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Eusébio D, Paul M, Biswas S, Cui Z, Costa D, Sousa Â. Mannosylated polyethylenimine-cholesterol-based nanoparticles for targeted delivery of minicircle DNA vaccine against COVID-19 to antigen-presenting cells. Int J Pharm 2024; 654:123959. [PMID: 38430949 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.123959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
DNA vaccines can be a potential solution to protect global health, triggering both humoral and cellular immune responses. DNA vaccines are valuable in preventing intracellular pathogen infections, and therefore can be explored against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). This work explored different systems based on polyethylenimine (PEI), functionalized for the first time with both cholesterol (CHOL) and mannose (MAN) to deliver parental plasmid (PP) and minicircle DNA (mcDNA) vectors encoding the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 to antigen-presenting cells (APCs). For comparative purposes, three different systems were evaluated: PEI, PEI-CHOL and PEI-CHOL-MAN. The systems were prepared at various nitrogen-to-phosphate group (N/P) ratios and characterized in terms of encapsulation efficiency, surface charge, size, polydispersity index (PDI), morphology, and stability over time. Moreover, in vitro transfection studies of dendritic cells (JAWS II) and human fibroblast cells were performed. Viability studies assured the biocompatibility of all nanocarriers. Confocal microscopy studies confirmed intracellular localization of systems, resulting in enhanced cellular uptake using PEI-CHOL and PEI-CHOL-MAN systems when compared with the PEI system. Regarding the RBD expression, PEI-CHOL-MAN was the system that led to the highest levels of transcripts and protein expression in JAWS II cells. Furthermore, the nanosystems significantly stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokines production and dendritic cell maturation in vitro. Overall, mannosylated systems can be considered a valuable tool in the delivery of plasmid DNA or mcDNA vaccines to APCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalinda Eusébio
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Milan Paul
- Nanomedicine Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. Jawahar Nagar, Medchal, Hyderabad 500078, India
| | - Swati Biswas
- Nanomedicine Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. Jawahar Nagar, Medchal, Hyderabad 500078, India
| | - Zhengrong Cui
- The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
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Song L, Wang Q, Wen Y, Tan R, Cui Y, Xiong D, Jiao X, Pan Z. Enhanced immunogenicity elicited by a novel DNA vaccine encoding the SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein fused to the optimized flagellin of Salmonella typhimurium in mice. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0254923. [PMID: 37909745 PMCID: PMC10714832 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02549-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The development of safe and effective vaccines is needed to control the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Synthetic DNA vaccines represent a promising platform in response to such outbreaks. Here, DNA vaccine candidates were developed using an optimized antibiotic-resistance gene-free asd-pVAX1 vector. An optimized flagellin (FliC) adjuvant was designed by fusion expression to increase the immunogenicity of the S1 antigen. S1 and S1-FliCΔD2D3 proteins were strongly expressed in mammalian cells. The FliCΔD2D3-adjuvanted DNA vaccine induced Th1/Th2-mixed immune responses and high titers of neutralizing antibodies. This study provides crucial information regarding the selection of a safer DNA vector and adjuvant for vaccine development. Our FliCΔD2D3-adjuvanted S1 DNA vaccine is more potent at inducing both humoral and cellular immune responses than S1 alone. This finding provides a new idea for the development of novel DNA vaccines against COVID-19 and could be further applied for the development of other vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Song
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qiaoju Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yaya Wen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ruimeng Tan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yaodan Cui
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dan Xiong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xinan Jiao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhiming Pan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
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3
