Infection efficiency of T lymphocytes with amphotropic retroviral vectors is cell cycle dependent

Reporter Gene Assays Using Viral Functional Genomics Libraries

While transfectable libraries are the workhorse for many screening cores, there is one obvious area where these reagents are not useful-hard to transfect cell lines and primary cells. One solution to this problem is the use of virus to introduce genomic reagents. This strategy is more commonplace now than ever before with libraries covering cDNAs, shDNAs, miRNAs, and guide RNAs readily available. Maintenance and use of these libraries are more challenging than the transient transfection approach due to the viral production step, and the infrastructure necessary to generate them. The following pages will delve into the details for working with arrayed well formats for both lentiviral and retroviral libraries.

Effect of Cell Cycle Phase on Sf9 Cell Activity and Autographa Californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus Infection

The distribution and activity of cell receptors, which are key factors of baculovirus-insect cell interactions, may be attributed to cell cycle. In fact, the virtual difference in time of infection is the difference in cell cycle distribution. In this work, the effects of cell cycle on cell activity and baculovirus production were investigated. Sf9 cells were infected with baculovirus at the different cycle phases. It was found that G1 phase plays a substantial role in cell activity and competence for the baculovirus replication. Sf9 cells have the highest succinate dehydrogenase activity and are most sensitive for the baculovirus replication when the proportion of G1 phase in cell population reaches a maximum. On the hand, cell activity is at the lowest when G2/M percentage reaches its maximum. These results provide a guidance in developing the baculovirus infection dynamics model and controlling the expression of useful foreign genes when cell cycle is taken into account.

A novel hybrid adenoretroviral vector with more extensive E3 deletion extends transgene expression in submandibular glands

Salivary glands are an attractive target for gene transfer. Salivary epithelial cells are considered to be highly differentiated and have low rates of cell division (~6 months), affording the opportunity to obtain relatively long-term transgene expression in the absence of genomic integration. Here, we report a novel modified hybrid adenoretroviral vector, which provides stable transgene expression in salivary epithelial cells in vivo for up to 6 months in the absence of genomic integration. This modified hybrid vector, Ad(ΔE1/3)LTR(2)EF1α-hEPO, encodes human erythropoietin (hEPO) and differs from a previously developed hybrid vector, AdLTR(2)EF1α-hEPO, by having more extensive E3 gene deletion. Following direct salivary gland gene transfer by retroductal cannulation, rats transduced with Ad(ΔE1/3)LTR(2)EF1α-hEPO had sustained, elevated serum hEPO levels and hematocrits for 6 months (length of experiment), as compared with ~2 months for animals administered the AdLTR(2)EF1α-hEPO vector. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that this novel vector could transduce both acinar and ductal cells. Interestingly, the Ad(ΔE1/3)LTR(2)EF1α-hEPO vector evoked much weaker local (salivary gland) immune responses than seen after AdLTR(2)EF1α-hEPO vector delivery, which likely permits its significantly lengthened transgene expression in this tissue.

The HIV-1 passage from cytoplasm to nucleus: the process involving a complex exchange between the components of HIV-1 and cellular machinery to access nucleus and successful integration

The human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) synthesizes its genomic DNA in cytoplasm as soon as it enters the cell. The newly synthesized DNA remains associated with viral/cellular proteins as a high molecular weight pre-integration complex (PIC), which precludes passive diffusion across intact nuclear membrane. However, HIV-1 successfully overcomes nuclear membrane barrier by actively delivering its DNA into nucleus with the help of host nuclear import machinery. Such ability allows HIV-1 to productively infect non-dividing cells as well as dividing cells at interphase. Further, HIV-1 nuclear import is also found important for the proper integration of viral DNA. Thus, nuclear import plays a crucial role in establishment of infection and disease progression. While several viral components, including matrix, viral protein R, integrase, capsid, and central DNA flap are implicated in HIV-1 nuclear import, their molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. In this review, we will elaborate the role of individual viral factors and some of current insights on their molecular mechanism(s) associated with HIV-1 nuclear import. In addition, we will discuss the importance of nuclear import for subsequent step of viral DNA integration. Hereby we aim to further our understanding on molecular mechanism of HIV-1 nuclear import and its potential usefulness for anti-HIV-1 strategies.

Intracellular partitioning of cell organelles and extraneous nanoparticles during mitosis

The nucleocytoplasmic partitioning of nanoparticles as a result of cell division is highly relevant to the field of nonviral gene delivery. We reviewed the literature on the intracellular distribution of cell organelles (the endosomal vesicles, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum and nucleus), foreign macromolecules (dextrans and plasmid DNA) and inorganic nanoparticles (gold, quantum dot and iron oxide) during mitosis. For nonviral gene delivery particles (lipid- or polymer-based), indirect proof of nuclear entry during mitosis is provided. We also describe how retroviruses and latent DNA viruses take advantage of mitosis to transfer their viral genome and segregate their episomes into the host daughter nuclei. Based on this knowledge, we propose strategies to improve nonviral gene delivery in dividing cells with the ultimate goal of designing nonviral gene delivery systems that are as efficient as their viral counterparts but non-immunogenic, non-oncogenic and easy and inexpensive to prepare.

Improved retroviral suicide gene transfer in colon cancer cell lines after cell synchronization with methotrexate

Background

Cancer gene therapy by retroviral vectors is mainly limited by the level of transduction. Retroviral gene transfer requires target cell division. Cell synchronization, obtained by drugs inducing a reversible inhibition of DNA synthesis, could therefore be proposed to precondition target cells to retroviral gene transfer. We tested whether drug-mediated cell synchronization could enhance the transfer efficiency of a retroviral-mediated gene encoding herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) in two colon cancer cell lines, DHDK12 and HT29.

Methods

Synchronization was induced by methotrexate (MTX), aracytin (ara-C) or aphidicolin. Gene transfer efficiency was assessed by the level of HSV-TK expression. Transduced cells were driven by ganciclovir (GCV) towards apoptosis that was assessed using annexin V labeling by quantitative flow cytometry.

Results

DHDK12 and HT29 cells were synchronized in S phase with MTX but not ara-C or aphidicolin. In synchronized DHDK12 and HT29 cells, the HSV-TK transduction rates were 2 and 1.5-fold higher than those obtained in control cells, respectively. Furthermore, the rate of apoptosis was increased two-fold in MTX-treated DHDK12 cells after treatment with GCV.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that MTX-mediated synchronization of target cells allowed a significant improvement of retroviral HSV-tk gene transfer, resulting in an increased cell apoptosis in response to GCV. Pharmacological control of cell cycle may thus be a useful strategy to optimize the efficiency of retroviral-mediated cancer gene therapy.

The host range of gammaretroviruses and gammaretroviral vectors includes post-mitotic neural cells

BACKGROUND

Gammaretroviruses and gammaretroviral vectors, in contrast to lentiviruses and lentiviral vectors, are reported to be restricted in their ability to infect growth-arrested cells. The block to this restriction has never been clearly defined. The original assessment of the inability of gammaretroviruses and gammaretroviral vectors to infect growth-arrested cells was carried out using established cell lines that had been growth-arrested by chemical means, and has been generalized to neurons, which are post-mitotic. We re-examined the capability of gammaretroviruses and their derived vectors to efficiently infect terminally differentiated neuroendocrine cells and primary cortical neurons, a target of both experimental and therapeutic interest.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Using GFP expression as a marker for infection, we determined that both growth-arrested (NGF-differentiated) rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells) and primary rat cortical neurons could be efficiently transduced, and maintained long-term protein expression, after exposure to murine leukemia virus (MLV) and MLV-based retroviral vectors. Terminally differentiated PC12 cells transduced with a gammaretroviral vector encoding the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL were protected from cell death induced by withdrawal of nerve growth factor (NGF), demonstrating gammaretroviral vector-mediated delivery and expression of genes at levels sufficient for therapeutic effect in non-dividing cells. Post-mitotic rat cortical neurons were also shown to be susceptible to transduction by murine replication-competent gammaretroviruses and gammaretroviral vectors.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

These findings suggest that the host range of gammaretroviruses includes post-mitotic and other growth-arrested cells in mammals, and have implications for re-direction of gammaretroviral gene therapy to neurological disease.

