Cotransduction of nondividing cells using lentiviral vectors

Gene therapy for mitochondrial disorders

In this review, we detail the current state of application of gene therapy to primary mitochondrial disorders (PMDs). Recombinant adeno-associated virus-based (rAAV) gene replacement approaches for nuclear gene disorders have been undertaken successfully in more than ten preclinical mouse models of PMDs which has been made possible by the development of novel rAAV technologies that achieve more efficient organ targeting. So far, however, the greatest progress has been made for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, for which phase 3 clinical trials of lenadogene nolparvovec demonstrated efficacy and good tolerability. Other methods of treating mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disorders have also had traction, including refinements to nucleases that degrade mtDNA molecules with pathogenic variants, including transcription activator-like effector nucleases, zinc-finger nucleases, and meganucleases (mitoARCUS). rAAV-based approaches have been used successfully to deliver these nucleases in vivo in mice. Exciting developments in CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology have achieved in vivo gene editing in mouse models of PMDs due to nuclear gene defects and new CRISPR-free gene editing approaches have shown great potential for therapeutic application in mtDNA disorders. We conclude the review by discussing the challenges of translating gene therapy in patients both from the point of view of achieving adequate organ transduction as well as clinical trial design.

In Situ Programming of CAR-T Cells: A Pressing Need in Modern Immunotherapy

Chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cell-based therapy has become a successful option for treatment of numerous hematological malignancies, but also raises hope in a range of non-malignant diseases. However, in a traditional approach, generation of CAR-T cells is associated with the separation of patient's lymphocytes, their in vitro modification, and expansion and infusion back into patient's bloodstream. This classical protocol is complex, time-consuming, and expensive. Those problems could be solved by successful protocols to produce CAR-T cells, but also CAR-natural killer cells or CAR macrophages, in situ, using viral platforms or non-viral delivery systems. Moreover, it was demonstrated that in situ CAR-T induction may be associated with reduced risk of the most common toxicities associated with CAR-T therapy, such as cytokine release syndrome, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, and "on-target, off-tumor" toxicity. This review aims to summarize the current state-of-the-art and future perspectives for the in situ-produced CAR-T cells. Indeed, preclinical work in this area, including animal studies, raises hope for prospective translational development and validation in practical medicine of strategies for in situ generation of CAR-bearing immune effector cells.

Anhydride chemistry based Hexanoylation of polyethylenimine increases transfection efficiency and expression of tagged DNA for therapeutic proteins in cultured cells

Transfection of nucleic acid molecules into mammalian cells can be facilitated using viral vectors, electroporation, or biocompatible cationic materials. However, safety issues and the requirement of specialized equipment limits the use of viral vectors and physical methods of transfection like electroporation and microinjection, respectively. Biocompatible cationic lipids and polymers like branched-polyethyleneimine (bPEI) have a wide transfection range and are user friendly in most applications. However, bPEI exhibits low transfection efficiency in most cell types. In the present work, we have crosslinked the hexanoyl group to bPEI using anhydride chemistry to enhance its efficiency as a transfection reagent. The efficient association of hexanoyl group to bPEI was assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and other Physico-chemical methods. Hexanoyl modified bPEI (FA6-bPEI) was found to exhibit significantly enhanced transfection efficiency in both cell lines and cultured primary cells, as compared to native bPEI and the commercially available transfection reagent lipofactamine 3000. Furthermore, our in-vitro studies indicated that FA6-bPEI can be used for robust transfection for increased production of therapeutic proteins in a cell culture based system. These results suggested that hexanoyl modified bPEI can serve as an efficient transfection reagent for studies on hard-to-transfect cells and enhanced production of therapeutic proteins in-vitro. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

In Situ Programming of CAR T Cells

Gene therapy makes it possible to engineer chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to create T cells that target specific diseases. However, current approaches require elaborate and expensive protocols to manufacture engineered T cells ex vivo, putting this therapy beyond the reach of many patients who might benefit. A solution could be to program T cells in vivo. Here, we evaluate the clinical need for in situ CAR T cell programming, compare competing technologies, review current progress, and provide a perspective on the long-term impact of this emerging and rapidly flourishing biotechnology field.

