice to further explore their in vivo survival, migration, integration, fate commitment and involvement in neural circuit rebuilding. Results The hADSC-NCs survived well and transformed into MAP2-positive, Iba1- or GFAP-negative cells in vivo while maintaining some proliferative ability, indicated by positive Ki67 staining after 4 weeks. hADSC-NCs could migrate to multiple brain regions, including the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and hypothalamus, and further differentiate into mature neurons, as confirmed by action potential elicitation and postsynaptic currents. With the aid of a cell suicide system, hADSC-NCs were proven to have functionally integrated into the hippocampal memory circuit, where they contributed to spatial learning and memory rescue, as indicated by LTP improvement and subsequent GCV-induced relapse. In addition to infarction size shrinkage and movement improvement, MCAO-reperfused mice showed bidirectional immune modulation, including inhibition of the local proinflammatory factors IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, MIP-1β and promotion proinflammatory IP-10, MCP-1, and enhancement of the anti-inflammatory factors IL-15. Conclusion Overall, hADSC-NCs used as an intermediate autologous cell source for treating stroke can rebuild hippocampus neuronal circuits through cell replacement. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13578-022-00774-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
| | - Rui Hao
- Center of Translational Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.,Department of Anesthesia, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai,, 200032,, China
| | - Tianfang Jiang
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Eighth People's Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Xuanxuan Guo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
| | - Fei Zhou
- Department of Neurology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Navy Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Limei Cao
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Eighth People's Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Fengjuan Gao
- Zhoupu Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, China
| | - Guangming Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Biotechnology and Molecular, Binzhou Medical College, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke Ning
- Department of Neuroscience, Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), University of Sheffield, 385A Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2HQ, UK
| | - Chunlong Zhong
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Eighth People's Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Shanghai, 200233, China.
| | - Ying Huang
- Center of Translational Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Jun Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
| | - Shane Gao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
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Ghaemi S, Fekrirad Z, Zamani N, Rahmani R, Arefian E. Non-coding RNAs Enhance the Apoptosis Efficacy of Therapeutic Agents Used for the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiform. J Drug Target 2022; 30:589-602. [DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2022.2047191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shokoofeh Ghaemi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Fekrirad
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nina Zamani
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rana Rahmani
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Arefian
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Pediatric Cell Therapy Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Papasavva PL, Patsali P, Loucari CC, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, Kleanthous M, Lederer CW. CRISPR Editing Enables Consequential Tag-Activated MicroRNA-Mediated Endogene Deactivation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:1082. [PMID: 35163006 PMCID: PMC8834719 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular therapies and functional studies greatly benefit from spatial and temporal precision of genetic intervention. We therefore conceived and explored tag-activated microRNA (miRNA)-mediated endogene deactivation (TAMED) as a research tool and potential lineage-specific therapy. For proof of principle, we aimed to deactivate γ-globin repressor BCL11A in erythroid cells by tagging the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of BCL11A with miRNA recognition sites (MRSs) for the abundant erythromiR miR-451a. To this end, we employed nucleofection of CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles alongside double- or single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides for, respectively, non-homologous-end-joining (NHEJ)- or homology-directed-repair (HDR)-mediated MRS insertion. NHEJ-based tagging was imprecise and inefficient (≤6%) and uniformly produced knock-in- and indel-containing MRS tags, whereas HDR-based tagging was more efficient (≤18%), but toxic for longer donors encoding concatenated and thus potentially more efficient MRS tags. Isolation of clones for robust HEK293T cells tagged with a homozygous quadruple MRS resulted in 25% spontaneous reduction in BCL11A and up to 36% reduction after transfection with an miR-451a mimic. Isolation of clones for human umbilical cord blood-derived erythroid progenitor-2 (HUDEP-2) cells tagged with single or double MRS allowed detection of albeit weak γ-globin induction. Our study demonstrates suitability of TAMED for physiologically relevant modulation of gene expression and its unsuitability for therapeutic application in its current form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayiota L. Papasavva
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Petros Patsali
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Constantinos C. Loucari
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Research and Development Department, Central Blood Institute, Blood Service Headquarters, Japanese Red Cross Society, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8521, Japan;
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba 305-0074, Japan;
| | - Marina Kleanthous
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Carsten W. Lederer
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
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Mahmoud AB, Ajina R, Aref S, Darwish M, Alsayb M, Taher M, AlSharif SA, Hashem AM, Alkayyal AA. Advances in immunotherapy for glioblastoma multiforme. Front Immunol 2022; 13:944452. [PMID: 36311781 PMCID: PMC9597698 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.944452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor of the central nervous system and has a very poor prognosis. The current standard of care for patients with GBM involves surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, conventional therapies have not resulted in significant improvements in the survival outcomes of patients with GBM; therefore, the overall mortality rate remains high. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system to fight cancer and has shown success in different types of aggressive cancers. Recently, healthcare providers have been actively investigating various immunotherapeutic approaches to treat GBM. We reviewed the most promising immunotherapy candidates for glioblastoma that have achieved encouraging results in clinical trials, focusing on immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses, nonreplicating viral vectors, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud
- College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
- Strategic Research and Innovation Laboratories, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, King Saud University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- *Correspondence: Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud, ; Almohanad A. Alkayyal,
| | - Reham Ajina
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, King Saud University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarah Aref
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, King Saud University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manar Darwish
- Strategic Research and Innovation Laboratories, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - May Alsayb
- College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mustafa Taher
- College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
- Strategic Research and Innovation Laboratories, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shaker A. AlSharif
- King Fahad Hospital, Ministry of Health, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Anwar M. Hashem
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center; King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Almohanad A. Alkayyal
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
- Immunology Research Program, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- *Correspondence: Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud, ; Almohanad A. Alkayyal,
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Kwong GA, Ghosh S, Gamboa L, Patriotis C, Srivastava S, Bhatia SN. Synthetic biomarkers: a twenty-first century path to early cancer detection. Nat Rev Cancer 2021; 21:655-668. [PMID: 34489588 PMCID: PMC8791024 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-021-00389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Detection of cancer at an early stage when it is still localized improves patient response to medical interventions for most cancer types. The success of screening tools such as cervical cytology to reduce mortality has spurred significant interest in new methods for early detection (for example, using non-invasive blood-based or biofluid-based biomarkers). Yet biomarkers shed from early lesions are limited by fundamental biological and mass transport barriers - such as short circulation times and blood dilution - that limit early detection. To address this issue, synthetic biomarkers are being developed. These represent an emerging class of diagnostics that deploy bioengineered sensors inside the body to query early-stage tumours and amplify disease signals to levels that could potentially exceed those of shed biomarkers. These strategies leverage design principles and advances from chemistry, synthetic biology and cell engineering. In this Review, we discuss the rationale for development of biofluid-based synthetic biomarkers. We examine how these strategies harness dysregulated features of tumours to amplify detection signals, use tumour-selective activation to increase specificity and leverage natural processing of bodily fluids (for example, blood, urine and proximal fluids) for easy detection. Finally, we highlight the challenges that exist for preclinical development and clinical translation of synthetic biomarker diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel A Kwong
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- The Georgia Immunoengineering Consortium, Emory University and Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Sharmistha Ghosh
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Lena Gamboa
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christos Patriotis
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sudhir Srivastava
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Sangeeta N Bhatia
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
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Kwak JS, Kim KH. Generation of Self-Inhibitory Recombinant Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) by Insertion of Viral P Gene-Targeting Artificial MicroRNA into Viral Genome and Effect of Dicer Gene Knockout on the Recombinant VHSV Replication. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 23:546-559. [PMID: 34268626 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-021-10045-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
To produce artificial microRNA (amiR)-mediated self-inhibitory viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), we inserted VHSV P gene-targeting amiR sequence (amiR-P) or control amiR sequence (amiR-C) between N and P genes of VHSV genome, and rescued recombinant VHSVs (rVHSV-A-amiR-P and rVHSV-A-amiR-C) using reverse genetic technology. The growth of rVHSV-A-amiR-P was significantly retarded compared to the control virus, rVHSV-A-amiR-C, due to the production of self P gene transcript-attacking microRNAs in infected cells. To enhance the replication of rVHSV-A-amiR-P, we generated the Dicer gene-knockout epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC-ΔDicer) cells using a CRISPR/Cas9 system, and evaluated the effect of Dicer knockout on the titer of rVHSV-A-amiR-P. The replication of rVHSV-A-amiR-C in EPC-ΔDicer cells was not different from that in control EPC cells, while the copy number of rVHSV-A-amiR-P was increasingly risen up in EPC-ΔDicer cells compared to that in control EPC cells, and the final viral titer of rVHSV-A-amiR-P was enhanced by culture in EPC-ΔDicer cells. These results indicate that VHSV can be attenuated by the equipment of self-mRNA-targeting microRNA sequence in the genome, and the titer of artificial miRNA-expressing attenuated recombinant VHSVs can be enhanced by the knockout of Dicer gene in EPC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Soung Kwak
- Department of Aquatic Life Medicine, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, South Korea
| | - Ki Hong Kim
- Department of Aquatic Life Medicine, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, South Korea.