10-year stability of clinical-grade serum-free γ-retroviral vector-containing medium

More than 10 years ago, we developed an efficient protocol for serum-free retroviral transduction of human hematopoietic stem cells derived from mobilized peripheral blood. After upscaling of the methodology, serum-free retroviral gibbon-ape leukemia virus (GALV) pseudotype PG13/LN vector supernatant produced under strict good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions was used in the first clinical gene-marking trial in Germany. In this study, we analyzed the titer and transduction efficiency of this serum-free clinical-grade retroviral supernatant 10 years after production to evaluate the long-term stability. Long-term storage and transport on dry ice resulted in modestly decreased titers and levels of transduction efficiency in CD34+ cells ranging from 38.4 to 49.1%. We conclude that the stability of retroviral vectors in serum-free medium allows extended storage and distribution of approved clinical-grade retroviral vector stocks to distant sites in multicenter clinical trials.

The effect of cell cycle synchronization on tumor sensitivity to reovirus oncolysis

The potential for increased sensitivity of tumor cells to oncolytic reovirus by altering the normal cell cycle using clinically available pharmacological agents was investigated. B16.F10 mouse melanoma cells were partially synchronized with hydroxyurea, thymidine, or by mitotic shake-off. Cell survival was determined using MTS [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)- 2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium)] survival assay and virus yield in tumors by plaque assay. An enhanced sensitivity to reovirus was observed following the removal of either hydroxyurea or thymidine from the culture medium (P < 0.0001). The greatest survival difference compared to normal cycling cells was noted when the majority of cells were in S and G2/M phases, and was associated with increased viral replication. Cells collected by mitotic shake-off were nearly devoid of cells in S phase and were less susceptible to reovirus-induced cell kill than their nonsynchronized counterparts (P < 0.0001). In vivo combination of hydroxyurea followed by intratumoral reovirus resulted in reduced tumor growth and increased survival compared to monotherapy (P = 0.0041) at 15 days. Increased amounts of virus were retrieved from tumors from mice treated with sequential hydroxyurea/reovirus compared to concomitant treatment or reovirus monotherapy. These data justify clinical evaluation of this approach supported by the extensive experience, low cost, simple administration, and availability of hydroxyurea.

The foamy virus genome remains unintegrated in the nuclei of G1/S phase-arrested cells, and integrase is critical for preintegration complex transport into the nucleus

Foamy viruses are a member of the spumavirus subfamily of retroviruses with unique mechanisms of virus replication. Foamy virus replication is cell cycle dependent; however, the genome is found in the nuclei of cells arrested in the G(1)/S phase. Despite the presence of genome in the nuclei of growth-arrested cells, there is no viral gene expression, thus explaining its dependency on cell cycle. This report shows that the foamy virus genome remains unintegrated in G(1)/S phase-arrested cells. The foamy virus genome is detected by confocal microscopy in the nuclei of both dividing and growth-arrested cells. Alu PCR revealed foamy virus-specific DNA amplification from genomic DNA isolated in cycling cells at 24 h postinfection. In arrested cells no foamy virus DNA band was detected in cells harvested at 1 or 7 days after infection, and a very faint band that is significantly less than DNA amplified from cycling cells was observed at day 15. After these cells were arrested at the G(1)/S phase for 1, 7, or 15 days they were allowed to cycle, at which time foamy virus-specific DNA amplification was readily observed. Taken together, these results suggest that the foamy virus genome persists in nondividing cells without integrating. We have also established evidence for the first time that the foamy virus genome and Gag translocation into the nucleus are dependent on integrase in cycling cells, implicating the role of integrase in transport of the preintegration complex into the nucleus. Furthermore, despite the presence of a nuclear localization signal sequence in Gag, we observed no foamy virus Gag importation into the nucleus in the absence of integrase.

Extended transgene expression from a nonintegrating adenoviral vector containing retroviral elements

We studied the effects of specific retroviral elements in a first-generation serotype 5 adenoviral (Ad5) vector, AdLTR(2)EF1alpha-hEPO. This vector contains 858 base pair (bp) [251-bp envelope sequence plus 607-bp long-terminal repeat (LTR)] from Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV), upstream of the human elongation factor-1alpha (EF1alpha) promoter and human erythropoietin (hEPO) cDNA, with the LTR sequence downstream of the polyadenylation signal. We compared expression of AdLTR(2)EF1alpha-hEPO with corresponding expressions of two conventional Ad5 vectors, AdEF1alpha-hEPO and AdCMV-hEPO, in vivo in submandibular glands in rats. Both the conventional vectors yielded low serum hEPO levels by day 7, and little change in hematocrits. In contrast, after receiving AdLTR(2)EF1alpha-hEPO, the rats showed elevated hEPO levels and hematocrits for 1-3 months. In vitro studies showed that the integration efficiencies of all the vectors were similar (approximately 10(-3)). Approximately 0.1% of the vector genomes were present 1 year after delivery in the case of each of the three vectors, primarily as intact linear double-strand DNA. The unique results seen with AdLTR(2)EF1alpha-hEPO are partly because of LTR enhancer activity. However, other cis-acting activity, which is not immunomodulatory but nevertheless influences promoter methylation, appears to be involved. A vector such as AdLTR(2)EF1alpha-hEPO may prove useful in clinical applications in which extended, but not "permanent," transgene expression is desirable.

Multifactorial optimization of gammaretroviral gene transfer into human T lymphocytes for clinical application

The ability to genetically modify human T cells to target tumor antigens through retroviral gene transfer constitutes a potentially powerful approach to cancer immunotherapy. However, low transduction efficiencies may hamper the efficacy of such therapeutic strategies in the clinical setting. Most commonly, gammaretroviral gene transfer into T cells is conducted through spinoculation, that is, centrifugation of retroviral particles and T cells on RetroNectin-coated non-tissue culture vessels. Here we present data investigating the impact of temperature, speed, and frequency of spinoculation on T cell transduction efficiencies. We found that all three variables independently impacted gene transfer, with increasing temperature, speed, and frequency of spinoculation all enhancing the transduction of T cells. These improved conditions were additive, with the greatest proportion of transduced T cells being generated at the highest tested temperature and speed, after daily spinoculation for 2 to 3 days. Under these conditions, enhanced gene transfer was observed in T cells derived from healthy donors, using research-grade vector stocks. Whereas both RetroNectin and spinoculation were critical to optimal gene transduction, preloading of gammaretroviral particles before spinoculation did not enhance gene transfer. Significantly, application of these enhanced transduction conditions to T cells derived from previously treated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia allowed for adequate gene transfer under both small-scale and large-scale clinically applicable conditions using either preclinical or current Good Manufacturing Practice-grade gammaretroviral vector stocks.

Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase-β Is a Prognostic Marker and Therapeutic Target in Gynecologic Malignancies

Lysophosphatidic acid, the substrate for lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase beta (LPAAT-beta), is a well-studied autocrine/paracrine signaling molecule that is secreted by ovarian cancer cells and is found at elevated levels in the blood and ascites fluid of women with ovarian cancer. LPAAT-beta converts lysophosphatidic acid to phosphatidic acid, which functions as a cofactor in Akt/mTOR and Ras/Raf/Erk pathways. We report that elevated expression of LPAAT-beta was associated with reduced survival in ovarian cancer and earlier progression of disease in ovarian and endometrial cancer. Inhibition of LPAAT-beta using small interfering RNA or selective inhibitors, CT32521 and CT32228, two small-molecule noncompetitive antagonists representing two different classes of chemical structures, induces apoptosis in human ovarian and endometrial cancer cell lines in vitro at pharmacologically tenable nanomolar concentrations. Inhibition of LPAAT-beta also enhanced the survival of mice bearing ovarian tumor xenografts. Cytotoxicity was modulated by diacylglycerol effectors including protein kinase C and CalDAG-GEF1. LPAAT-beta was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and overexpression was associated with redistribution of protein kinase C-alpha. These findings identify LPAAT-beta as a potential prognostic and therapeutic target in ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Preparation of Genetically Homogeneous Antigen-Specific Thymidine Kinase Positive T-Lymphocyte Clones for the Control of Alloreactivity Post-Bone Marrow Transplantation

We have previously proposed the use of HLA-specific T-cell clones transduced with a suicide gene to produce an allogeneic effect that can be controlled after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Procedures described so far to obtain specific T-cells transduced with a suicide gene have led to the recovery of heterogeneous polyclonal T-cells with a limited level of purity. We have therefore developed an approach to select specific T-cell clones in which the suicide transgene is inserted at a unique site of the genome, and used it to produce CD(+)-cytotoxic HLA-DP-specific T-cell clones. Immunization was performed by a one-way mixed lymphocyte culture and responder T lymphocytes were transduced at day 16, 6 days after the second stimulation. Transductions were carried out using gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV)-pseudotyped retroviral particles harboring a bicistronic Thy-1/TK vector produced by TEFLY GA16-pKM4 clone 34 packaging cells. Three to 5 days later, CD90 immunomagnetic selection and cloning were performed on the transduced T cells. Our results demonstrate that this procedure led to the recovery of T-cell clones, the majority of which had the expected specificity and a single site of transgene insertion. Such clonotransgenic T-cell populations represent suitable tools to drive a defined alloreaction that can be controlled after bone marrow transplantation.

Retroviral vectors for human gene delivery

The potential for gene therapy to cure a wide range of diseases has lead to high expectations and a great increase in research efforts in this area. At present, viral vectors are the most efficient means of delivering a corrective gene into human cells. While a number of different viral vectors are under development, retroviral vectors are currently the most common type used in clinical trials today. However, the production of retroviral vectors for gene therapy applications faces a number of challenges. Of primary concern is the low titre of vector stocks produced by packaging cells in culture and the inherent instability of retroviral vector activity. The problems facing large-scale retroviral vector production are outlined in this review and the research efforts by a number of groups who have attempted to optimise production methods are presented.

Foamy virus vectors

Gene therapy is a promising novel treatment for a variety of human diseases. Successful application of gene therapy requires the availability of vehicles with the ability to efficiently deliver and express genes. Viral vectors are efficient means of transferring a gene of interest into target cells. Current available vehicles for gene transfer are either inefficient or potentially unsafe for human gene therapy applications. Foamy viruses offer a fresh alternative vector system for gene transfer with the potential to overcome the concerns of the current vectors. Foamy viruses are nonpathogenic and have a broad host range with the ability to infect various types of cells from different species. Foamy virus replication is distinct and may provide an edge for foamy virus vector usage over other retroviral vectors. These features offer the foamy vectors unique opportunities to deliver several genes into a number of different cell types in vivo safely and efficiently. The principal problems for the design of foamy virus vectors have been solved, and several foamy virus vectors that efficiently transduce a variety of cell types are available. This chapter reviews specific features of foamy virus vector systems and recent advances in the development and use of these vectors.

Inclusion of Moloney murine leukemia virus elements upstream of the transgene cassette in an E1-deleted adenovirus leads to an unusual genomic integration in epithelial cells

Classically, the 5' and 3' long terminal repeats (LTRs) are considered necessary but not sufficient for retroviral integration. Recently, we reported that inclusion of these and additional elements from Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV) facilitated transgene integration, without retroviral integrase, when placed in an adenoviral context (AdLTR-luc vector) (Nat. Biotech. 18 (2000), 176; Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 300 (2003), 115). To help understand this nonhomologous DNA recombination event, we constructed another vector, AdELP-luc, with 2.7 kb of MoMLV elements identically placed into an E1-deleted adenovirus type 5 backbone upstream of a luciferase cDNA reporter gene. Unlike AdLTR-luc, no MoMLV elements were placed downstream of the expression cassette. AdELP-luc readily infected epithelial cells in vitro. Southern hybridizations with DNA from cloned cells showed that disruption of the MoMLV sequences occurred. One cell clone, grown in vitro without any special selection medium for 9 months, exhibited stable vector integration and luciferase activity. Importantly, both Southern hybridization and FISH analyses showed that in addition to the MoMLV elements and expression cassette, substantial adenoviral sequence downstream of the luciferase cDNA was genomically integrated. These results suggest that the 2.7 kb of MoMLV sequence included in AdELP-luc have cis-acting functions and mediates an unusual integration event.

Breakthroughs in cancer gene therapy

OBJECTIVES

To give oncology nurses an overview on the vectors and selected approaches used in the current clinical trials involving gene transfer to cancer patients.

DATA SOURCES

Peer-reviewed scientific papers, review articles, and book chapters.

CONCLUSION

Significant progress has been made in the field of cancer gene therapy. Different phases of clinical protocols derived from new generations of vectors and novel approaches are being tested for use in the treatment of patients with cancer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Oncology nurses need to be familiar with current advances in the field of cancer gene therapy to expand their role as health care professional, patient educator, and advocate for the treatment of patients with cancer.

Insulin-enhanced liposome-mediated gene transfer into a gastric carcinoma cell line

1. Liposome-mediated transfection is useful due to no DNA constraints, lower immunogenicity and easy preparation. However, it has the disadvantage of low transfection efficiency. We aimed to test whether lipofection efficiency could be enhanced in gastrointestinal cell lines by the growth-promoting effect of insulin. 2. To assess the effect of insulin on lipofection efficiency and the cell cycle, expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and DNA distribution in gastric (MKN1), colonic (HT29) and pancreatic (BxPC3) carcinoma cell lines was analysed using flow cytometry. 3. The percentage of positive cells with GFP was significantly higher in MKN1 cells in culture medium with 5 mg/mL insulin than without insulin, whereas the percentage was the same in HT29 and BxPC3 cells with insulin as without insulin. The percentage of S phase fraction MKN1 cells with insulin was greater than without insulin, whereas the percentage of S phase fractions of HT29 and BxPC3 cells was the same with or without insulin. Lipofection efficiency correlated with the percentage of S phase fraction. 4. Insulin has the potential to enhance efficiency of lipofection into a sensitive cell line by increasing cellular proliferation.