Targeted Cellular Micropharmacies: Cells Engineered for Localized Drug Delivery

The recent emergence of engineered cellular therapies, such as Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) CAR T and T cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cells, has shown great promise in the treatment of various cancers. These agents aggregate and expand exponentially at the tumor site, resulting in potent immune activation and tumor clearance. Moreover, the ability to elaborate these cells with therapeutic agents, such as antibodies, enzymes, and immunostimulatory molecules, presents an unprecedented opportunity to specifically modulate the tumor microenvironment through cell-mediated drug delivery. This unique pharmacology, combined with significant advances in synthetic biology and cell engineering, has established a new paradigm for cells as vectors for drug delivery. Targeted cellular micropharmacies (TCMs) are a revolutionary new class of living drugs, which we envision will play an important role in cancer medicine and beyond. Here, we review important advances and considerations underway in developing this promising advancement in biological therapeutics.

Secretion of a mammalian chondroitinase ABC aids glial integration at PNS/CNS boundaries

Schwann cell grafts support axonal growth following spinal cord injury, but a boundary forms between the implanted cells and host astrocytes. Axons are reluctant to exit the graft tissue in large part due to the surrounding inhibitory environment containing chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs). We use a lentiviral chondroitinase ABC, capable of being secreted from mammalian cells (mChABC), to examine the repercussions of CSPG digestion upon Schwann cell behaviour in vitro. We show that mChABC transduced Schwann cells robustly secrete substantial quantities of the enzyme causing large-scale CSPG digestion, facilitating the migration and adhesion of Schwann cells on inhibitory aggrecan and astrocytic substrates. Importantly, we show that secretion of the engineered enzyme can aid the intermingling of cells at the Schwann cell-astrocyte boundary, enabling growth of neurites over the putative graft/host interface. These data were echoed in vivo. This study demonstrates the profound effect of the enzyme on cellular motility, growth and migration. This provides a cellular mechanism for mChABC induced functional and behavioural recovery shown in in vivo studies. Importantly, we provide in vitro evidence that mChABC gene therapy is equally or more effective at producing these effects as a one-time application of commercially available ChABC.

A Refined Culture System for Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Intestinal Epithelial Organoids

Gut epithelial organoids are routinely used to investigate intestinal biology; however, current culture methods are not amenable to genetic manipulation, and it is difficult to generate sufficient numbers for high-throughput studies. Here, we present an improved culture system of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived intestinal organoids involving four methodological advances. (1) We adopted a lentiviral vector to readily establish and optimize conditioned medium for human intestinal organoid culture. (2) We obtained intestinal organoids from human iPSCs more efficiently by supplementing WNT3A and fibroblast growth factor 2 to induce differentiation into definitive endoderm. (3) Using 2D culture, followed by re-establishment of organoids, we achieved an efficient transduction of exogenous genes in organoids. (4) We investigated suspension organoid culture without scaffolds for easier harvesting and assays. These techniques enable us to develop, maintain, and expand intestinal organoids readily and quickly at low cost, facilitating high-throughput screening of pathogenic factors and candidate treatments for gastrointestinal diseases.