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Liu N, Tian J, Steer CJ, Han Q, Song G. MicroRNA-206-3p suppresses hepatic lipogenesis and cholesterol synthesis while driving cholesterol efflux. Hepatology 2023:01515467-990000000-00643. [PMID: 37943861 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Hepatosteatosis, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercholesterolemia are interconnected metabolic disorders. This study is designed to characterize how microRNA-206-3p (miR-206) simultaneously prevents de novo lipogenesis (DNL), cholesterol synthesis, and VLDL production in hepatocytes while promoting cholesterol efflux in macrophages. APPROACH AND RESULTS MiR-206 levels were reduced in hepatocytes and macrophages of mice subjected to a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet. A negative feedback between LXRα (liver X receptor alpha) and miR-206 is formed to maintain high LXRα and low miR-206 in hepatocytes. Systemic administration of miR-206 alleviated hepatosteatosis, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercholesterolemia in mice. A significant reduction in LDL cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol but unaltered HDL cholesterol was observed in miR-206-treated mice. Mirroring these findings, miR-206 reprogrammed the transcriptome of hepatocytes towards the inhibition of DNL, cholesterol synthesis, and assembly and secretion of VLDL. In macrophages, miR-206 activated the expression of genes regulating cholesterol efflux. Hepatocyte-specific expression of miR-206 reduced hepatic and circulating triglycerides and cholesterol, as well as VLDL production, while transplantation of macrophages bearing miR-206 facilitated cholesterol efflux. Mechanistically, miR-206 directly targeted Lxrα and Hmgcr in hepatocytes but facilitated expression of Lxrα in macrophages by targeting macrophage-specific tricho-rhino-phalangeal syndrome 1 (TRPS1), a transcription repressor of Lxrα . By targeting Hmgc r and Lxrα , miR-206 inhibited DNL, VLDL production, and cholesterol synthesis in hepatocytes, whereas it drove cholesterol efflux by activating the TRPS1-LXRα axis. CONCLUSIONS MiR-206, through differentially modulating LXRα signaling in hepatocytes and macrophages, inhibits DNL, promotes cholesterol efflux, and concurrently hinders cholesterol synthesis and VLDL production. MiR-206 simulates the functions of lipid-lowering medications, statins, and LXRα agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningning Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jing Tian
- Department of Cardiology, the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, China
| | - Clifford J Steer
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Qinghua Han
- Department of Cardiology, the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, China
| | - Guisheng Song
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Ye X, Wu Y, Zhang H, Zhou Y, Dong J, Cai J. Rapid generation of CD19 CAR-T cells by minicircle DNA enables anti-tumor activity and prevents fatal CAR-B leukemia. Cancer Lett 2023:216278. [PMID: 37354981 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Manufacturing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cellsusing viral vectors is expensive and time-consuming. In addition, during viral transduction, genes encoding CARs are randomly integrated into the genome, which can cause oncogenesis or produce devastating CARtumor cells. Here, using a virus-free and non-transgenic minicircle DNA (mcDNA) vector, we enabledthe rapid generation of CD19 CAR-T cells within two days. Furthermore, we demonstrated in vitro and in xenograft models that the antitumor effects of CD19 CAR-T cells produced by mcDNA are as effective as those produced by viral vectors. Finally, we showed that our manufacturing process avoids the production of fatal CARtumor cells. Taken together, we have provided a fast, effective, and therapeutically safe method for generating CD19 CAR-T cells for the treatment of leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueshuai Ye
- Department of Surgery, Hebei Medical University, 361 East Zhongshan Road, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Yongqiang Wu
- Gene Editing Research Center, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, 050000, China
| | - Haiqiang Zhang
- Department of Surgery, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 West Heping Road, Shijiazhuang, 050051, China
| | - Ye Zhou
- Department of Surgery, Hebei Medical University, 361 East Zhongshan Road, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Department of Oncology & Surgery, Hebei General Hospital, 348 West Heping Road, Shijiazhuang, 050051, China
| | - Jiantao Dong
- Department of Surgery, Hebei Medical University, 361 East Zhongshan Road, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Department of Oncology & Surgery, Hebei General Hospital, 348 West Heping Road, Shijiazhuang, 050051, China
| | - Jianhui Cai
- Department of Surgery, Hebei Medical University, 361 East Zhongshan Road, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Department of Oncology & Surgery, Hebei General Hospital, 348 West Heping Road, Shijiazhuang, 050051, China.