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transcription by chemical cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors

Cyclin-dependent kinases (cdk's) have recently been suggested to regulate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transcription. Previously, we have shown that expression of one cdk inhibitor, p21/Waf1, is abrogated in HIV-1 latently infected cells. Based on this result, we investigated the transcription of HIV-1 in the presence of chemical drugs that specifically inhibited cdk activity and functionally mimicked p21/Waf1 activity. HIV-1 production in virally integrated lymphocytic and monocytic cell lines, such as ACH(2), 8E5, and U1, as well as activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells infected with syncytium-inducing (SI) or non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) HIV-1 strains, were all inhibited by Roscovitine, a purine derivative that reversibly competes for the ATP binding site present in cdk's. The decrease in viral progeny in the HIV-1-infected cells was correlated with a decrease in the transcription of HIV-1 RNAs in cells treated with Roscovitine and not with the non-cdk general cell cycle inhibitors, such as hydroxyurea (G(1)/S blocker) or nocodazole (M-phase blocker). Cyclin A- and E-associated histone H1 kinases, as well as cdk 7 and 9 activities, were all inhibited in the presence of Roscovitine. The 50% inhibitory concentration of Roscovitine on cdk's 9 and 7 was determined to be approximately 0.6 microM. Roscovitine could selectively sensitize HIV-1-infected cells to apoptosis at concentrations that did not impede the growth and proliferation of uninfected cells. Apoptosis induced by Roscovitine was found in both latent and activated infected cells, as evident by Annexin V staining and the cleavage of the PARP protein by caspase-3. More importantly, contrary to many apoptosis-inducing agents, where the apoptosis of HIV-1-infected cells accompanies production and release of infectious HIV-1 viral particles, Roscovitine treatment selectively killed HIV-1-infected cells without virion release. Collectively, our data suggest that cdk's are required for efficient HIV-1 transcription and, therefore, we propose specific cdk inhibitors as potential antiviral agents in the treatment of AIDS.

Variation in adenovirus receptor expression and adenovirus vector-mediated transgene expression at defined stages of the cell cycle

Detailed investigations have addressed the infection pathway of recombinant adenovirus (Ad) gene transfer vectors, but little attention has been paid to the influence of cell physiology on the outcome of Ad infection. Based on observations that Ad infection of clonal cell populations show cell-to-cell variability in the extent of capsid binding, we hypothesized that the cell cycle may influence the outcome of Ad infection. To address this hypothesis, we evaluated Ad association with cells in both unsynchronized and pharmacologically synchronized cell populations. In unsynchronized cell populations, elevated Ad association with cells correlated with expression of cyclin B1, a marker of entry into the M phase of mitosis. The same analysis conducted on cell populations that were synchronized at M phase (using paclitaxel or nocodazole) or at S phase (using aphidicolin) confirmed that M phase cells bound three- to sixfold more capsid compared with unsynchronized cells, which are primarily in the G(1) and G(2) phases. The elevated association of vectors with cells translated into 2.5- to 4-fold greater transgene expression 24 hours after infection. Assessment of cell surface expression of Ad receptors demonstrated that both the high-affinity coxsackie-adenovirus receptor for Ad fiber protein and the low-affinity alpha(v) integrin receptor for Ad penton base protein showed increased cell surface expression at M phase (1.5-fold and 2- to 3-fold increases, respectively). These data demonstrate that Ad infection of a homogenous population of cells can vary depending on the cell cycle stage, with enhanced Ad binding and expression correlating with the enhanced expression of Ad receptors during M phase. These observations have relevance to understanding the mechanisms of gene transfer by Ad vectors and should help in the design of in vivo gene transfer strategies.

Use of suicide gene-expressing donor T-cells to control alloreactivity after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Conditional ablation of alloreactive donor T-cells to prevent or treat graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in the context of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation could significantly contribute to expand the use of alloreactivity as a treatment modality. The prevention and treatment of GvHD induced by herpes simplex virus 1-thymidine kinase (HS-tk)-expressing donor T-cells by ganciclovir (GCV) has been demonstrated. Early clinical findings suggest that the use of such cells early or late after transplantation is associated with no acute toxicity, persistent circulation of the gene-modified cells (GMC) and GCV-sensitive GvHD. However, a number of limitations such as reduced immune function of gene-modified T-cells, immunogenicity of GMC as well as presence of a truncated HS-tk gene have emerged and need to be addressed.

The efficiency of simian foamy virus vector type-1 (SFV-1) in nondividing cells and in human PBLs

Current retroviral vectors based on murine leukemia virus (MuLV) are unable to efficiently transduce nondividing cells. Lentiviruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) are efficient at transducing nondividing, growth-arrested, and post-mitotic cells, but due to complex safety considerations, they may have limited potential for human clinical gene transfer. For this reason, alternatives to MuLV and HIV-1 vectors need to be explored. In this paper, we have found that simian foamy virus vector (SFV-1) containing a CMV-LacZ expression cassette is able to efficiently transduce multiple cell types of various species that include epithelial, lymphoid, and hematopoietic-derived human cell lines and fibroblast cell lines of several species. Previously it was reported that foamy virus replication is cell cycle dependent (P. D. Bieniasz, R. A. Weiss, and M. O. McClure, 1995. J. Virol. 69, 7295-7299). However, others studies demonstrated nuclear import of viral DNA in arrested cells (A. Saibi, F. Puvion-Dutilleul, M. Schmid, J. Peries, and H. d. The 1997. J. Virol. 71, 1155-1161). Here, we show efficient LacZ transduction by SFV-1 vectors in several chemically arrested cell lines and terminally differentiated human neurons. SFV-1 vector can transduce cell lines arrested in G1/S phase of the cell cycle by aphidicolin treatment with similar efficiencies to that of dividing cells. The terminally differentiated human neural cell line, NT2N, was transduced with 30-50% efficiency, corroborating our data obtained with the arrested cell lines. To further examine whether the SFV-1 vector can efficiently deliver a gene into clinically important cells for gene therapy, we transduced primary human peripheral blood cells (PBLs) in the presence and absence of phytohemagglutanin (PHA) stimulation. We observed 81% transduction efficiency in non-stimulated PBLs and 87% in PHA-stimulated PBLs with vector infection carried out twice in 8 hours intervals at a multiplicity of infection of 1. Together, these data indicate that SFV-1 based retroviral vectors may provide a safe, efficient alternative to current onco- and lentiviral vectors for gene transfer in cells from a broad spectrum of lineages across species boundaries.

Systematic analysis of clinically applicable conditions leading to a high efficiency of transduction and transgene expression in human T cells

BACKGROUND

The transduction of human peripheral blood T cells with retroviral vectors constitutes an attractive approach for the correction of a number of genetic diseases. In this study we have conducted a systematic analysis of the relevance of a large number of parameters currently considered to affect the transduction of, and transgene expression in, human T cells.

METHODS

Retroviral vectors encoding the human nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) were used for transducing human T cells from normal volunteers. The proportion of T cells that expressed the marker transgene was determined by flow cytometry using anti-NGFR antibodies.

RESULTS

Spinoculation and static fibronectin (FN)-assisted infections improved to a similar extent the transduction efficiency of PHA/IL-2 stimulated T cells, when compared with samples subjected to standard static infections. When immobilized anti-CD3 (anti-CD3i) or anti-CD3i/28i-stimulated T cells were considered, static infections in FN-coated plates were reproducibly more efficient than spinoculation infections performed on FN-uncoated plates. Under optimized manipulation conditions (three infection cycles of anti-CD3i/28i-stimulated T cells in FN-coated plates) the total number of NGFR+ T cells harvested after 7 days of incubation represented, on average, twice the total number of T cells seeded at Day 0, and up to 95% of the human T cells efficiently expressed the marker transgene. Similar results were obtained regardless of whether samples were manipulated in medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum or with heat-inactivated autologous serum.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study offers new experimental conditions for the transduction of human T cells, with obvious implications for the development of gene therapy protocols.