Recombinant elastin-based nanoparticles for targeted gene therapy

Among viruses, lentiviral vectors have been popular vectors for gene delivery due to their efficient mode of gene delivery. However, the non-specific delivery of genes associated with lentiviral vectors may result in undesirable side effects. Here, we propose a heterogeneous nanoparticle delivery system for targeted delivery of lentiviral particles containing a therapeutic gene. The heterogeneous nanoparticles consist of the low density lipoprotein receptor 3 (LDLR3) and the keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), each fused to elastin-like-polypeptides (ELPs), LDLR3-ELP and KGF-ELP, respectively. Our results show that while homogeneous nanoparticles comprising of LDLR3-ELP alone blocked viral transduction, heterogeneous nanoparticles comprising of KGF-ELP and LDLR3-ELP enhanced viral transduction in cells expressing high levels of the KGF receptors compared to cells expressing low levels of KGF receptors. Overall, this novel design may help with the targeting of specific cells that overexpressed growth factor such as KGF receptors.

Combining Gene and Stem Cell Therapy for Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering

Despite a substantially increased understanding of neuropathophysiology, insufficient functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury remains a significant clinical challenge. Nerve regeneration following injury is dependent on Schwann cells, the supporting cells in the peripheral nervous system. Following nerve injury, Schwann cells adopt a proregenerative phenotype, which supports and guides regenerating nerves. However, this phenotype may not persist long enough to ensure functional recovery. Tissue-engineered nerve repair devices containing therapeutic cells that maintain the appropriate phenotype may help enhance nerve regeneration. The combination of gene and cell therapy is an emerging experimental strategy that seeks to provide the optimal environment for axonal regeneration and reestablishment of functional circuits. This review aims to summarize current preclinical evidence with potential for future translation from bench to bedside.

Chemokine Detection Using Receptors Immobilized on an SPR Sensor Surface

Chemokines and their receptors take part in many physiological and pathological processes, and their dysregulated expression is linked to chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiencies, and cancer. The chemokine receptors, members of the G protein-coupled receptor family, are integral membrane proteins, with seven-transmembrane domains that bind the chemokines and transmit signals through GTP-binding proteins. Many assays used to study the structure, conformation, or activation mechanism of these receptors are based on ligand-binding measurement, as are techniques to detect new agonists and antagonists that modulate chemokine function. Such methods require labeling of the chemokine and/or its receptor, which can alter their binding characteristics. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a powerful technique for analysis of the interaction between immobilized receptors and ligands in solution, in real time, and without labeling. SPR measurements nonetheless require expression and purification steps that can alter the conformation, stability, and function of the chemokine and/or the chemokine receptor. In this review, we focus on distinct methods to immobilize chemokine receptors on the surface of an optical biosensor. We expose the advantages and disadvantages of different protocols used and describe in detail the method to retain viral particles as receptor carriers that can be used for SPR determinations.

Vpx mediated degradation of SAMHD1 has only a very limited effect on lentiviral transduction rate in ex vivo cultured HSPCs

Understanding how to achieve efficient transduction of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), while preserving their long-term ability to self-reproduce, is key for applying lentiviral-based gene engineering methods. SAMHD1 is an HIV-1 restriction factor in myeloid and resting CD4⁺ T cells that interferes with reverse transcription by decreasing the nucleotide pools or by its RNase activity. Here we show that SAMHD1 is expressed at high levels in HSPCs cultured in a medium enriched with cytokines. Thus, we hypothesized that degrading SAMHD1 in HSPCs would result in more efficient lentiviral transduction rates. We used viral like particles (VLPs) containing Vpx, shRNA against SAMHD1, or provided an excess of dNTPs or dNs to study this question. Regardless of the method applied, we saw no increase in the lentiviral transduction rate. The result was different when we used viruses (HR-GFP-Vpx+) which carry Vpx and encode GFP. These viruses allow assessment of the effects of Vpx specifically in the transduced cells. Using HR-GFP-Vpx+ viruses, we observed a modest but significant increase in the transduction efficiency. These data suggest that SAMHD1 has some limited efficacy in blocking reverse transcription but the major barrier for efficient lentiviral transduction occurs before reverse transcription.