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Talebnia F, Pushparajah D, Chandrasekaran S, Hersch SJ, Nafissi N, Slavcev R. Application of an electro elution system for direct purification of linear covalently closed DNA fragments. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2023; 1218:123622. [PMID: 36842293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2023.123622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Gene therapy is a powerful treatment modality. Non-viral gene therapy vectors power one arm of this important approach, due to their enhanced safety profile compared to their viral counterparts. New non-viral approaches continue to be developed, but purification can bottleneck the scaleup and cost-effectiveness and quality of some of these advanced vectors. We require more advanced purification and separation techniques compared to conventional methods to maximize resolution in a scalable manner. The Prep Cell system is a continuous electro elution system that contains a circular gel casting tube where DNA mixtures can be run through and subsequently migrate into an elution chamber, to be eluted by a peristaltic pump. This DNA separation and purification process confers advantages over other conventional methods, including i) the elimination of multiple downstream purification process requirements; ii) its ability to be applied in mid-scale settings, and iii), its high-resolution power. In this study, we assessed the ability of this Prep Cell Model 491 system to purify a novel type of non-viral linear covalently closed (LCC) DNA minivector (ministring DNA) from its precursor parent plasmid DNA and process by-product DNA species by analyzing for effective separation via agarose gel electrophoresis, recovery yield, single enzyme digestion, and quality control assessments. Overall, effective separation and resolution of mini-DNA vectors was obtained using the Prep Cell system, conferring its potential to be applied towards mid-scale purification of DNA vectors for a variety of research, and eventually, clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Talebnia
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada
| | - D Pushparajah
- University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - S Chandrasekaran
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada
| | - S J Hersch
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada
| | - N Nafissi
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada.
| | - R Slavcev
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada; University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
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6
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Chauhan A, Alam MA, Kaur A, Malviya R. Advancements and Utilizations of Scaffolds in Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery. Curr Drug Targets 2023; 24:13-40. [PMID: 36221880 DOI: 10.2174/1389450123666221011100235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The drug development process requires a thorough understanding of the scaffold and its three-dimensional structure. Scaffolding is a technique for tissue engineering and the formation of contemporary functioning tissues. Tissue engineering is sometimes referred to as regenerative medicine. They also ensure that drugs are delivered with precision. Information regarding scaffolding techniques, scaffolding kinds, and other relevant facts, such as 3D nanostructuring, are discussed in depth in this literature. They are specific and demonstrate localized action for a specific reason. Scaffold's acquisition nature and flexibility make it a new drug delivery technology with good availability and structural parameter management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Chauhan
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medical and Allied Sciences, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Md Aftab Alam
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medical and Allied Sciences, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Awaneet Kaur
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medical and Allied Sciences, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Rishabha Malviya
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medical and Allied Sciences, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Intrabiliary infusion of naked DNA vectors targets periportal hepatocytes in mice. MOLECULAR THERAPY - METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2022; 27:352-367. [DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2022.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Roy S, Peter S, Dröge P. Versatile seamless DNA vector production in E. coli using enhanced phage lambda integrase. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270173. [PMID: 36149906 PMCID: PMC9506625 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Seamless DNA vectors derived from bacterial plasmids are devoid of bacterial genetic elements and represent attractive alternatives for biomedical applications including DNA vaccines. Larger scale production of seamless vectors employs engineered Escherichia coli strains in order to enable tightly regulated expression of site-specific DNA recombinases which precisely delete unwanted sequences from bacterial plasmids. As a novel component of a developing lambda integrase genome editing platform, we describe here strain MG1655-ISC as a means to easily produce different scales of seamless vectors, ranging in size from a few hundred base pairs to more than ten kilo base pairs. Since we employed an engineered lambda integrase that is able to efficiently recombine pairs of DNA crossover sites that differ in sequence, the resulting seamless vectors will be useful for subsequent genome editing in higher eukaryotes to accommodate variations in target site sequences. Future inclusion of single cognate sites for other genome targeting systems could enable modularity. These features, together with the demonstrated simplicity of in vivo seamless vector production, add to their utility in the biomedical space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suki Roy