Development of multigene and regulated lentivirus vectors

Previously we described safe and efficient three-component human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based gene transfer systems for delivery of genes into nondividing cells (H. Mochizuki, J. P. Schwartz, K. Tanaka, R. O. Brady, and J. Reiser, J. Virol. 72:8873-8883, 1998). To apply such vectors in anti-HIV gene therapy strategies and to express multiple proteins in single target cells, we have engineered HIV-1 vectors for the concurrent expression of multiple transgenes. Single-gene vectors, bicistronic vectors, and multigene vectors expressing up to three exogenous genes under the control of two or three different transcriptional units, placed within the viral gag-pol coding region and/or the viral nef and env genes, were designed. The genes encoding the enhanced version of green fluorescent protein (EGFP), mouse heat-stable antigen (HSA), and bacterial neomycin phosphotransferase were used as models whose expression was detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, fluorescence microscopy, and G418 selection. Coexpression of these reporter genes in contact-inhibited primary human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) persisted for at least 6 weeks in culture. Coexpression of the HSA and EGFP reporter genes was also achieved following cotransduction of target cells using two separate lentivirus vectors encoding HSA and EGFP, respectively. For the regulated expression of transgenes, tetracycline (Tet)-regulatable lentivirus vectors encoding the reverse Tet transactivator (rtTA) and EGFP controlled by a Tet-responsive element (TRE) were constructed. A binary HIV-1-based vector system consisting of a lentivirus encoding rtTA and a second lentivirus harboring a TRE driving the EGFP reporter gene was also designed. Doxycycline-modulated expression of the EGFP transgene was confirmed in transduced primary HSFs. These versatile vectors can potentially be used in a wide range of gene therapy applications.

Primary T lymphocytes as targets for gene therapy

Peripheral blood T lymphocytes have been considered an attractive target for gene therapy applications. They can be easily harvested and readily expanded ex vivo. The transduction efficiency of primary human lymphocytes with standard retroviral vectors approaches 50% or more using optimized methods of gene transfer. Other methods of gene transfer, including adenoviral, adeno-associated viral, and lentiviral vectors, or nonviral techniques, have also been used for gene transfer into primary lymphocytes. Despite encouraging results in vitro, human clinical trials using retroviral vectors to transduce primary lymphocytes have been hindered by low expression levels of transgenes and immune responses against transgene products. Strategies to overcome these problems need to be developed.

Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer in primary T lymphocytes: influence of the transduction/selection process and of ex vivo expansion on the T cell receptor beta chain hypervariable region repertoire

We have initiated a phase I/II clinical trial, involving the use of herpes simplex thymidine kinase gene (HS-tk)-expressing donor primary T cells, in order to modulate the graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) occurring after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The preparation of gene-modified T cells (TkTCs) required a 12-day ex vivo culture comprising an initial OKT3 and IL-2 stimulation, a retrovirus-mediated transduction, and a 7-day selection step in the presence of G418 and IL-2. The low transduction efficiency as well as the culture conditions may significantly alter the diversity of the T cell repertoire. We therefore examined the T cell repertoire of HS-tk-expressing T cell samples from 11 different donors by the Immunoscope method. This method analyzes the hypervariable region of the T cell receptor beta chain (TCRBV) by amplifying the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) and determining size diversity. In all examined samples (four of which were infused into patients), all TCRBV subfamilies were represented with, however, a significant skewing within a minority of subfamilies. Kinetic studies demonstrated that this skewing appeared between day 7 and day 12, with dates of appearance variable from one subfamily to another. In addition, the repertoire analysis of two different culture products, harvested and produced at different times from the same donors, suggested that some repertoire abnormalities could be donor specific. Quantitative analysis revealed no major modifications in gene usage, even in skewed TCRBV subfamilies, with a few clonal expansions concerning a limited number of TCRBV subfamilies. Importantly, identical abnormalities were found in control cells grown in parallel under similar conditions but not transduced or selected, thus demonstrating that these abnormalities were not related to the transduction or the selection process, but rather to the ex vivo culture. The initial stimulus used for T cell activation is a major source of TCRBV perturbation, since replacing the OKT3 + IL-2 stimulus by CD3 + CD28 monoclonal antibody-coated beads prevented the occurrence of alterations. Overall, the HS-tk-expressing T cells used in our clinical trial exhibit limited TCR repertoire skewing that is not due to the transduction/selection procedure. However, future T cell gene transfer protocols for clinical trials should be designed to take into account or possibly prevent such T cell repertoire alterations.

Genomic integration and gene expression by a modified adenoviral vector

A replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus encoding luciferase was constructed using 5' and 3' long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences of the Moloney murine leukemia virus. Gene expression was observed in cultured cells in vitro and in submandibular gland, cortex, and caudate nucleus for as long as three months in vivo. The vector integrated randomly into the genome of both dividing and nondividing cells as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) (10-15% of cells in vitro and 5% in rat spleen in vivo), gene walking, Southern hybridization, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in the absence of transcomplementing reverse transcriptase or integrase activity. The new vector combines the high titer and versatility of adenoviral vectors with the long-term gene expression and integration of retroviral vectors.

Genetically modified CD34+ cells as cellular vehicles for gene delivery into areas of angiogenesis in a rhesus model

To develop a cellular vehicle able to reach systemically disseminated areas of angiogenesis, we sought to exploit the natural tropism of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Primate CD34+ EPCs were genetically modified with high efficiency and minimal toxicity using a non-replicative herpes virus vector. These EPCs localized in a skin autograft model of angiogenesis in rhesus monkeys, and sustained the expression of a reporter gene for several weeks while circulating in the blood. In animals infused with autologous CD34+ EPCs transduced with a thymidine kinase-encoding herpes virus, skin autografts and subcutaneous Matrigel pellets impregnated with vascular growth factors underwent necrosis or accelerated regression after administration of ganciclovir. Importantly, the whole intervention was perfectly well tolerated. The accessibility, easy manipulation, lack of immunogenicity of the autologous CD34+ cell vehicles, and tropism for areas of angiogenesis render autologous CD34+ circulating endothelial progenitors as ideal candidates for exploration of their use as cellular vehicles when systemic gene delivery to those areas is required. Gene Therapy (2000) 7, 43-52.

T lymphocyte transduction with herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene: comparison of four different infection protocols

In this study, we assessed the efficiency of T lymphocyte transduction with a retroviral vector carrying the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) and neomycin phosphotransferase (neo) genes by four different protocols: standard supernatant infection, supernatant infection plus centrifugation steps, supernatant infection on fibronectin fragment-coated wells, and cocultivation. After retrovirus-mediated gene transfer of tk-neo in PHA/IL-2-stimulated primary T lymphocytes and G418 selection, T cells retained their proliferative activity, alloresponsiveness, ability to produce and to respond to IL-2, and ganciclovir (gcv)-specific sensitivity. When the four different transduction techniques were compared, no significant differences were seen in terms of cellular viability, proliferation capacity, and immunophenotyping. tk gene expression was the same in all transduced selected populations, as indicated by gcv sensitivity. Transduction efficiency was evaluated by semiquantitative PCR. Using the standard supernatant infection method, the rate of infection was extremely low (<5%). After adding the centrifugation step or performing supernatant infection on fibronectin fragment-coated wells, PCR analysis showed a 30%-40% rate of transduced cells. After infection by cocultivation, the rate of transduced cells was 30%-40%. These results demonstrate that supernatant infection plus centrifugation, supernatant infection on fibronectin fragment-coated wells, and cocultivation methods provide equivalent rates of transduced cells. The lack of reproducibility and safety indicates that cocultivation is not suitable for clinical studies. In our view, supernatant infection plus centrifugation is easier to perform than using fibronectin fragments, and it is currently the optimal method for clinical studies when large quantities of T lymphocytes are being processed.