Transgene expression in various organs post BM-HSC transplantation

Gene therapy mediated by bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem cells (BM-HSC) has been widely used in treating genetic deficiencies in both pre-clinical and clinical settings. Using mitotically inactive cell-targeting lentivirus with separate promoters for our gene of interest (the murine MHC class II (MHCII) chaperone, invariant chain (Ii)) and a GFP reporter, we monitored the expression and function of introduced Ii in various types of professional antigen presenting cells (B cells, macrophages and DC) from different organs (spleen, pancreatic lymph nodes (PLN), BM and blood). Ii and GFP were detected. Ii levels correlated with GFP levels only in macrophages and monocytes from spleen, monocytes from PLN and macrophage precursors from blood. By cell type, Ii levels in PLN cells were more similar to those in spleen cells than to those in blood or BM cells. Functionally, Ii expressed in PLN or spleen had more effect on MHCII abundance than Ii expressed in BM or blood. The results have implications for analysis of the outcomes of gene therapy when both therapeutic and reporter genes are introduced. The findings also have implications for understanding the development of immune molecule function.

Comparison of transduction efficiency among various lentiviruses containing GFP reporter in bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

HIV-derived lentiviral vectors have been used widely to transduce non-dividing cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), in the setting of gene therapy. In this study, we screened lentiviral vectors for their ability to drive expression of the murine MHC class II chaperone, invariant chain (Ii) and a GFP reporter. The vectors included T2A vector with T2A-separated Ii and GFP under the same MSCV promoter, dual-promoter vectors with separate promoters for Ii and GFP (called MSCV or EF1a according to the promoter driving Ii expression), and a vector with EF1a driving a fusion of Ii/GFP (called Fusion vector). T2A and MSCV induced the highest levels of Ii and GFP expression, respectively, after direct transfection of 293T cells. All vectors except the Fusion vector drove expression of functional Ii, based on the enhancement of MHC class II level, which is a known consequence of Ii expression. Comparing the vectors after they were packaged into lentiviruses and used to transduce 293T, we found that MSCV and EF1a vectors mediated higher Ii and GFP expression. In ckit(+) bone marrow (BM) cells, MSCV still induced the highest Ii and GFP expression, whereas EF1a induced only robust Ii expression. Regardless of the vector, both Ii and GFP levels were significantly reduced in BM cells compared to 293T cells. When in vivo expression was assessed in cells derived from MSCV-transduced BM-HSCs, up to 80% of myeloid cells were GFP(+), but no Ii expression was observed. In contrast, transplantation of EF1a-transduced BM-HSCs led to much higher in vivo Ii expression. Thus, among those compared, dual-promoter vector-based lentivirus with the EF1a promoter driving the gene of interest is optimal for murine BM-HSC transduction.

Sustained knockdown of a disease-causing gene in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells using lentiviral vector-based gene therapy

Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold great promise for studies on disease-related developmental processes and may serve as an autologous cell source for future treatment of many hereditary diseases. New genetic engineering tools such as zinc finger nucleases and transcription activator-like effector nuclease allow targeted correction of monogenetic disorders but are very cumbersome to establish. Aiming at studies on the knockdown of a disease-causing gene, lentiviral vector-mediated expression of short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) is a valuable option, but it is limited by silencing of the knockdown construct upon epigenetic remodeling during differentiation. Here, we propose an approach for the expression of a therapeutic shRNA in disease-specific iPSCs using third-generation lentiviral vectors. Targeting severe α-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency, we overexpressed a human microRNA 30 (miR30)-styled shRNA directed against the PiZ variant of A1AT, which is known to cause chronic liver damage in affected patients. This knockdown cassette is traceable from clonal iPSC lines to differentiated hepatic progeny via an enhanced green fluorescence protein reporter expressed from the same RNA-polymerase II promoter. Importantly, the cytomegalovirus i/e enhancer chicken β actin (CAG) promoter-driven expression of this construct is sustained without transgene silencing during hepatic differentiation in vitro and in vivo. At low lentiviral copy numbers per genome we confirmed a functional relevant reduction (-66%) of intracellular PiZ protein in hepatic cells after differentiation of patient-specific iPSCs. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that lentiviral vector-mediated expression of shRNAs can be efficiently used to knock down and functionally evaluate disease-related genes in patient-specific iPSCs.