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sabrina Peter
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peter Dröge
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail:
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Tsai SJ, Ai Y, Guo C, Gould SJ. Degron tagging of BleoR and other antibiotic-resistance genes selects for higher expression of linked transgenes and improved exosome engineering. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101846. [PMID: 35314197 PMCID: PMC9111990 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Five antibiotic resistance (AR) genes have been used to select for transgenic eukaryotic cell lines, with the BleoR, PuroR, HygR, NeoR, and BsdR cassettes conferring resistance to zeocin, puromycin, hygromycin, geneticin/G418, and blasticidin, respectively. We recently demonstrated that each AR gene establishes a distinct threshold of transgene expression below which no cell can survive, with BleoR selecting for the highest level of transgene expression, nearly ∼10-fold higher than in cells selected using the NeoR or BsdR markers. Here, we tested the hypothesis that there may be an inverse proportionality between AR protein function and the expression of linked, transgene-encoded, recombinant proteins. Specifically, we fused each AR protein to proteasome-targeting degron tags, used these to select for antibiotic-resistant cell lines, and then measured the expression of the linked, recombinant protein, mCherry, as a proxy marker of transgene expression. In each case, degron-tagged AR proteins selected for higher mCherry expression than their cognate WT AR proteins. ER50BleoR selected for the highest level of mCherry expression, greater than twofold higher than BleoR or any other AR gene. Interestingly, use of ER50BleoR as the selectable marker translated to an even higher, 3.5-fold increase in the exosomal loading of the exosomal cargo protein, CD63/Y235A. Although a putative CD63-binding peptide, CP05, has been used to decorate exosome membranes in a technology known as "exosome painting," we show here that CP05 binds equally well to CD63-/- cells, WT 293F cells, and CD63-overexpressing cells, indicating that CP05 may bind membranes nonspecifically. These results are of high significance for cell engineering and especially for exosome engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang Jui Tsai
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Yiwei Ai
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chenxu Guo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Stephen J Gould
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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Ventura C, Eusébio D, Gonçalves AM, Barroca-Ferreira J, Costa D, Cui Z, Passarinha LA, Sousa Â. Maximization of the Minicircle DNA Vaccine Production Expressing SARS-CoV-2 RBD. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10050990. [PMID: 35625727 PMCID: PMC9139101 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10050990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acid vaccines have been proven to be a revolutionary technology to induce an efficient, safe and rapid response against pandemics, like the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Minicircle DNA (mcDNA) is an innovative vector more stable than messenger RNA and more efficient in cell transfection and transgene expression than conventional plasmid DNA. This work describes the construction of a parental plasmid (PP) vector encoding the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the S protein from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the use of the Design of Experiments (DoE) to optimize PP recombination into mcDNA vector in an orbital shaker. First, the results revealed that host cells should be grown at 42 °C and the Terrific Broth (TB) medium should be replaced by Luria Broth (LB) medium containing 0.01% L-arabinose for the induction step. The antibiotic concentration, the induction time, and the induction temperature were used as DoE inputs to maximize the % of recombined mcDNA. The quadratic model was statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) and presented a non-significant lack of fit (p-value > 0.05) with a suitable coefficient of determination. The optimal point was validated using 1 h of induction, at 30 °C, without the presence of antibiotics, obtaining 93.87% of recombined mcDNA. Based on these conditions, the production of mcDNA was then maximized in a mini-bioreactor platform. The most favorable condition obtained in the bioreactor was obtained by applying 60% pO2 in the fermentation step during 5 h and 30% pO2 in the induction step, with 0.01% L-arabinose throughout 5 h. The yield of mcDNA-RBD was increased to a concentration of 1.15 g/L, when compared to the orbital shaker studies (16.48 mg/L). These data revealed that the bioreactor application strongly incremented the host biomass yield and simultaneously improved the recombination levels of PP into mcDNA. Altogether, these results contributed to improving mcDNA-RBD biosynthesis to make the scale-up of mcDNA manufacture simpler, cost-effective, and attractive for the biotechnology industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Ventura
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (C.V.); (D.E.); (A.M.G.); (J.B.-F.); (D.C.)