Selective transduction of protease-rich tumors by matrix-metalloproteinase-targeted retroviral vectors

We recently showed that retroviral vectors can be targeted through protease substrate interactions. Infectivity is blocked by a polypeptide fused to the viral envelope glycoprotein (SU) and is restored when a protease cleaves the connecting linker, releasing the inhibitory polypeptide from the viral surface. Protease specificity is achieved by engineering the sequence of the linker. Here, using two different matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-activatable vectors, we demonstrated highly efficient and selective transduction of MMP-rich target cells in a heterogeneous cell population. In vivo, the MMP-targeted vectors showed strong selectivity for MMP-rich tumor xenografts. Protease-activatable vectors offer new possibilities for in vivo targeting of gene delivery.

Expansion and fibronectin-enhanced retroviral transduction of primary human T lymphocytes for adoptive immunotherapy

Human lymphocytes remain among the most promising target cells for gene therapy. Gene-modified lymphocytes have been used successfully to treat adenosine deaminase (ADA)-deficient patients and to control GvHD after allogeneic BMT. Because activation and proliferation of T cells are necessary for efficient retrovirus-mediated gene transfer and subsequent selection of transduced cells, mononuclear cells (MNC) from steady-state and G-CSF-stimulated peripheral blood were activated by short exposure to the mitogen PHA, the anti-CD3 antibody OKT3, or both in the presence of different concentrations of recombinant IL-2. Using OKT3 (10 or 30 ng/ml) and IL-2 (100 U/ml), T cells expanded efficiently during a 14-day culture period. Cell expansion was similar under serum-free conditions. The immunophenotypic profile over time showed a marked increase in CD8+ cells, leading to a reversed CD4/CD8 ratio of 1:2 and a slight increase in CD56+ cells. Supernatant-based centrifugal transduction of primary human T lymphocytes was compared with supernatant transduction on the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin. Transduction with cell-free retrovirus-containing supernatant in tissue culture flasks coated with human plasma fibronectin led to significantly higher transduction efficiencies (20% +/- 7.5%) than centrifugal transduction in uncoated culture flasks (13.6% +/- 5.1%)(p = 0.041). To both rapidly characterize transduced cells and isolate these from residual nontransduced but biologically equivalent cells, an amphotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMuLV)-based retroviral vector containing the intracytoplasmically truncated human low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor (deltaLNGFR) cDNA as a marker gene was used. FACS sorting of T cells after transduction resulted in >90% LNGFR+ cells and was much faster than enrichment of transduced cells through growth in G418-selection medium. These results show that supernatant-based retroviral gene transfer into primary human T lymphocytes can be enhanced by fibronectin. Ectopic expression of a cell surface protein can be used to rapidly and conveniently quantitate transduction efficiency through FACS analysis and to efficiently enrich transduced cells through FACS sorting.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized peripheral blood stem cells enter into G1 of the cell cycle and express higher levels of amphotropic retrovirus receptor mRNA

We compared the cell cycle status and expression of mRNA for the amphotropic retroviral receptor in hematopoietic stem cells isolated from bone marrow and cytokine mobilized peripheral blood. CD34+ cells from six normal volunteers were enriched by immune selection from steady-state bone marrow and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilized peripheral blood (10 microg/kg/day for 5 days). Cell cycle status of the phenotypically primitive CD34+CD38- hematopoietic stem cell population was analyzed using a four-color flow cytometry technique that distinguished the G0, G1, and S/IG2/M phases of the cell cycle. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure mRNA expression of the amphotropic retroviral receptor. Peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells had 2.6-fold more cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle compared to steady-state bone marrow. Furthermore, lineage CD34+CD38- cells from G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood had a fourfold higher level of amphotropic retrovirus receptor mRNA. In conclusion, we found that CD34+ CD38- hematopoietic stem cells isolated from G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood differ from those isolated from steady-state bone marrow in that a significant proportion have entered the G1 phase of the cell cycle and express higher levels of amphotropic receptor mRNA. These biologic properties are consistent with the reported rapid recovery of hematopoietic function following transplantation with peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells and make these cells a preferred target for retroviral-based gene transfer.

Improvement of gene transduction efficiency in T lymphocytes using retroviral vectors

Successful gene transfer into T lymphocytes would provide a useful therapeutic modality for the treatment of various diseases and a valuable way to study T cell functions. Currently, most protocols involving gene transfer into T lymphocytes utilize amphotropic retroviral vectors. However, transduction efficiency using these vectors is relatively low because of the high proportion of resting cells, the concentration-dependent growth manner of T lymphocytes, and the low titer of retroviral vectors. In this article we define conditions that provide high levels of transduction by using IL-2 prestimulation and LipofectAMINE for both mouse and human T lymphocytes. We compared the effects of IL-2 prestimulation on transduction efficiencies at different time points and achieved maximum transfer levels at 72 hr after the incubation. By combining the best prestimulation time and cationic lipids-LipofectAMINE at a dose of 0.8 microM, the transduction efficiencies were increased to 45-75% (62.3 +/- 4.3%) in human T lymphocytes and to 21-33% (27 +/- 1.42%) in murine T lymphocytes as determine by FDG staining and X-Gal visualization, compared with 5% with conventional methods. These results indicate that transduction efficiencies in T lymphocytes can be significantly improved by a prolonged preincubation with IL-2 and by the addition of LipofectAMINE.

Stable transduction of quiescent CD34(+)CD38(-) human hematopoietic cells by HIV-1-based lentiviral vectors

We compared the efficiency of transduction by an HIV-1-based lentiviral vector to that by a Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) retroviral vector, using stringent in vitro assays of primitive, quiescent human hematopoietic progenitor cells. Each construct contained the enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene. The lentiviral vector, but not the MLV vector, expressed GFP in nondivided CD34(+) cells (45.5% GFP+) and in CD34(+)CD38(-) cells in G0 (12.4% GFP+), 48 hr after transduction. However, GFP could also be detected short-term in CD34(+) cells transduced with a lentiviral vector that contained a mutated integrase gene. The level of stable transduction from integrated vector was determined after extended long-term bone marrow culture. Both MLV vectors and lentiviral vectors efficiently transduced cytokine-stimulated CD34(+) cells. The MLV vector did not transduce more primitive, quiescent CD34(+)CD38(-) cells (n = 8). In contrast, stable transduction of CD34(+)CD38(-) cells by the lentiviral vector was seen for over 15 weeks of extended long-term culture (9.2 +/- 5.2%, n = 7). GFP expression in clones from single CD34(+)CD38(-) cells confirmed efficient, stable lentiviral transduction in 29% of early and late-proliferating cells. In the absence of growth factors during transduction, only the lentiviral vector was able to transduce CD34(+) and CD34(+)CD38(-) cells (13.5 +/- 2.5%, n = 11 and 12.2 +/- 9.7%, n = 4, respectively). The lentiviral vector is clearly superior to the MLV vector for transduction of quiescent, primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cells and may provide therapeutically useful levels of gene transfer into human hematopoietic stem cells.