Spectral analysis of whisking output via optogenetic modulation of vibrissa cortex in rat

Whisking motor output in awake and freely moving rat is investigated with optogenetic excitation/inhibition of the vibrissae motor cortex (vMCx) layer V. The goal of the study is to establish the direct causal relationship between the cortical activity and the whisking output using optical stimulation, excitatory or inhibitory, with different frequencies. Progression and reduction of the whisking frequency was obtained; however, the whisking frequency did not necessarily followed the entrainment stimulus. Based on our observations, the excitation of the vMCx doubled and inhibition reduced the whisking frequency to half, compared to control, at all stimulus frequencies. This result is an empirical evidence that the cortex exerted control through a central pattern generator structure since complete inhibition was not obtained and the frequency of the response was different from that of the stimulus. We suggest that the use of the optogenetic approach, which enabled us to perform the bidirectional modulation and direct readout from vMCx, has brought valid evidence for the causal connection between cortical activity and whisking motor output.

Cotransduction with MGMT and Ubiquitous or Erythroid-Specific GFP Lentiviruses Allows Enrichment of Dual-Positive Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells In Vivo

The P140K point mutant of MGMT allows robust hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) enrichment in vivo. Thus, dual-gene vectors that couple MGMT and therapeutic gene expression have allowed enrichment of gene-corrected HSCs in animal models. However, expression levels from dual-gene vectors are often reduced for one or both genes. Further, it may be desirable to express selection and therapeutic genes at distinct stages of cell differentiation. In this regard, we evaluated whether hematopoietic cells could be efficiently cotransduced using low MOIs of two separate single-gene lentiviruses, including MGMT for dual-positive cell enrichment. Cotransduction efficiencies were evaluated using a range of MGMT : GFP virus ratios, MOIs, and selection stringencies in vitro. Cotransduction was optimal when equal proportions of each virus were used, but low MGMT : GFP virus ratios resulted in the highest proportion of dual-positive cells after selection. This strategy was then evaluated in murine models for in vivo selection of HSCs cotransduced with a ubiquitous MGMT expression vector and an erythroid-specific GFP vector. Although the MGMT and GFP expression percentages were variable among engrafted recipients, drug selection enriched MGMT-positive leukocyte and GFP-positive erythroid cell populations. These data demonstrate cotransduction as a mean to rapidly enrich and evaluate therapeutic lentivectors in vivo.

Local BAFF gene silencing suppresses Th17-cell generation and ameliorates autoimmune arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease characterized by synovial inflammation and joint damage. Although both T cells and B cells mediate the disease pathogenesis, proinflammatory cytokines are critically involved. The TNF superfamily member B cell-activating factor (BAFF) plays an important role in humoral immunity and in autoimmune diseases, including RA. Here, we show that intra-articular injection of lentivirus expressing shRNA for BAFF gene silencing provides long-term suppression of arthritic development in a collagen-induced arthritis model. Local BAFF gene targeting inhibited proinflammatory cytokine expression, suppressed generation of plasma cells and Th17 cells, and markedly ameliorated joint pathology. Lentivirus targets dendritic cells in the joint tissue and BAFF gene silencing inhibits dendritic cell maturation and their function in driving Th17-cell differentiation in vitro. Moreover, we revealed a previously unrecognized role for BAFF in promoting the expansion of Th17 cells and demonstrated IL-17 as a crucial effector cytokine for BAFF-mediated proinflammatory effects during collagen-induced arthritis development. Taken together, these findings identify BAFF as a valuable gene-silencing target potentially for the effective treatment of RA.