| | - Dalinda Eusébio
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (C.V.); (D.E.); (A.M.G.); (J.B.-F.); (D.C.)
| | - Ana M. Gonçalves
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (C.V.); (D.E.); (A.M.G.); (J.B.-F.); (D.C.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jorge Barroca-Ferreira
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (C.V.); (D.E.); (A.M.G.); (J.B.-F.); (D.C.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (C.V.); (D.E.); (A.M.G.); (J.B.-F.); (D.C.)
| | - Zhengrong Cui
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA;
| | - Luís A. Passarinha
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (C.V.); (D.E.); (A.M.G.); (J.B.-F.); (D.C.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia-UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-284 Covilha, Portugal
- Correspondence: (L.A.P.); (Â.S.); Tel.: +35-12-7532-9069 (L.A.P.); +35-12-7532-9052 (Â.S.)
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (C.V.); (D.E.); (A.M.G.); (J.B.-F.); (D.C.)
- Correspondence: (L.A.P.); (Â.S.); Tel.: +35-12-7532-9069 (L.A.P.); +35-12-7532-9052 (Â.S.)
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11
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Chan T, Grisch-Chan HM, Schmierer P, Subotic U, Rimann N, Scherer T, Hetzel U, Bozza M, Harbottle R, Williams JA, Steblaj B, Ringer SK, Häberle J, Sidler X, Thöny B. Delivery of non-viral naked DNA vectors to liver in small weaned pigs by hydrodynamic retrograde intrabiliary injection. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2022; 24:268-279. [PMID: 35211639 PMCID: PMC8829443 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2022.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Hepatic gene therapy by delivering non-integrating therapeutic vectors in newborns remains challenging due to the risk of dilution and loss of efficacy in the growing liver. Previously we reported on hepatocyte transfection in piglets by intraportal injection of naked DNA vectors. Here, we established delivery of naked DNA vectors to target periportal hepatocytes in weaned pigs by hydrodynamic retrograde intrabiliary injection (HRII). The surgical procedure involved laparotomy and transient isolation of the liver. For vector delivery, a catheter was placed within the common bile duct by enterotomy. Under optimal conditions, no histological abnormalities were observed in liver tissue upon pressurized injections. The transfection of hepatocytes in all tested liver samples was observed with vectors expressing luciferase from a liver-specific promoter. However, vector copy number and luciferase expression were low compared to hydrodynamic intraportal injection. A 10-fold higher number of vector genomes and luciferase expression was observed in pigs using a non-integrating naked DNA vector with the potential for replication. In summary, the HRII application was less efficient (i.e., lower luciferase activity and vector copy numbers) than the intraportal delivery method but was significantly less distressful for the piglets and has the potential for injection (or re-injection) of vector DNA by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Chan
- Department of Farm Animals, Division of Swine Medicine of the Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hiu Man Grisch-Chan
- Division of Metabolism and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Schmierer
- Department of Small Animal Surgery, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ulrike Subotic
- Department of Surgery, University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Rimann
- Division of Metabolism and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tanja Scherer
- Division of Metabolism and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Udo Hetzel
- Department of Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Bozza
- DNA Vector Laboratory, DKFZ Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | - Barbara Steblaj
- Department of Diagnostics and Clinical Services, Section of Anesthesiology, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simone K Ringer
- Department of Diagnostics and Clinical Services, Section of Anesthesiology, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Häberle
- Division of Metabolism and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Xaver Sidler
- Department of Farm Animals, Division of Swine Medicine of the Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat Thöny