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11
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Montaño-Samaniego M, Bravo-Estupiñan DM, Méndez-Guerrero O, Alarcón-Hernández E, Ibáñez-Hernández M. Strategies for Targeting Gene Therapy in Cancer Cells With Tumor-Specific Promoters. Front Oncol 2020; 10:605380. [PMID: 33381459 PMCID: PMC7768042 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.605380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is the second cause of death worldwide, surpassed only by cardiovascular diseases, due to the lack of early diagnosis, and high relapse rate after conventional therapies. Chemotherapy inhibits the rapid growth of cancer cells, but it also affects normal cells with fast proliferation rate. Therefore, it is imperative to develop other safe and more effective treatment strategies, such as gene therapy, in order to significantly improve the survival rate and life expectancy of patients with cancer. The aim of gene therapy is to transfect a therapeutic gene into the host cells to express itself and cause a beneficial biological effect. However, the efficacy of the proposed strategies has been insufficient for delivering the full potential of gene therapy in the clinic. The type of delivery vehicle (viral or non viral) chosen depends on the desired specificity of the gene therapy. The first gene therapy trials were performed with therapeutic genes driven by viral promoters such as the CMV promoter, which induces non-specific toxicity in normal cells and tissues, in addition to cancer cells. The use of tumor-specific promoters over-expressed in the tumor, induces specific expression of therapeutic genes in a given tumor, increasing their localized activity. Several cancer- and/or tumor-specific promoters systems have been developed to target cancer cells. This review aims to provide up-to-date information concerning targeting gene therapy with cancer- and/or tumor-specific promoters including cancer suppressor genes, suicide genes, anti-tumor angiogenesis, gene silencing, and gene-editing technology, as well as the type of delivery vehicle employed. Gene therapy can be used to complement traditional therapies to provide more effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariela Montaño-Samaniego
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Diana M. Bravo-Estupiñan
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Oscar Méndez-Guerrero
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ernesto Alarcón-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Genética Molecular, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Miguel Ibáñez-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
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12
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Houri H, Ghalavand Z, Faghihloo E, Fallah F, Mohammadi-Yeganeh S. Exploiting yoeB-yefM toxin-antitoxin system of Streptococcus pneumoniae on the selective killing of miR-21 overexpressing breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). J Cell Physiol 2019; 235:2925-2936. [PMID: 31541457 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are two-component genetic modules widespread in bacterial and archaeal genomes, in which the toxin module is rendered inactive under resting conditions by its antitoxin counterpart. Under stress conditions, however, the antitoxin is degraded, freeing the toxin to exert its lethal effects. Although not evolved to function in eukaryotes, some studies have established the lethal activity of these bacterial toxins by inducing apoptosis in mammalian cells, an effect that can be neutralized by its cognate antitoxin. Inspired by the way the toxin can become active in eukaryotes cells, we produced an engrained yoeB-yefM TA system to selectively kill human breast cancer cells expressing a high level of miR-21. Accordingly, we generated an engineered yefM antitoxin gene with eight miR-21 target sites placed in its 3'untranslated region. The resulting TA system acts autonomously in human cells, distinguishing those that overexpress miR-21, killed by YoeB, from those that do not, remaining protected by YefM. Thus, we indicated that microRNA-control of the antitoxin protein of bacterial TA systems constitutes a novel strategy to enhance the selective killing of human cancer cells by the toxin module. The present study provides significant insights for developing novel anticancer strategies avoiding off-target effects, a challenge that has been pursued by many investigators over the years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Houri
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zohreh Ghalavand
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ebrahim Faghihloo
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Fallah
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samira Mohammadi-Yeganeh
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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13
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Manikandan C, Kaushik A, Sen D. Viral vector: potential therapeutic for glioblastoma multiforme. Cancer Gene Ther 2019; 27:270-279. [PMID: 31316136 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-019-0124-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme is a highly malignant primary brain tumour found in adults and is highlighted as the most devastating among all the other grades of glioma. Well-established standard treatment methods, such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, have resulted in modest improvement in the survival of patients. Hence, the arduous search for novel treatments backed by advancements in molecular biology still persists. Glioblastoma has many distinctive characteristics, which makes it a potential candidate for gene therapy. Gene therapy involves the delivery of genetic material of therapeutic use into tumour cells, which produces a specific antitumour response. Moreover, viruses stimulate a vigorous cytotoxic effect, they are easily modifiable and the inherent property of horizontal transfer of genetic material makes them valuable tools for genetic engineering. In this review, we have enlisted the various viral vectors employed in gene therapy for glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ceera Manikandan
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Laboratory, Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India
| | - Akshita Kaushik
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Laboratory, Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India
| | - Dwaipayan Sen
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Laboratory, Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India.
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14
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Spatial control of in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing via nanomagnets. Nat Biomed Eng 2018; 3:126-136. [PMID: 30944431 PMCID: PMC6450418 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-018-0318-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The potential of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9)-based therapeutic genome editing is hampered by difficulties in the control of the in vivo activity of CRISPR-Cas9. To minimize any genotoxicity, precise activation of CRISPR-Cas9 in the target tissue is desirable. Here, we show that, by complexing magnetic nanoparticles with recombinant baculoviral vectors (MNP-BVs), CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing can be activated locally in vivo via a magnetic field. The baculoviral vector was chosen for in vivo gene delivery because of its large loading capacity and ability to locally overcome systemic inactivation by the complement system. We demonstrate that a locally applied magnetic field can enhance the cellular entry of MNP-BVs, thereby avoiding baculoviral vector inactivation and causing a transient transgene expression in the target tissue. Because baculoviral vectors are inactivated elsewhere, gene delivery and in vivo genome editing via MNP-BVs are tissue specific.