Embolization of portal vein branches induces hepatocyte replication in swine: a potential step in hepatic gene therapy

PURPOSE

To determine whether embolization of portal vein branches would stimulate hepatocyte replication in pigs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The portal vein branches supplying 50%-70% of the liver were embolized in eight pigs by using a combination of coils and polyvinyl alcohol particles. The extent of embolization was assessed at portography in all animals and at computed tomography in one animal. Hepatocyte replication was determined by calculating the percentage of cells that incorporated bromodeoxyuridine into their nuclei. Animals survived up to 35 days after the procedure.

RESULTS

Embolization of the portal vein branches supplying the left and median lobes caused transient increases of less than 70% in portal vein pressures and of less than 100% in liver enzyme levels. Indocyanine green clearance was measured in two animals and decreased less than 50%. The percentage of replicating hepatocytes in the nonembolized lobe was 0% on day 0, 7% on day 2, 14% on day 7, and 2% on day 12.

CONCLUSION

Substantial hepatocyte replication occurred 2-7 days after embolization of portal vein branches. Further research will help determine if this procedure can facilitate retroviral transduction in large animals. If successful, the low morbidity of this method may allow its use in humans for gene therapy.

High-titer human immunodeficiency virus type 1-based vector systems for gene delivery into nondividing cells

Previously we designed novel pseudotyped high-titer replication defective human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vectors to deliver genes into nondividing cells (J. Reiser, G. Harmison, S. Kluepfel-Stahl, R. O. Brady, S. Karlsson, and M. Schubert, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:15266-15271, 1996). Since then we have made several improvements with respect to the safety, flexibility, and efficiency of the vector system. A three-plasmid expression system is used to generate pseudotyped HIV-1 particles by transient transfection of human embryonic kidney 293T cells with a defective packaging construct, a plasmid coding for a heterologous envelope (Env) protein, and a vector construct harboring a reporter gene such as neo, ShlacZ (encoding a phleomycin resistance/beta-galactosidase fusion protein), HSA (encoding mouse heat-stable antigen), or EGFP (encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein). The packaging constructs lack functional Vif, Vpr, and Vpu proteins and/or a large portion of the Env coding region as well as the 5' and 3' long terminal repeats, the Nef function, and the presumed packaging signal. Using G418 selection, we routinely obtained vector particles pseudotyped with the vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein (VSV-G) with titers of up to 8 x 10(7) CFU/microgram of p24, provided that a functional Tat coding region was present in the vector. Vector constructs lacking a functional Tat protein yielded titers of around 4 x 10(6) to 8 x 10(6) CFU/microgram of p24. Packaging constructs with a mutation within the integrase (IN) core domain profoundly affected colony formation and expression of the reporter genes, indicating that a functional IN protein is required for efficient transduction. We explored the abilities of other Env proteins to allow formation of pseudotyped HIV-1 particles. The rabies virus and Mokola virus G proteins yielded high-titer infectious pseudotypes, while the human foamy virus Env protein did not. Using the improved vector system, we successfully transduced contact-inhibited primary human skin fibroblasts and postmitotic rat cerebellar neurons and cardiac myocytes, a process not affected by the lack of the accessory proteins.

T cell activation modulates retrovirus-mediated gene expression

Important considerations for T lymphocyte-based gene therapy include efficient gene delivery and expression in primary, human T cells. In this study, retrovirus-mediated gene transfer and the fate of proviral gene expression were evaluated in human T cells activated using (1) immobilized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (MAb) plus interleukin 2, or (2) cis costimulation using beads carrying coimmobilized anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 MAbs. By cross-linking the CD3 and CD28 receptors, these MAbs mimic in vivo signaling events, leading to cytokine production and proliferation. A modified human interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) cDNA inserted into the MFG retroviral vector served as an indicator gene. Retroviral transduction frequencies were similar for T lymphocytes activated by the respective methods. However, early after MAb stimulation and virus exposure, proviral gene expression was greater at the RNA and protein levels in optimized anti-CD3/anti-CD28 bead-activated T cells, corresponding with augmented endogenous cytokine responses and mitogenesis. Proviral gene expression was not regulated by extrinsic cell factors present in activated T cell supernatants. Regardless of the MAb stimulation method, proviral IL-1beta expression declined in later T cell cultures concomitant with a decrease in cellular cytokines. Restimulation by either method reinduced both T cell activity and vector expression. Our finding that proviral gene regulation is downmodulated in the absence of T cell signaling events has implications for clinical strategies using retrovirus-modified T cells.

Identification of Human and Mouse Hematopoietic Stem Cell Populations Expressing High Levels of mRNA Encoding Retrovirus Receptors

One obstacle to retrovirus-mediated gene therapy for human hematopoietic disorders is the low efficiency of gene transfer into pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). We have previously shown a direct correlation between retrovirus receptor mRNA levels in mouse HSC and the efficiency with which they are transduced. In the present study, we assayed retrovirus receptor mRNA levels in a variety of mouse and human HSC populations to identify HSC which may be more competent for retrovirus transduction. The highest levels of amphotropic retrovirus receptor (amphoR) mRNA were found in cryopreserved human cord blood HSC. The level of amphoR mRNA in Lin−CD34+ CD38− cells isolated from frozen cord blood was 12-fold higher than the level in fresh cord blood Lin− CD34+ CD38− cells. In mice, the level of amphoR mRNA in HSC from the bone marrow (BM) of mice treated with stem cell factor and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor was 2.8- to 7.8-fold higher than in HSC from the BM of untreated mice. These findings suggest that HSC from frozen cord blood and cytokine-mobilized BM may be superior targets for amphotropic retrovirus transduction compared with HSC from untreated adult BM.

Identification of Human and Mouse Hematopoietic Stem Cell Populations Expressing High Levels of mRNA Encoding Retrovirus Receptors

One obstacle to retrovirus-mediated gene therapy for human hematopoietic disorders is the low efficiency of gene transfer into pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). We have previously shown a direct correlation between retrovirus receptor mRNA levels in mouse HSC and the efficiency with which they are transduced. In the present study, we assayed retrovirus receptor mRNA levels in a variety of mouse and human HSC populations to identify HSC which may be more competent for retrovirus transduction. The highest levels of amphotropic retrovirus receptor (amphoR) mRNA were found in cryopreserved human cord blood HSC. The level of amphoR mRNA in Lin−CD34+ CD38− cells isolated from frozen cord blood was 12-fold higher than the level in fresh cord blood Lin− CD34+ CD38− cells. In mice, the level of amphoR mRNA in HSC from the bone marrow (BM) of mice treated with stem cell factor and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor was 2.8- to 7.8-fold higher than in HSC from the BM of untreated mice. These findings suggest that HSC from frozen cord blood and cytokine-mobilized BM may be superior targets for amphotropic retrovirus transduction compared with HSC from untreated adult BM.