Enhancement of cell-specific transgene expression from a Tet-Off regulatory system using a transcriptional amplification strategy in the rat brain

Background

The Tet-Off system uses a tetracycline-controlled transactivator protein (tTA) and a tetracycline-responsive promoter element (TRE) to regulate expression of a target gene. This system can be used to achieve regulatable transgene expression in specific cell types by employing a cell-specific promoter to drive tTA expression. Wide applications of this attractive approach are, however, hindered by relatively weak transcriptional activity of most cell-specific promoters. We report here the feasibility of using a transcriptional amplification strategy to overcome the problem.

Methods and results

In the developed cell-type-specific, Tet-inducible lentiviral system, two distinct cellular promoters were tested, a human synapsin-1 promoter for neurons and a compact glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter for astroglial cells. Lentiviral vectors were constructed that contained two copies of one or the other of these two promoters. One copy was used to drive the expression of a chimeric transactivator consisting of a part of the transcriptional activation domain of the NF-κB p65 protein fused to the DNA-binding domain of the yeast GAL4 protein. The second copy of the cell-specific promoter was modified by introduction of the GAL4 binding sequences at its 5′ end. This copy was used to drive expression of tTA. A gene encoding a red fluorescent protein was cloned into another lentiviral vector under transcriptional control of TRE. Co-transduction with the two types of viral vectors provided doxycycline-regulated transgene expression in a neuron- or astrocyte-specific manner. Compared to control viruses without transcriptional amplification, our enhanced systems were approximately 8-fold more potent in cultured neurons and astroglial cells and at least 8- to 12-fold more potent in the rat brain in vivo.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the transcriptional amplification strategy in developing viral gene delivery systems that combine the advantages of specific cell type targeting and Tet-inducible expression. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of Murine Leukemia Virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors for Gene Transfer in Multiple Myeloma: Lentiviral Vectors Demonstrate a Striking Capacity to Transduce Low-Proliferating Primary Tumor Cells

Genetic modification of primary tumor cells by gene transfer is of major interest to study the role of specific genes in the biology of a given malignancy and to modify tumor cells for therapeutic use. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a low-proliferating cancer, with often less than 1% of the cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. As primary myeloma cells are notoriously difficult to transduce, we conducted a comparison of various viral vectors, known to integrate the transgene of interest into the target genome, for their ability to stably promote the expression of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgene. We compared three murine leukemia virus-based vectors, differing only in their viral envelope, a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-based vector pseudotyped with the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G), and an adeno-associated virus type 2 vector. Transduction characteristics of these vectors were evaluated in human myeloma cell lines and in primary myeloma cells. Unequivocally, we observed that the VSV-G/HIV vector was the most efficient vector for transducing the cell lines and the only one able to transduce primary myeloma cells reproducibly. The mean percentage of transduced primary myeloma cells was 43.6% (range, 16.3-77.6%), with one round of infection at a low multiplicity of infection, including MM cell samples with less than 1% of cells in the S phase. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay demonstrated that this more efficient EGFP expression was associated with a higher GFP copy number in the targeted cell. We propose that lentiviral vectors should be used for transduction of nonproliferating primary tumor cells such as myeloma cells.

Doxycycline-regulated lentiviral vector system with a novel reverse transactivator rtTA2S-M2 shows a tight control of gene expression in vitro and in vivo