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15
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Lin MW, Tseng YW, Shen CC, Hsu MN, Hwu JR, Chang CW, Yeh CJ, Chou MY, Wu JC, Hu YC. Synthetic switch-based baculovirus for transgene expression control and selective killing of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:e93. [PMID: 29905834 PMCID: PMC6125686 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Baculovirus (BV) holds promise as a vector for anticancer gene delivery to combat the most common liver cancer-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, in vivo BV administration inevitably results in BV entry into non-HCC normal cells, leaky anticancer gene expression and possible toxicity. To improve the safety, we employed synthetic biology to engineer BV for transgene expression regulation. We first uncovered that miR-196a and miR-126 are exclusively expressed in HCC and normal cells, respectively, which allowed us to engineer a sensor based on distinct miRNA expression signature. We next assembled a synthetic switch by coupling the miRNA sensor and RNA binding protein L7Ae for translational repression, and incorporated the entire device into a single BV. The recombinant BV efficiently entered HCC and normal cells and enabled cis-acting transgene expression control, by turning OFF transgene expression in normal cells while switching ON transgene expression in HCC cells. Using pro-apoptotic hBax as the transgene, the switch-based BV selectively killed HCC cells in separate culture and mixed culture of HCC and normal cells. These data demonstrate the potential of synthetic switch-based BV to distinguish HCC and non-HCC normal cells for selective transgene expression control and killing of HCC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei-Wei Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Wen Tseng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Che Shen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Mu-Nung Hsu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Jih-Ru Hwu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Wei Chang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Ju Yeh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Min-Yuan Chou
- Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Jaw-Ching Wu
- Medical Research Department, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei Taiwan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Hu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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16
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Dhungel B, Ramlogan-Steel CA, Steel JC. MicroRNA-Regulated Gene Delivery Systems for Research and Therapeutic Purposes. Molecules 2018; 23:E1500. [PMID: 29933586 PMCID: PMC6099389 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23071500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted gene delivery relies on the ability to limit the expression of a transgene within a defined cell/tissue population. MicroRNAs represent a class of highly powerful and effective regulators of gene expression that act by binding to a specific sequence present in the corresponding messenger RNA. Involved in almost every aspect of cellular function, many miRNAs have been discovered with expression patterns specific to developmental stage, lineage, cell-type, or disease stage. Exploiting the binding sites of these miRNAs allows for construction of targeted gene delivery platforms with a diverse range of applications. Here, we summarize studies that have utilized miRNA-regulated systems to achieve targeted gene delivery for both research and therapeutic purposes. Additionally, we identify criteria that are important for the effectiveness of a particular miRNA for such applications and we also discuss factors that have to be taken into consideration when designing miRNA-regulated expression cassettes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijay Dhungel
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, 102 Newdegate Street, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia.
- University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Charmaine A Ramlogan-Steel
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia.
- Layton Vision Foundation, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Jason C Steel
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia.
- OcuGene, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
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17
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miRNA122a regulation of gene therapy vectors targeting hepatocellular cancer stem cells. Oncotarget 2018; 9:23577-23588. [PMID: 29805757 PMCID: PMC5955118 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we report a miRNA122a based targeted gene therapy for hepatocellular cancer stem cells (CSCs). First, we assessed the levels of miRNA122a in normal human hepatocytes, a panel of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines and hepatocellular CSCs observing its significant downregulation in HCC and CSCs. The miRNA122a binding site was then incorporated at the 3'-UTR of reporter genes gaussia luciferase (GLuc) and eGFP which resulted in significant hepatocyte detargeting. Using this strategy for the delivery of gene directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) utilizing the cytosine deaminase/5-fluorocytosine (CD/5-FC) system, we showed significant killing in cells with low or no miRNA122a while those cells, such as hepatocytes with high miRNA122a were largely spared. Next, we showed that CSC enriched tumorspheres exhibit a significant downregulation of miRNA122a expression providing a rational to exploit its binding site for targeted gene delivery. Using plasmids harboring reporters GLuc and eGFP with or without miR122a binding sites, we showed high reporter expression in the CSCs and little reported expression in the non-enriched cultures. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of miRNA122a based post-transcriptionally targeted GDEPT for hepatocellular CSCs.
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18
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Abstract
Self-assembled nucleic acids perform biological, chemical, and mechanical work at the nanoscale. DNA-based molecular machines have been designed here to perform work by reacting with cancer-specific miRNA mimics and then regulating gene expression in vitro by tuning RNA polymerase activity. Because RNA production is topologically restrained, the machines demonstrate chromatin analogous gene expression (CAGE). With modular and tunable design features, CAGE has potential for molecular biology, synthetic biology, and personalized medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William L. Hughes
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering
- College of Innovation + Design, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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19
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Kandul N, Guo M, Hay BA. A positive readout single transcript reporter for site-specific mRNA cleavage. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3602. [PMID: 28740759 PMCID: PMC5522606 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cleavage of mRNA molecules causes their rapid degradation, thereby playing an important role in regulation of gene expression and host genome defense from viruses and transposons in bacterial and eukaryotic cells. Current negative-readout, and repressor-based positive-readout reporters of mRNA degradation have limitations. Here we report the development of a single transcript that acts as a positive reporter of mRNA cleavage. We show that placement of bacterial CopT and CopA hairpins into the 5' UTR and 3' UTR of an mRNA results in inhibition of translation of the intervening coding sequence in Drosophila. An internal poly(A) tract inserted downstream of the coding sequence stabilizes transcripts cut within the 3' UTR. When these components are combined in a transcript in which targets sites for RNA cleavage are placed between the poly(A) tract and CopA, cleavage results in translational activation, providing a single transcript-based method of sensing mRNA cleavage with a positive readout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Kandul
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
| | - Ming Guo
- Departments of Neurology and Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Bruce A Hay
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
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20
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GuhaSarkar D, Neiswender J, Su Q, Gao G, Sena-Esteves M. Intracranial AAV-IFN-β gene therapy eliminates invasive xenograft glioblastoma and improves survival in orthotopic syngeneic murine model. Mol Oncol 2017; 11:180-193. [PMID: 28098415 PMCID: PMC5288127 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The highly invasive property of glioblastoma (GBM) cells and genetic heterogeneity are largely responsible for tumor recurrence after the current standard‐of‐care treatment and thus a direct cause of death. Previously, we have shown that intracranial interferon‐beta (IFN‐β) gene therapy by locally administered adeno‐associated viral vectors (AAV) successfully treats noninvasive orthotopic glioblastoma models. Here, we extend these findings by testing this approach in invasive human GBM xenograft and syngeneic mouse models. First, we show that a single intracranial injection of AAV encoding human IFN‐β eliminates invasive human GBM8 tumors and promotes long‐term survival. Next, we screened five AAV‐IFN‐β vectors with different promoters to drive safe expression of mouse IFN‐β in the brain in the context of syngeneic GL261 tumors. Two AAV‐IFN‐β vectors were excluded due to safety concerns, but therapeutic studies with the other three vectors showed extensive tumor cell death, activation of microglia surrounding the tumors, and a 56% increase in median survival of the animals treated with AAV/P2‐Int‐mIFN‐β vector. We also assessed the therapeutic effect of combining AAV‐IFN‐β therapy with temozolomide (TMZ). As TMZ affects DNA replication, an event that is crucial for second‐strand DNA synthesis of single‐stranded AAV vectors before active transcription, we tested two TMZ treatment regimens. Treatment with TMZ prior to AAV‐IFN‐β abrogated any benefit from the latter, while the reverse order of treatment doubled the median survival compared to controls. These studies demonstrate the therapeutic potential of intracranial AAV‐IFN‐β therapy in a highly migratory GBM model as well as in a syngeneic mouse model and that combination with TMZ is likely to enhance its antitumor potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dwijit GuhaSarkar
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - James Neiswender
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Qin Su
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Guangping Gao
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Miguel Sena-Esteves
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
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21
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Balasundaram G, Kwang TW, Wang S. cDNA microarray assays to evaluate immune responses following intracranial injection of baculoviral vectors in non-human primates. J Neurochem 2016; 140:320-333. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ghayathri Balasundaram
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences; National University of Singapore; Singapore
| | | | - Shu Wang
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences; National University of Singapore; Singapore
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22
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Geekiyanage H, Galanis E. MiR-31 and miR-128 regulates poliovirus receptor-related 4 mediated measles virus infectivity in tumors. Mol Oncol 2016; 10:1387-1403. [PMID: 27507538 PMCID: PMC5100694 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2016.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic measles virus strains are currently being evaluated in several clinical trials, as a promising novel oncolytic platform. Poliovirus receptor-related 4 (PVRL4) was recently identified as a potent measles virus (MV) receptor; however, its regulation is not yet understood. Increased levels of PVRL4 protein were observed in cell membrane, cytoplasm and nuclei of glioblastoma, breast and ovarian tumor clinical samples with no significant change in PVRL4 mRNA levels in glioblastoma and breast cancer compared with their corresponding control samples, suggesting that PVRL4 is likely post-transcriptionally regulated. Therefore, we sought to investigate the potential role of miRNAs in PVRL4 regulation and thus MV infectivity. We demonstrated that miR-31 and miR-128 can bind to the 3'UTR of PVRL4 and decrease PVRL4 levels while anti-miR-31/128 increase PVRL4 levels suggesting that PVRL4 is miRNA targeted. Furthermore, miR-31/128 expression levels were down-regulated in glioblastoma and breast tumor samples and showed significant negative correlations with PVRL4 levels. Infection with an MV strain that exclusively utilizes PVRL4 as its receptor showed that over-expression of miR-31/128 decreases MV infectivity while inhibition of the respective miRNAs via anti-miRs increase MV infectivity and reduce tumor size in mouse xenograft models of glioblastoma, breast and ovarian cancer. Additionally, miR-128 levels showed significant correlations with MV infection and in vivo anti-tumor effect, while MV infection increased miR-31 expression and thereby contributed to the observed decrease in PVRL4 levels. This study suggests that PVRL4 is post-transcriptionally regulated by miR-128 and miR-31 and harbors possible miRNA targets that could modulate MV infectivity and in turn enhance MV based oncolytic therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirosha Geekiyanage
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.