- Division of Metabolism and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Shueng PW, Shih KC, Gambhir SS, Kuo DY, Chuang HY. Cancer Detection Using an Artificial Secretable MicroRNA Found in Blood and Urine. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030621. [PMID: 35327423 PMCID: PMC8945529 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomarkers can potentially help in the detection and prognosis of diseases such as cancer, its recurrence, predicting response to therapy, and monitoring of response during and/or after treatment. Endogenous tumor blood biomarkers suffer from low concentrations that are not distinguishable from background noise and, if identified, the localization of the biomarker production site is not known. The use of exogenously introduced or artificial biomarkers can eliminate these issues. In this study, we show that cancer cells can be made to produce an artificial secreted microRNA (Sec-miR) that can be detected in media from cells in culture, and from both blood and urine in living mice. In culture, we show that chaining a number of Sec-miR sequences in a plasmid and transfecting cells with the plasmids could increase Sec-miR secretion as the number of sequences increases. Tumor induction in mice with a stably transfected HeLa cell line shows the presence and significant increase in the Sec-miR with time and tumor growth in plasma (p < 0.001, R2 = 0.5542). The relative half-life of the Sec-miR was seen to be 1.2 h in the plasma of living mice and was seen to appear in urine within 12 h. The transgene for the Sec-miR within a minicircle was introduced via the tail-vein into subcutaneous tumor-bearing mice. As the tumor growth increased with time, further in vivo transfection of the Sec-miR minicircles showed an increase in Sec-miR in both plasma and urine (R2 = 0.4546). This study demonstrated that an exogenous Sec-miR biomarker would allow for early tumor detection using in vitro diagnostics techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Wei Shueng
- Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei 220, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Kuang-Chung Shih
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Cheng-Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
| | - Sanjiv Sam Gambhir
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Deng-Yu Kuo
- Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei 220, Taiwan;
- Correspondence: (D.-Y.K.); (H.-Y.C.); Tel.: +886-2-7728-1033 (D.-Y.K.); +886-2-2826-7241 (H.-Y.C.); Fax: +886-2-7728-2367 (D.-Y.K.); +886-2-2820-1095 (H.-Y.C.)
| | - Hui-Yen Chuang
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (D.-Y.K.); (H.-Y.C.); Tel.: +886-2-7728-1033 (D.-Y.K.); +886-2-2826-7241 (H.-Y.C.); Fax: +886-2-7728-2367 (D.-Y.K.); +886-2-2820-1095 (H.-Y.C.)
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13
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Gurumoorthy N, Nordin F, Tye GJ, Wan Kamarul Zaman WS, Ng MH. Non-Integrating Lentiviral Vectors in Clinical Applications: A Glance Through. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10010107. [PMID: 35052787 PMCID: PMC8773317 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10010107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors (LVs) play an important role in gene therapy and have proven successful in clinical trials. LVs are capable of integrating specific genetic materials into the target cells and allow for long-term expression of the cDNA of interest. The use of non-integrating LVs (NILVs) reduces insertional mutagenesis and the risk of malignant cell transformation over integrating lentiviral vectors. NILVs enable transient expression or sustained episomal expression, especially in non-dividing cells. Important modifications have been made to the basic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) structures to improve the safety and efficacy of LVs. NILV-aided transient expression has led to more pre-clinical studies on primary immunodeficiencies, cytotoxic cancer therapies, and hemoglobinopathies. Recently, the third generation of self-inactivating LVs was applied in clinical trials for recombinant protein production, vaccines, gene therapy, cell imaging, and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation. This review discusses the basic lentiviral biology and the four systems used for generating NILV designs. Mutations or modifications in LVs and their safety are addressed with reference to pre-clinical studies. The detailed application of NILVs in promising pre-clinical studies is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narmatha Gurumoorthy
- Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (CTERM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; (N.G.); (M.H.N.)
| | - Fazlina Nordin
- Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (CTERM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; (N.G.); (M.H.N.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Gee Jun Tye
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), 11800 Gelugor, Malaysia;
| | | | - Min Hwei Ng
- Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (CTERM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; (N.G.); (M.H.N.)