Regulated expression of therapeutic genes is required for long-term gene therapy applications for many disorders. Here we describe a doxycycline (dox)-regulated lentiviral vector system consisting of two HIV-1-based self-inactivating viruses. One of the vectors is constitutively expressing a novel improved version of the tetracycline reverse transactivator rtTA2(S)-M2 and the other has a rtTA responsive promoter driving the expression of beta-galactosidase gene (lacZ). The rtTA2(S)-M2 has highly improved properties with respect to specificity, stability and inducibility. Functionality of the system by dox was confirmed after in vitro cotransduction of Chinese hamster ovary and human endothelial hybridoma (EAhy926) cells. Regulation of the system showed tight control of the gene expression. Dose dependence for dox was seen with concentrations that can be obtained in vivo with doses normally used in clinical practice. LacZ expression could be switched on/off during long-term (3 months) culturing of cotransduced cells. The system was next tested in vivo after cotransduction into rat brain and studying expression of the lacZ gene in dox-treated and control rats. Nested RT-PCR confirmed that the tight control of the gene expression was achieved in vivo. Also, X-gal staining showed positive cells in the dox-treated rats, but not in the controls 10 days after cotransduction with 4 days preceding treatment with dox. It is concluded that our doxycycline-regulated vector system shows significant potential for long-term gene therapy treatments.

Dose-dependent neuroprotective effect of ciliary neurotrophic factor delivered via tetracycline-regulated lentiviral vectors in the quinolinic acid rat model of Huntington's disease

The ability to regulate gene expression constitutes a prerequisite for the development of gene therapy strategies aimed at the treatment of neurologic disorders. In the present work, we used tetracycline (Tet)-regulated lentiviral vectors to investigate the dose-dependent neuroprotective effect of human ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in the quinolinic acid (QA) model of Huntington's disease (HD). The Tet system was split in two lentiviruses, the first one containing the CNTF or green fluorescent protein (GFP) cDNAs under the control of the Tet-response element (TRE) and a second vector encoding the transactivator (tTA). Preliminary coinfection study demonstrated that 63.8% +/- 2.0% of infected cells contain at least two viral copies. Adult rats were then injected with CNTF- and GFP-expressing viral vectors followed 3 weeks later by an intrastriatal administration of QA. A significant reduction of apomorphine-induced rotations was observed in the CNTF-on group. In contrast, GFP-treated animals or CNTF-off rats displayed an ipsilateral turning behavior in response to apomorphine. A selective sparing of DARPP-32-, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-, and NADPH-d-positive neurons was observed in the striatum of CNTF-on rats compared to GFP animals and CNTF-off group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) performed on striatal samples of rats sacrificed at the same time point indicated that this neuroprotective effect was associated with the production of 15.5 +/- 4.7 ng CNTF per milligram of protein whereas the residual CNTF expression in the off state (0.54 +/- 0.02 ng/mg of protein) was not sufficient to protect against QA toxicity. These results establish the proof of principle of neurotrophic factor dosing for neurodegenerative diseases and demonstrate the feasibility of lentiviral-mediated tetracycline-regulated gene transfer in the brain.

Combination genetic therapy to inhibit HIV-1

Compared with single agents, combination antilentiviral pharmacotherapy targets multiple HIV-1 functions simultaneously, maximizing efficacy and decreasing chances of escape mutations. Combination genetic therapy could theoretically enhance efficacy similarly, but delivery of even single genes to high percentages of hematopoietic cells or their derivatives has proven problematic. Because of their high efficiency of gene delivery, we tested recombinant SV40-derived vectors (rSV40s) for this purpose. We made six rSV40s, each carrying a different transgene that targeted a different lentiviral function. We tested the ability of these constructs, individually and in double and triple combinations, to protect SupT1 human T lymphoma cells from HIV-1 challenge. Single chain antibodies (SFv) against CXCR4 and against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase (IN) were used, as were polymeric TAR decoys (PolyTAR) and a dominant-negative mutant of HIV-1 Rev (RevM10). Immunostaining showed that virtually all doubly treated cells expressed both transgenes. All transgenes individually protected from HIV-1 but, except for anti-CXCR4 SFv, their effectiveness diminished as challenge doses increased from 40 through 2500 tissue culture infectious dose(50) (TCID(50))/10(6) cells. However, all combinations of transgenes protected target cells better than individual transgenes, even from the highest challenge doses. Thus, combination gene therapies may inhibit HIV-1 better than single agents, and rSV40s may facilitate delivery of multigene therapeutics.