| | - Evanthia Galanis
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.
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23
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Geng F, Wu JL, Lu GF, Liang ZP, Duan ZL, Gu X. MicroRNA-132 targets PEA-15 and suppresses the progression of astrocytoma in vitro. J Neurooncol 2016; 129:211-20. [DOI: 10.1007/s11060-016-2173-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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24
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Geisler A, Fechner H. MicroRNA-regulated viral vectors for gene therapy. World J Exp Med 2016; 6:37-54. [PMID: 27226955 PMCID: PMC4873559 DOI: 10.5493/wjem.v6.i2.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Revised: 03/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Safe and effective gene therapy approaches require targeted tissue-specific transfer of a therapeutic transgene. Besides traditional approaches, such as transcriptional and transductional targeting, microRNA-dependent post-transcriptional suppression of transgene expression has been emerging as powerful new technology to increase the specificity of vector-mediated transgene expression. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs and often expressed in a tissue-, lineage-, activation- or differentiation-specific pattern. They typically regulate gene expression by binding to imperfectly complementary sequences in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the mRNA. To control exogenous transgene expression, tandem repeats of artificial microRNA target sites are usually incorporated into the 3' UTR of the transgene expression cassette, leading to subsequent degradation of transgene mRNA in cells expressing the corresponding microRNA. This targeting strategy, first shown for lentiviral vectors in antigen presenting cells, has now been used for tissue-specific expression of vector-encoded therapeutic transgenes, to reduce immune response against the transgene, to control virus tropism for oncolytic virotherapy, to increase safety of live attenuated virus vaccines and to identify and select cell subsets for pluripotent stem cell therapies, respectively. This review provides an introduction into the technical mechanism underlying microRNA-regulation, highlights new developments in this field and gives an overview of applications of microRNA-regulated viral vectors for cardiac, suicide gene cancer and hematopoietic stem cell therapy, as well as for treatment of neurological and eye diseases.
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Yu Y, Yao Y, Yan H, Wang R, Zhang Z, Sun X, Zhao L, Ao X, Xie Z, Wu Q. A Tumor-specific MicroRNA Recognition System Facilitates the Accurate Targeting to Tumor Cells by Magnetic Nanoparticles. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 5:e318. [PMID: 27138178 PMCID: PMC5014513 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2016.28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Targeted therapy for cancer is a research area of great interest, and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) show great potential as targeted carriers for therapeutics. One important class of cancer biomarkers is microRNAs (miRNAs), which play a significant role in tumor initiation and progression. In this study, a cascade recognition system containing multiple plasmids, including a Tet activator, a lacI repressor gene driven by the TetOn promoter, and a reporter gene repressed by the lacI repressor and influenced by multiple endogenous miRNAs, was used to recognize cells that display miRNA signals that are characteristic of cancer. For this purpose, three types of signal miRNAs with high proliferation and metastasis abilities were chosen (miR-21, miR-145, and miR-9). The response of this system to the human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line was 3.2-fold higher than that to the human breast epithelial HBL100 cell line and almost 7.5-fold higher than that to human embryonic kidney HEK293T cells. In combination with polyethyleneimine-modified MNPs, this recognition system targeted the tumor location in situ in an animal model, and an ~42% repression of tumor growth was achieved. Our study provides a new combination of magnetic nanocarrier and gene therapy based on miRNAs that are active in vivo, which has potential for use in future cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingting Yu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Yao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Yan
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education of China, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenming Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaodan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education of China, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingyun Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education of China, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Ao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen Xie
- Bioinformatics Division/Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, Tsinghua National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiong Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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Kwang TW, Zeng X, Wang S. Manufacturing of AcMNPV baculovirus vectors to enable gene therapy trials. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2016; 3:15050. [PMID: 26858963 PMCID: PMC4729316 DOI: 10.1038/mtm.2015.50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, baculoviruses have become workhorse research tools for transient transgene expression. Although they have not yet been used directly as a gene therapy vector in the clinical setting, numerous preclinical studies have suggested the highly promising potential of baculovirus as a delivery vector for a variety of therapeutic applications including vaccination, tissue engineering, and cancer treatment. As such, there is growing interest in using baculoviruses as human gene therapy vectors, which has led to advances in baculovirus bioprocessing methods. This review provides an overview of the current approaches for scaled-up amplification, concentration, purification, and formulation of AcMNPV baculoviruses, and highlights the key regulatory requirements that must be met before gene therapy clinical trials can be initiated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shu Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION This review presents recent developments in the use of nonviral vectors and transfer technologies in cancer gene therapy. Tremendous progress has been made in developing cancer gene therapy in ways that could be applicable to treatments. Numerous efforts are focused on methods of attacking known and novel targets more efficiently and specifically. In parallel to progress in nonviral vector design and delivery technologies, important achievements have been accomplished for suicide, gene replacement, gene suppression and immunostimulatory therapies. New nonviral cancer gene therapies have been developed based on emerging RNAi (si/shRNA-, miRNA) or ODN. AREAS COVERED This review provides an overview of recent gene therapeutic strategies in which nonviral vectors have been used experimentally and in clinical trials. Furthermore, we present current developments in nonviral vector systems in association with important chemical and physical gene delivery technologies and their potential for the future. EXPERT OPINION Nonviral gene therapy has maintained its position as an approach for treating cancer. This is reflected by the fact that more than 17% of all gene therapy trials employ nonviral approaches. Thus, nonviral vectors have emerged as a clinical alternative to viral vectors for the appropriate expression and delivery of therapeutic genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pahle
- a Experimental and Clinical Research Center , Charité University Medicine Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Moelcular Medicine , Berlin , Germany
| | - Wolfgang Walther
- a Experimental and Clinical Research Center , Charité University Medicine Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Moelcular Medicine , Berlin , Germany