Efficient serum-free retroviral gene transfer into primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cells by a defined, high-titer, nonconcentrated vector-containing medium

Defined serum-free conditions have great conceptual advantages for the biological safety and standardization of clinical gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells. In the only study reported to date, Sekhar et al. achieved low serum conditions by a complex concentration procedure of a retroviral supernatant initially containing 10% fetal bovine serum. The high cost, small volume, possible coenrichment of serum-derived pathogens, limited recovery of vector particles, and low titer of the final diluted medium restrict the clinical application of this procedure. Transduction of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells was not demonstrated. In the present study, a defined serum-free medium containing high titers of the pseudotyped retroviral vector PG13/LN was generated from PG13/LN producer cells without requiring a physical enrichment procedure. The transduction of committed hematopoietic progenitor cells in the serum-free vector-containing medium was efficient, and similar to that occurring under serum-containing control conditions. The number of primitive human hematopoietic long-term culture-initiating cell-derived colonies (LTC-IC-derived colonies) generated from CD34+ and CD34+/HLA-DRlo peripheral blood progenitor "stem" cells (PBSCs) increased during 7 days of treatment in this vector-containing medium in the presence of IL-3, SCF, and flt-3 ligand. The described procedure allowed efficient transduction of LTC-IC-derived colonies generated from CD34+, CD34+/HLA-DRlo, and CD34+/CD38lo PBSCs. This is the first report to demonstrate an increase in primitive peripheral blood LTC-IC-derived colonies in vitro as well as their efficient transduction in a high-titer, serum-free vector-containing medium that can be produced exclusively from defined pharmaceutical-grade components, making it ideally suited for applications in clinical gene therapy.

Stable integration of human immunodeficiency virus-based retroviral vectors into the chromosomes of nondividing cells

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based vectors are thought to be useful for gene transfer into nondividing cells. We examined whether HIV vectors can really integrate into the chromosomes of nondividing cells. CD4+HeLa cells arrested at the G2 or G1/S phase were incubated with the HIV vector pseudotyped with the HIV envelope. The transduction efficiency of the HIV vector in these nondividing cells was comparable to that in proliferating cells. Sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction-amplified fragments containing the junction sites showed that the HIV vector was stably integrated into the chromosomal DNA. It was also demonstrated that terminally differentiated human macrophages and nonproliferating NT neurons could be transduced by the HIV vector after adenovirus-mediated expression of CD4. These results suggest that the HIV vector may be useful not only for gene therapy of AIDS but also for a variety of gene therapy protocols targeting nondividing cells.

Retrovirus-mediated transfer of the herpes simplex type I thymidine kinase gene in alloreactive T lymphocytes

We have demonstrated in previous studies that retrovirus-mediated transfer of the herpes simplex thymidine kinase (HS-tk) and neomycin phosphotransferase (neo) genes in CD3/IL-2 stimulated primary T lymphocytes followed by G418 selection resulted in T cells retaining both interleukin-2 (IL-2) and alloresponsiveness and specifically inhibited by ganciclovir (GCV). A clinical trial examining the therapeutic potential of such gene-modified donor T cells after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is presently underway. In the present study, we have investigated the feasibility and consequences of replacing polyclonal stimulation of T cells by an allogeneic stimulation prior to retrovirus-mediated gene transfer. Exposure of allostimulated primary donor T lymphocytes to retrovirus-containing supernatant resulted in T cells resistant to G418 while maintaining a strong, GCV-sensitive, allogeneic response when subsequently restimulated with the initial allogeneic cells. Control nontransduced cells identically stimulated exhibited a weaker, GCV-insensitive, allogeneic proliferative response. The transduced T cells were also capable of GCV-sensitive alloreactivity when exposed to third-party cells with, however, a lower proliferative response than that seen with the allogeneic cells used for stimulation at the time of transduction. Importantly, this difference in the proliferative responses was not observed with control nontransduced cells identically stimulated. A similar response pattern was observed with respect to pre-cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) frequencies. Overall, retrovirus-mediated gene transfer after an allogeneic stimulation can lead to efficient transduction and the pattern of alloreactivity of the HS-tk-expressing cells is consistent with the preferential transduction of alloantigen-specific dividing T cells. Such an approach could be used to generate cells both strongly alloreactive and GCV-sensitive for in vivo therapeutic use.

Gene transfer into hematopoietic cells

Transfer of a gene into stem cells with subsequent lineage-specific gene expression is a desired goal with many potential therapeutic applications. Retroviral vectors developed from murine leukemia viruses reproducibly transfer genes into murine stem cells, but are inefficient at gene insertion into stem cells of larger animals or man. A growing knowledge of stem cell biology suggests that this inefficiency reflects the quiescent state of stem cells, even when incubated in the presence of multiple cytokines and low expression of the receptor for amphotropic retroviral vectors. Alternative vector systems are being explored in an effort to overcome these barriers to stem cell-targeted gene transfer. Our work has shown that recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors, which have the potential for transducing quiescent cells, transfer, express and integrate a globin gene linked to its normal regulatory elements in human erythroid cells, but only at very high multiplicities of infection. The integrated genome was stable and the encoded globin gene was expressed at levels equivalent to a normal globin gene.

Efficient gene transfer in primitive CD34+/CD38lo human bone marrow cells reselected after long-term exposure to GALV-pseudotyped retroviral vector

Successful retroviral gene transfer into human hematopoietic stem cells was demonstrated in preliminary clinical trials at low efficiency. We have shown previously that gene transfer into committed hematopoietic progenitor cells is more efficient using a gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV)-pseudotyped retroviral vector instead of an amphotropic retroviral vector. Here, we have conducted a systematic study of human hematopoietic progenitor cells after extended transduction with a GALV-pseudotyped retroviral vector. CD34+/CD38lo Cells were transduced for 5 days and reselected according to phenotype after culture and analyzed for cell cycle status, long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) activity, and gene transfer. Reselection of rare, very primitive progenitor cells was successful. Equal to fresh CD34+/CD38lo cells, >90% of reselected CD34+/CD38lo cells were in G0/G1. CD34+/CD38lo reselection enriched for LTC-IC (10-fold), as compared to freshly isolated CD34+/CD38lo cells with excellent specificity (82.7% of total LTC-IC were recovered in the reselected CD34+/CD38lo population) and recovery (62% of initial LTC-IC number in CD34+/CD38lo cells were recovered in the reselected fraction after transduction). Gene transfer into primitive progenitor cells was efficient with 50.5% G418-resistant LTC-IC colonies and more than 40 copies of vector provirus detectable per 100 nuclei of CD34+/CD38lo cells. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic analysis of phenotype, function, and cell cycle demonstrating retroviral gene transfer into rare, very primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cells. The chosen strategy should be of considerable value for analyzing and improving gene therapy of the hematopoietic system.

Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer into rat salivary gland cells in vitro and in vivo

A retroviral vector DAP that encodes the human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) and the neomycin-resistant gene was used to transduce the salivary gland-derived cell line A5 in vitro and acinar cells in rat submandibular gland in vivo. Expression of the transduced PLAP gene was established by histochemical staining for heat-resistant AP and by determination of enzyme activity. From the in vitro experiments, we concluded that the salivary gland-derived cell line A5 can be infected by the retroviral vector DAP. In the transduced cells the viral long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter was effective, and the cells expressed heat-stable PLAP which was localized mostly in the plasma membrane and could be released by treatment with bromelain or phosphatidyinositol-specific phospholipase C. A5-DAP cells secreted PLAP into the medium. Clones of A5-DAP cells expressed various levels of the enzyme. The level of enzyme activity in different clones was unrelated to growth rate. Retrograde ductal injection of the viral vector into the duct of the submandibular gland of rats resulted in integration and long-term expression of PLAP gene in acinar cells. Expression of PLAP was seen up to 25 days, the limit of the observation period. To facilitate integration of the viral DNA, cell division of acinar cells was induced by administration of the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol before administration of the virus. PLAP was secreted into submandibular saliva. The data support the notion that salivary glands are suitable targets for gene transfer in vivo by a retroviral vector.