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14
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Abstract
Gene therapy has started in the late 1980s as novel, clinically applicable therapeutic option. It revolutionized the treatment of genetic diseases with the initial intent to repair or replace defective genes. Gene therapy has been adapted for treatment of malignant diseases to improve the outcome of cancer patients. In fact, cancer gene therapy has rapidly gained great interest and evolved into a research field with highest proportion of research activities in gene therapy. In this context, cancer gene therapy has long entered translation into clinical trials and therefore more than two-thirds of all gene therapy trials worldwide are aiming at the treatment of cancer disease using different therapeutic strategies. During the decades in cancer gene therapy, tremendous knowledge has accumulated. This led to significant improvements in vector design, transgene repertoire, more targeted interventions, use of novel gene therapeutic technologies such as CRISPR/Cas, sleeping beauty vectors, and development of effective cancer immunogene therapies. In this chapter, a brief overview of current key developments in cancer gene therapy is provided to gain insights into the recent directions in research as well as in clinical application of cancer gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Kobelt
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Deutsches Krebsforschungzentrum (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jessica Pahle
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Walther
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Deutsches Krebsforschungzentrum (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
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15
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Wang X, Alshehri F, Manzanares D, Li Y, He Z, Qiu B, Zeng M, A S, Lara-Sáez I, Wang W. Development of Minicircle Vectors Encoding COL7A1 Gene with Human Promoters for Non-Viral Gene Therapy for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222312774. [PMID: 34884578 PMCID: PMC8657908 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a rare autosomal inherited skin disorder caused by mutations in the COL7A1 gene that encodes type VII collagen (C7). The development of an efficient gene replacement strategy for RDEB is mainly hindered by the lack of vectors able to encapsulate and transfect the large cDNA size of this gene. To address this problem, our group has opted to use polymeric-based non-viral delivery systems and minicircle DNA. With this approach, safety is improved by avoiding the usage of viruses, the absence of bacterial backbone, and the replacement of the control viral cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter of the gene with human promoters. All the promoters showed impressive C7 expression in RDEB skin cells, with eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 α (EF1α) promoter producing higher C7 expression levels than CMV following minicircle induction, and COL7A1 tissue-specific promoter (C7P) generating C7 levels similar to normal human epidermal keratinocytes. The improved system developed here has a high potential for use as a non-viral topical treatment to restore C7 in RDEB patients efficiently and safely, and to be adapted to other genetic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianqing Wang
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
| | - Fatma Alshehri
- College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Darío Manzanares
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
| | - Yinghao Li
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
| | - Zhonglei He
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
| | - Bei Qiu
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
| | - Ming Zeng
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Sigen A
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
| | - Irene Lara-Sáez
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence: (I.L.-S.); (W.W.)
| | - Wenxin Wang
- Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (X.W.); (D.M.); (Y.L.); (Z.H.); (B.Q.); (M.Z.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence: (I.L.-S.); (W.W.)