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Sayeg MK, Weinberg BH, Cha SS, Goodloe M, Wong WW, Han X. Rationally Designed MicroRNA-Based Genetic Classifiers Target Specific Neurons in the Brain. ACS Synth Biol 2015; 4:788-795. [PMID: 25848814 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Targeting transgene expression to specific cell types in vivo has proven instrumental in characterizing the functional role of defined cell populations. Genetic classifiers, synthetic transgene constructs designed to restrict expression to particular classes of cells, commonly rely on transcriptional promoters to define cellular specificity. However, the large size of many natural promoters complicates their use in viral vectors, an important mode of transgene delivery in the brain and in human gene therapy. Here, we expanded upon an emerging classifier platform, orthogonal to promoter-based strategies, that exploits endogenous microRNA regulation to target gene expression. Such classifiers have been extensively explored in other tissues; however, their use in the nervous system has thus far been limited to targeting gene expression between neurons and supporting cells. Here, we tested the possibility of using combinatory microRNA regulation to specify gene targeting between neuronal subtypes, and successfully targeted inhibitory cells in the neocortex. These classifiers demonstrate the feasibility of designing a new generation of microRNA-based neuron-type- and brain-region-specific gene expression targeting neurotechnologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna K. Sayeg
- Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Benjamin H. Weinberg
- Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Susie S. Cha
- Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Michael Goodloe
- Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Wilson W. Wong
- Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Xue Han
- Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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Wang Z, Yuan W, Montana G. Sparse multi-view matrix factorization: a multivariate approach to multiple tissue comparisons. Bioinformatics 2015; 31:3163-71. [DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btv344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
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Rasekhian M, Teimoori-Toolabi L, Amini S, Azadmanesh K. An Enterovirus-Like RNA Construct for Colon Cancer Suicide Gene Therapy. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2015; 19:124-32. [PMID: 26025964 PMCID: PMC4571007 DOI: 10.7508/ibj.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background: In gene therapy, the use of RNA molecules as therapeutic agents has shown advantages over plasmid DNA, including higher levels of safety. However, transient nature of RNA has been a major obstacle in application of RNA in gene therapy. Methods: Here, we used the internal ribosomal entry site of encephalomyocarditis virus and the 3’ non-translated region of Poliovirus to design an enterovirus-like RNA for the expression of a reporter gene (enhanced green fluorescent protein) and a suicide gene (thymidine kinase of herpes simplex virus). The expression of these genes was evaluated by flow cytometry and cytotoxicity assay in human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (SW480). We then armed RNA molecules with a target sequence for hsa-miR-143 to regulate their expression by microRNA (miRNA) mimics. Results: The results showed effective expression of both genes by Entrovirus-like RNA constructs. The data also showed that the restoration of hsa-miR-143 expression in SW480 leads to a significant translation repression of the introduced reporter and suicide genes. Conclusion: Collectively, our data suggest the potential use of Entrovirus-like RNA molecules in suicide gene therapy. Additionally, as a consequence of the possible downregulated miRNA expression in cancerous tissues, a decreased expression of gene therapy constructs armed with target sequences for such miRNA in cancer tissue is expected.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Safieh Amini
- Dept. of Hepatitis and HIV, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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A Double-Switch Cell Fusion-Inducible Transgene Expression System for Neural Stem Cell-Based Antiglioma Gene Therapy. Stem Cells Int 2015; 2015:649080. [PMID: 26074975 PMCID: PMC4436471 DOI: 10.1155/2015/649080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent progress in neural stem cell- (NSC-) based tumor-targeted gene therapy showed that NSC vectors expressing an artificially engineered viral fusogenic protein, VSV-G H162R, could cause tumor cell death specifically under acidic tumor microenvironment by syncytia formation; however, the killing efficiency still had much room to improve. In the view that coexpression of another antitumoral gene with VSV-G can augment the bystander effect, a synthetic regulatory system that triggers transgene expression in a cell fusion-inducible manner has been proposed. Here we have developed a double-switch cell fusion-inducible transgene expression system (DoFIT) to drive transgene expression upon VSV-G-mediated NSC-glioma cell fusion. In this binary system, transgene expression is coregulated by a glioma-specific promoter and targeting sequences of a microRNA (miR) that is highly expressed in NSCs but lowly expressed in glioma cells. Thus, transgene expression is "switched off" by the miR in NSC vectors, but after cell fusion with glioma cells, the miR is diluted and loses its suppressive effect. Meanwhile, in the syncytia, transgene expression is "switched on" by the glioma-specific promoter. Our in vitro and in vivo experimental data show that DoFIT successfully abolishes luciferase reporter gene expression in NSC vectors but activates it specifically after VSV-G-mediated NSC-glioma cell fusion.
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Makkonen KE, Airenne K, Ylä-Herttulala S. Baculovirus-mediated gene delivery and RNAi applications. Viruses 2015; 7:2099-125. [PMID: 25912715 PMCID: PMC4411692 DOI: 10.3390/v7042099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Baculoviruses are widely encountered in nature and a great deal of data is available about their safety and biology. Recently, these versatile, insect-specific viruses have demonstrated their usefulness in various biotechnological applications including protein production and gene transfer. Multiple in vitro and in vivo studies exist and support their use as gene delivery vehicles in vertebrate cells. Recently, baculoviruses have also demonstrated high potential in RNAi applications in which several advantages of the virus make it a promising tool for RNA gene transfer with high safety and wide tropism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa-Emilia Makkonen
- Virtanen Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio 70211 Finland.
| | - Kari Airenne
- Virtanen Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio 70211 Finland.
| | - Seppo Ylä-Herttulala
- Virtanen Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio 70211 Finland.
- Gene Therapy Unit, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio 70211, Finland.
- Science Service Center, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio 70211, Finland.
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Quick Q, Paul M, Skalli O. Roles and potential clinical applications of intermediate filament proteins in brain tumors. Semin Pediatr Neurol 2015; 22:40-8. [PMID: 25976260 DOI: 10.1016/j.spen.2014.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Intermediate filament (IF) proteins are cytoplasmic and nuclear cytoskeletal proteins. Of the ~70 IF proteins, nearly 12 are found in the nervous system, where their expression is largely cell-type specific. Astrocytes express glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), whereas different neuron types contain neurofilament proteins, α-internexin, or peripherin. These proteins are often downregulated in brain cancer. In addition, brain cancer cells may also contain vimentin, nestin, and synemin, which are the IF proteins found in neural progenitor cells. In different brain tumor types, the expression of nestin, vimentin, and α-internexin appears to correlate with the clinical outcome. Experimental investigations have also demonstrated that IF proteins have distinct roles in specific brain tumor cell behaviors: nestin, for instance, is important for the proliferation of glioma cells, whereas synemin also affect their mobility. The mechanisms responsible for these effects involve the interaction of IF proteins with specific signaling pathways. Synemin, for instance, positively regulates glioma cell proliferation by antagonizing protein phosphatase 2A. Further evidence for the potential of IF proteins as therapeutic targets derives from animal models showing the influence of IF proteins on tumor growth. Nestin downregulation, for instance, dramatically reduced intracerebral glioma growth. Selective targeted therapies of IFs to date primarily include gene therapy approaches using nestin or GFAP gene promoters to drive transgene expression into glioma cells. Although attempts to identify small molecules specifically antagonizing IF proteins have been unsuccessful to date, it is anticipated that the identification of such compounds will be instrumental in expanding therapeutic approaches for brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quincy Quick
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
| | - Madhumita Paul
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
| | - Omar Skalli
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN.
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Paul A, Hasan A, Rodes L, Sangaralingam M, Prakash S. Bioengineered baculoviruses as new class of therapeutics using micro and nanotechnologies: principles, prospects and challenges. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2014; 71:115-30. [PMID: 24503281 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Revised: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Designing a safe and efficient gene delivery system is required for success of gene therapy trials. Although a wide variety of viral, non-viral and polymeric nanoparticle based careers have been widely studied, the current gene delivery vehicles are limited by their suboptimal, non-specific therapeutic efficacy and acute immunological reactions, leading to unwanted side effects. Recently, there has been a growing interest in insect-cell-originated baculoviruses as gene delivery vehicles for diverse biomedical applications. Specifically, the emergence of diverse types of surface functionalized and bioengineered baculoviruses is posed to edge over currently available gene delivery vehicles. This is primarily because baculoviruses are comparatively non-pathogenic and non-toxic as they cannot replicate in mammalian cells and do not invoke any cytopathic effect. Moreover, emerging advanced studies in this direction have demonstrated that hybridizing the baculovirus surface with different kinds of bioactive therapeutic molecules, cell-specific targeting moieties, protective polymeric grafts and nanomaterials can significantly improve the preclinical efficacy of baculoviruses. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in the field of bioengineering and biotherapeutics to engineer baculovirus hybrids for tailored gene therapy, and articulates in detail the potential and challenges of these strategies for clinical realization. In addition, the article illustrates the rapid evolvement of microfluidic devices as a high throughput platform for optimizing baculovirus production and treatment conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arghya Paul
- Biomedical Technology and Cell Therapy Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Artificial Cells and Organs Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Anwarul Hasan
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Laetitia Rodes
- Biomedical Technology and Cell Therapy Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Artificial Cells and Organs Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Mugundhine Sangaralingam
- Biomedical Technology and Cell Therapy Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Artificial Cells and Organs Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Satya Prakash
- Biomedical Technology and Cell Therapy Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Artificial Cells and Organs Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada.
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Combinatorial control of transgene expression by hypoxia-responsive promoter and microrna regulation for neural stem cell-based cancer therapy. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:751397. [PMID: 24864258 PMCID: PMC4016878 DOI: 10.1155/2014/751397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Owing to their strong migratory capacity, tumor tropism, and tumor inhibitory effect, neural stem cells (NSCs) have recently emerged as one of the most attractive gene delivery vectors for cancer therapy. However, further animal studies found that proportional NSC vectors were distributed to nontarget organs after intravenous injection and the nonspecific transgene expression led to significant cytotoxic effects in these organs. Hence, an expression cassette that controls the transgene expression within NSC vectors in a tumor site-specific manner is desired. Considering hypoxia as a hallmark of tumor microenvironment, we have developed a novel NSC vector platform coupling transcriptional targeting with microRNA (miRNA) regulation for tumor hypoxia targeting. This combinatorial vector employed a hypoxia-responsive promoter and repeated targeting sequences of an miRNA that is enriched in NSCs but downregulated upon hypoxia induction to control the transgene expression. This resulted in significantly improved hypoxic selectivity over the use of a control vector without miRNA regulation. Thus, incorporating miRNA regulation into a transcriptional targeting vector adds an extra layer of security to prevent off-target transgene expression and should be useful for the development of NSC vectors with high targeting specifcity for cancer therapy.
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Ghanbari JA, Salehi M, Zadeh AK, Zadeh SM, Beigi VB, Ahmad HK, Mahaki B, Beiraghdar M. A preliminary step of a novel strategy in suicide gene therapy with lentiviral vector. Adv Biomed Res 2014; 3:7. [PMID: 24592361 PMCID: PMC3928841 DOI: 10.4103/2277-9175.124634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Accepted: 07/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: One of the challenges in lentiviral vector–based suicide gene therapy by toxin or apoptosis-inducing genes is death of packaging cells. Therefore, the process of production of these lentiviral particles would be stopped in this step. We proposed that insertion of a reverse promoter between R and U5 regions of 5′ long terminal repeat (LTR) in transfer plasmid could be considered as a solution for this problem. But it is not known, whether the insertion of RΔU3 sequence between the promoter and target gene in proviral genome during the life-cycle of lentivirus may interfere whit gene expression in target cells. Materials and Methods: These following methods were performed in this study: insertion of RΔU3 sequence in pEGFP-N1 plasmid, evaluation of the expression of eGFP gene after calcium phosphate co-precipitation transfection of pCMV-RΔU3-GFP construction in 293T cells, and quantitative assay of eGFP gene by flow cytometry technique. Results: Our results from flow cytometry technique analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the expression of eGFP gene in transfected cells with pEGFP-N1 and pCMV-RΔU3-GFP plasmids (P > 0.05). Conclusion: In this step of our strategy, we demonstrated that modification of orientation and location of promoter may overcome some issues in lentiviral suicide gene therapy, especially when toxin or apoptosis-inducing genes are used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jahan Afrooz Ghanbari
- Department of Molecular Biology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mansoor Salehi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Arezoo Karam Zadeh
- Department of Molecular Biology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | | | - Vahid Bahram Beigi
- Physiology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Hossein Khan Ahmad
- Department of Molecular Biology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Behzad Mahaki
- Department of Biostatistics of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mina Beiraghdar
- MS in Botanical Biology, Department of Biology, Payamnoor University, Isfahan, Iran
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Danda R, Krishnan G, Ganapathy K, Krishnan UM, Vikas K, Elchuri S, Chatterjee N, Krishnakumar S. Targeted expression of suicide gene by tissue-specific promoter and microRNA regulation for cancer gene therapy. PLoS One 2013; 8:e83398. [PMID: 24391761 PMCID: PMC3877029 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 11/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to realise the full potential of cancer suicide gene therapy that allows the precise expression of suicide gene in cancer cells, we used a tissue specific Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) promoter (EGP-2) that directs transgene Herpes simplex virus–thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) expression preferentially in EpCAM over expressing cancer cells. EpCAM levels are considerably higher in retinoblastoma (RB), a childhood eye cancer with limited expression in normal cells. Use of miRNA regulation, adjacent to the use of the tissue-specific promoter, would provide the second layer of control to the transgene expression only in the tumor cells while sparing the normal cells. To test this hypothesis we cloned let-7b miRNA targets in the 3’UTR region of HSV-TK suicide gene driven by EpCAM promoter because let-7 family miRNAs, including let-7b, were found to be down regulated in the RB tumors and cell lines. We used EpCAM over expressing and let-7 down regulated RB cell lines Y79, WERI-Rb1 (EpCAM +ve/let-7bdown-regulated), EpCAM down regulated, let-7 over expressing normal retinal Müller glial cell line MIO-M1(EpCAM −ve/let-7bup-regulated), and EpCAM up regulated, let-7b up-regulated normal thyroid cell line N-Thy-Ori-3.1(EpCAM +ve/let-7bup-regulated) in the study. The cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay, apoptosis was measured by probing cleaved Caspase3, EpCAM and TK expression were quantified by Western blot. Our results showed that the EGP2-promoter HSV-TK (EGP2-TK) construct with 2 or 4 copies of let-7b miRNA targets expressed TK gene only in Y79, WERI-Rb-1, while the TK gene did not express in MIO-M1. In summary, we have developed a tissue-specific, miRNA-regulated dual control vector, which selectively expresses the suicide gene in EpCAM over expressing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravikanth Danda
- Department of Ocular Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Advanced Biomaterials, Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy University, Tanjore, India
| | - Gopinath Krishnan
- Department of Ocular Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Advanced Biomaterials, Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy University, Tanjore, India
| | - Kalaivani Ganapathy
- Department of Ocular Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
| | - Uma Maheswari Krishnan
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Advanced Biomaterials, Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy University, Tanjore, India
| | - Khetan Vikas
- Departments of Ocular Oncology and Vitreoretina, Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
| | - Sailaja Elchuri
- Department of Ocular Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
| | - Nivedita Chatterjee
- Department of Ocular Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
| | - Subramanian Krishnakumar
- Department of Ocular Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
- * E-mail:
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Ronald JA, Katzenberg R, Nielsen CH, Jae HJ, Hofmann LV, Gambhir SS. MicroRNA-regulated non-viral vectors with improved tumor specificity in an orthotopic rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma. Gene Ther 2013; 20:1006-13. [PMID: 23719066 PMCID: PMC3864878 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2013.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), tumor specificity of gene therapy is of utmost importance to preserve liver function. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are powerful negative regulators of gene expression and many are downregulated in human HCC. We identified seven miRNAs that are also downregulated in tumors in a rat hepatoma model (P<0.05) and attempted to improve tumor specificity by constructing a panel of luciferase-expressing vectors containing binding sites for these miRNAs. Attenuation of luciferase expression by the corresponding miRNAs was confirmed across various cell lines and in mouse liver. We then tested our vectors in tumor-bearing rats and identified two miRNAs, miR-26a and miR-122, that significantly decreased expression in liver compared with the control vector (6.40 and 0.26%, respectively; P<0.05). In tumor, miR-122 had a nonsignificant trend towards decreased (∼50%) expression, whereas miR-26 had no significant effect on tumor expression. To our knowledge, this is the first work using differentially expressed miRNAs to de-target transgene expression in an orthotopic hepatoma model and to identify miR-26a, in addition to miR-122, for de-targeting liver. Considering the heterogeneity of miRNA expression in human HCC, this information will be important in guiding development of more personalized vectors for the treatment of this devastating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Ronald
- 1] Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA [2] Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Morii A, Ogawa R, Watanabe A, Cui ZG, Takasaki I, Doi N, Kondo T, Fuse H. Utilization of microRNAs with decreased expression levels in response to X-ray irradiation for fine-tuning radiation-controlled gene regulation. Int J Mol Med 2013; 32:9-16. [PMID: 23612713 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2013.1360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously developed a promoter that was responsive to radiation by randomly combining cis-elements of transcription factors that are activated in response to radiation in prostate cancer cells. The promoter enhanced the expression of the luciferase gene linked downstream by more than 10-fold 12 h after X-ray irradiation at 10 Gy. However, without radiation, it still significantly drove its expression. To suppress expression while retaining its enhancement in response to radiation, we focused our attention on microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are a group of non-coding RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides long that control gene expression by binding to a target sequence residing on the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of a target gene. We identified 8 miRNAs that were downregulated in response to X-ray irradiation, and inserted artificial target sequences composed of randomly combined complementary sequences into 3 representative miRNAs into the 3'UTR of the luciferase gene. The target sequences suppressed the expression, and released the expression, after X-ray irradiation, as expected. When we combined an artificial target sequence with the radiation-responsive promoter, it resulted in a clear-cut gene regulation of expression that was greater than that induced by the promoter alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Morii
- Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
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Koshkin PA, Chistiakov DA, Chekhonin VP. Role of microRNAs in mechanisms of glioblastoma resistance to radio- and chemotherapy. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2013; 78:325-34. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297913040019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Adaptive immune responses elicited by baculovirus and impacts on subsequent transgene expression in vivo. J Virol 2013; 87:4965-73. [PMID: 23408634 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.03510-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Baculovirus (BV) is a promising gene therapy vector and typically requires readministration because BV mediates transient expression. However, how the prime-boost regimen triggers BV-specific adaptive responses and their impacts on BV readministration, transgene expression, and therapeutic/vaccine efficacy remain unknown. Here we unraveled that BV injection into BALB/c mice induced the production of BV-specific antibodies, including IgG1 and IgG2a, which could neutralize BV by antagonizing the envelope protein gp64 and impede BV-mediated transgene expression. Moreover, humans did not possess preexisting anti-BV antibodies. BV injection also elicited BV-specific Th1 and Th2 responses as well as CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses. gp64 was a primary immunogen to activate the antibody and CD8(+) T cell response, with its peptide at positions 457 to 465 (peptide 457-465) being the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I epitope to stimulate CD8(+) T cell and cytotoxic responses. Nonetheless, a hybrid Sleeping Beauty-based BV enabled long-term expression for >1 year by a single injection, indicating that the T cell responses did not completely eradicate BV-transduced cells and implicating the potential of this hybrid BV vector for gene therapy. These data unveil that BV injection triggers adaptive immunity and benefit rational design of BV administration schemes for gene therapy and vaccination.
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Li W, Xiang AP. Safeguarding clinical translation of pluripotent stem cells with suicide genes. Organogenesis 2013; 9:34-9. [PMID: 23511011 DOI: 10.4161/org.24317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) opens a new avenue in regenerative medicine. However, transplantation of hiPSC-derived cells carries a risk of tumor formation by residual pluripotent stem cells. Numerous adaptive strategies have been developed to prevent or minimize adverse events and control the in vivo behavior of transplanted stem cells and their progeny. Among them, the application of suicide gene modifications, which is conceptually similar to cancer gene therapy, is considered an ideal means to control wayward stem cell progeny in vivo. In this review, the choices of vectors, promoters, and genes for use in suicide gene approaches for improving the safety of hiPSCs-based cell therapy are introduced and possible new strategies for improvements are discussed. Safety-enhancing strategies that can selectively ablate undifferentiated cells without inducing virus infection or insertional mutations may greatly aid in translating human pluripotent stem cells into cell therapies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Li
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering, Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong P.R. China
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Nikaki A, Piperi C, Papavassiliou AG. Role of microRNAs in gliomagenesis: targeting miRNAs in glioblastoma multiforme therapy. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2012; 21:1475-88. [PMID: 22809292 DOI: 10.1517/13543784.2012.710199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Gliomas consist of a very heterogeneous group of malignant tumors, accounting for 50 - 60% of primary brain tumors. Despite all the efforts of cytoreductive surgery in combination with intense chemoradiotherapy, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, glioma grade IV) still has a dismal prognosis. Current research is focused on molecular targeting to overcome resistance to conventional therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs, represent endogenous agents of RNA interference, dramatically changing expression of target proteins. Their role in brain physiology as well as GBM development has attracted intense research efforts pointing toward therapeutic potential and immediate targeting for sensitization of glioma cells to chemo and/or radiotherapy. AREAS COVERED This review is focused on the variable role of miRNAs in gliomagenesis and their possible clinical relevance in patient's survival and prognosis. It further addresses the potential application of selected miRNAs as therapeutic targets or agents in GMB, including data from clinical studies in other central nervous system tumors. EXPERT OPINION Although miRNA-targeted therapy is still in its initial stage and clinical trials with glioma/brain tumor patients are under recruitment or currently running, several miRNAs have been selected as promising tumor biomarkers, with increased potential to reduce disease progression in combination to conventional first-line therapy for gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Nikaki
- University of Athens, Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry, Athens, Greece
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Abstract
Adenoviral technology has been thoroughly evaluated for delivering genetic material to tumor tissue and the surrounding microenvironment. Almost any gene can be cloned into an adenovirus (Ad) vector, which when combined with strong, constitutively active promoters permit up to a million-fold amplification of the transgene in a single adenoviral particle, thus facilitating their use in cancer therapy and imaging. However, widespread infection of the liver and other non-targeted tissues by Ad vectors is a substantial problem that often results in significant liver inflammation and hepatotoxicity at doses required to achieve efficient tumor transduction. miR-122 is a highly expressed liver-specific microRNA that provides a unique opportunity for down-regulating adenoviral transgene expression in liver tissue. The binding of endogenous miRNAs to complementary miRNA targeting elements (miRTs) incorporated into the 3′ untranslated region of adenoviral transgenes interferes with message stability and/or protein translation, and miRT elements against miR-122 (miRT-122) can selectively reduce adenoviral transgene expression in the liver. Previous studies using miR-122-based regulation, with and without other types of transcriptional targeting, have yielded promising preliminary results. However, investigations to date evaluating miRT-122 elements for improving tumor specificity have used either non-tumor bearing animals or direct intratumoral injection as the mode of delivery. In the present study, we confirmed the ability of miRT-122 sequences to selectively down-regulate adenoviral luciferase expression in the liver in vitro and in vivo, and show that this strategy can improve tumor specific transgene expression in a HT1080 human fibrosarcoma model. Rapid growth and the inefficient flow of blood through tumor neovasculature often results in profound hypoxia, which provides additional opportunities for targeting solid tumors and their microenvironment using vectors incorporating hypoxia-responsive promoters to drive transgene expression. We therefore employed a combinatorial approach using miRT-122 elements with hypoxia-responsive transcriptional targeting to further improve the tumor specific expression of an adenoviral reporter gene. Results from this investigation reveal that miRT122 elements alone decrease off-target liver expression and improve tumor specificity of adenoviral vectors. Furthermore, increased tumor specificity can be achieved by combining miRT-122 elements with hypoxia-responsive promoters.
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Chistiakov DA, Chekhonin VP. Contribution of microRNAs to radio- and chemoresistance of brain tumors and their therapeutic potential. Eur J Pharmacol 2012; 684:8-18. [PMID: 22484336 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2012.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2011] [Revised: 03/09/2012] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastomas, particularly high grade brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme, are characterized by increased anaplasy, malignancy, proliferation, and invasion. These tumors exhibit high resistance to radiation therapy and treatment with anti-cancer drugs. The radio- and chemoresistance of gliomas is attributed to cancer stem cells (CSCs) that are considered as major contributors for maintenance and propagation of tumor cell mass, cancer malignancy and invasiveness, and tumor cell survival after courses of radiotherapy and medical interventions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), key post-transcriptional gene regulators, have altered expression profiles in gliomas. Some of miRNAs whose expression is markedly up-regulated in brain tumors are likely to have a pro-oncogenic role through supporting growth, proliferation, migration, and survival of cancer stem and non-stem cells. In contrast, a population of miRNA possessing anti-tumor effects is suppressed in gliomas. In this review, we will consider miRNAs and their influence on radio- and chemoresistance of gliomas. These miRNAs harbor a great therapeutic significance as potent agents in future targeted anti-cancer therapy to sensitize glioma tumor cells and CSCs to cytotoxic effects of radiation exposure and treatment with anti-cancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitry A Chistiakov
- Department of Medical Nanobiotechnology, Pirogov Russian State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
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Kaikkonen MU, Ylä-Herttuala S, Airenne KJ. How to avoid complement attack in baculovirus-mediated gene delivery. J Invertebr Pathol 2011; 107 Suppl:S71-9. [PMID: 21784233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2011.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2010] [Accepted: 01/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Serum inactivation of baculovirus vectors is a significant barrier to the development of these highly efficient vectors for therapeutic gene delivery. In this review we will describe the efforts taken to avoid complement attack by passive or active measures. Evidently good targets for baculovirus-mediated gene delivery include immunoprivileged tissues, such as eye, brain and testis. Similarly baculovirus vectors have also proven their efficacy in an ex vivo setting for tissue engineering. Active measures to inhibit complement include the use of pharmacological inhibitors of complement as well as surface engineering of the baculoviral vectors through the use of synthetic polymers, pseudotyping or display of complement inhibitors. Lessons learned from these studies will significantly increase the possibility of using baculovirus vectors for therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minna U Kaikkonen
- AI Virtanen Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland
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Malecki M, Szybalski W. Isolation of single, intact chromosomes from single, selected ovarian cancer cells for in situ hybridization and sequencing. Gene 2011; 493:132-9. [PMID: 22155315 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2011.11.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Revised: 10/24/2011] [Accepted: 11/21/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The first step towards effective therapy of cancer is to reveal molecular profiles of all cell clones propelling tumor growth. The specific aim of this project was to develop a technology helping us to isolate patient's single, living cells based upon their cancer-specific, cell surface biomarkers, to reveal their molecular profiles, and to isolate, from these selected cells, intact chromosomes for in situ hybridization (FISH) and for next generation sequencing (NGS). We attained this aim, while probing the cells from the ovarian cancer patients. Ovarian cancer is the most deadly of all gynecological cancers. In most of the patients with the advanced stages of this cancer, the gene for epidermal growth factors receptor (EGFR) is mutated, as the deletion variant III, resulting in the truncated transcripts and products. From these patients, we collected cells from peritoneal fluid, blood, lymph, and biopsies. We genetically engineered fluorescent and superparamagnetic single chain variable fragments (scFvs) targeting EGFRwt and EGFRvIII. Using these scFvs, we isolated single, living ovarian cancer cells and analyzed their transcripts and products. We further genetically engineered scFv targeting dsDNA. Using these scFvs, we isolated the entire single, intact chromosomes from the selected, single ovarian cancer cells for NGS and for liquid phase FISH. This novel work-flow opens new routes not only for molecular profiling of the entire spectrum of cancer cell clones in the diagnosed patient, one cell clone at a time, but also for manufacturing targeted contrast for in vivo imaging and for designing and guiding targeted delivery of therapeutic genes in cancer therapy.
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A pH-sensitive heparin-binding sequence from Baculovirus gp64 protein is important for binding to mammalian cells but not to Sf9 insect cells. J Virol 2011; 86:484-91. [PMID: 22072779 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.06357-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Binding to heparan sulfate is essential for baculovirus transduction of mammalian cells. Our previous study shows that gp64, the major glycoprotein on the virus surface, binds to heparin in a pH-dependent way, with a stronger binding at pH 6.2 than at 7.4. Using fluorescently labeled peptides, we mapped the pH-dependent heparin-binding sequence of gp64 to a 22-amino-acid region between residues 271 and 292. Binding of this region to the cell surface was also pH dependent, and peptides containing this sequence could efficiently inhibit baculovirus transduction of mammalian cells at pH 6.2. When the heparin-binding peptide was immobilized onto the bead surface to mimic the high local concentration of gp64 on the virus surface, the peptide-coated magnetic beads could efficiently pull down cells expressing heparan sulfate but not cells pretreated with heparinase or cells not expressing heparan sulfate. Interestingly, although this heparin-binding function is essential for baculovirus transduction of mammalian cells, it is dispensable for infection of Sf9 insect cells. Virus infectivity on Sf9 cells was not reduced by the presence of heparin or the identified heparin-binding peptide, even though the peptide could bind to Sf9 cell surface and be efficiently internalized. Thus, our data suggest that, depending on the availability of the target molecules on the cell surface, baculoviruses can use two different methods, electrostatic interaction with heparan sulfate and more specific receptor binding, for cell attachment.
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Development of the hybrid Sleeping Beauty-baculovirus vector for sustained gene expression and cancer therapy. Gene Ther 2011; 19:844-51. [DOI: 10.1038/gt.2011.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Xie Z, Wroblewska L, Prochazka L, Weiss R, Benenson Y. Multi-input RNAi-based logic circuit for identification of specific cancer cells. Science 2011; 333:1307-11. [PMID: 21885784 DOI: 10.1126/science.1205527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 488] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Engineered biological systems that integrate multi-input sensing, sophisticated information processing, and precisely regulated actuation in living cells could be useful in a variety of applications. For example, anticancer therapies could be engineered to detect and respond to complex cellular conditions in individual cells with high specificity. Here, we show a scalable transcriptional/posttranscriptional synthetic regulatory circuit--a cell-type "classifier"--that senses expression levels of a customizable set of endogenous microRNAs and triggers a cellular response only if the expression levels match a predetermined profile of interest. We demonstrate that a HeLa cancer cell classifier selectively identifies HeLa cells and triggers apoptosis without affecting non-HeLa cell types. This approach also provides a general platform for programmed responses to other complex cell states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Xie
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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