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16
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Zeng M, Xu Q, Zhou D, A S, Alshehri F, Lara-Sáez I, Zheng Y, Li M, Wang W. Highly branched poly(β-amino ester)s for gene delivery in hereditary skin diseases. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 176:113842. [PMID: 34293384 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.113842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Non-viral gene therapy for hereditary skin diseases is an attractive prospect. However, research efforts dedicated to this area are rare. Taking advantage of the branched structural possibilities of polymeric vectors, we have developed a gene delivery platform for the treatment of an incurable monogenic skin disease - recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) - based on highly branched poly(β-amino ester)s (HPAEs). The screening of HPAEs and optimization of therapeutic gene constructs, together with evaluation of the combined system for gene transfection, were comprehensively reviewed. The successful restoration of type VII collagen (C7) expression both in vitro and in vivo highlights HPAEs as a promising generation of polymeric vectors for RDEB gene therapy into the clinic. Considering that the treatment of patients with genetic cutaneous disorders, such as other subtypes of epidermolysis bullosa, pachyonychia congenita, ichthyosis and Netherton syndrome, remains challenging, the success of HPAEs in RDEB treatment indicates that the development of viable polymeric gene delivery vectors could potentially expedite the translation of gene therapy for these diseases from bench to bedside.
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17
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Eusébio D, Neves AR, Costa D, Biswas S, Alves G, Cui Z, Sousa Â. Methods to improve the immunogenicity of plasmid DNA vaccines. Drug Discov Today 2021; 26:2575-2592. [PMID: 34214667 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
DNA vaccines have emerged as innovative approaches that have great potential to overcome the limitations of current conventional vaccines. Plasmid DNA vaccines are often safer than other vaccines because they carry only antigen genetic information, are more stable and easier to produce, and can stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses. Although the results of ongoing clinical trials are very promising, some limitations compromise the immunogenicity of these vaccines. Thus, this review describes different strategies that can be explored to improve the immunogenicity of plasmid DNA vaccines, including the optimization of the plasmid vector backbone, the use of different methods for vaccine delivery, the use of alternative administration routes and the inclusion of adjuvants. In combination, these improvements could lead to the successful clinical use of plasmid DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalinda Eusébio
- CICS-UBI - Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ana R Neves
- CICS-UBI - Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI - Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Swati Biswas
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology & Science-Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Jawahar Nagar, Shameerpet, Hyderabad 500078, Telangana, India
| | - Gilberto Alves
- CICS-UBI - Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Zhengrong Cui
- The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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18
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Attia N, Mashal M, Puras G, Pedraz JL. Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Gene Delivery Tool: Promise, Problems, and Prospects. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:843. [PMID: 34200425 PMCID: PMC8229096 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13060843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cell-based approach in gene therapy arises as a promising strategy to provide safe, targeted, and efficient gene delivery. Owing to their unique features, as homing and tumor-tropism, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently been introduced as an encouraging vehicle in gene therapy. Nevertheless, non-viral transfer of nucleic acids into MSCs remains limited due to various factors related to the main stakeholders of the process (e.g., nucleic acids, carriers, or cells). In this review, we have summarized the main types of nucleic acids used to transfect MSCs, the pros and cons, and applications of each. Then, we have emphasized on the most efficient lipid-based carriers for nucleic acids to MSCs, their main features, and some of their applications. While a myriad of studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential for engineered MSCs therapy in various illnesses, optimization for clinical use is an ongoing challenge. On the way of improvement, genetically modified MSCs have been combined with various novel techniques and tools (e.g., exosomes, spheroids, 3D-Bioprinting, etc.,) aiming for more efficient and safe applications in biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noha Attia
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, NanoBioCel Research Group, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; (N.A.); (M.M.)
- Department of Basic Sciences, The American University of Antigua-College of Medicine, Coolidge 1451, Antigua and Barbuda
- The Center of Research and Evaluation, The American University of Antigua-College of Medicine, Coolidge 1451, Antigua and Barbuda
- Histology and Cell Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alexandria, Alexandria 21561, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Mashal
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, NanoBioCel Research Group, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; (N.A.); (M.M.)
- The Center of Research and Evaluation, The American University of Antigua-College of Medicine, Coolidge 1451, Antigua and Barbuda
| | - Gustavo Puras
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, NanoBioCel Research Group, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; (N.A.); (M.M.)
- Networking Research Centre of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Bioaraba, NanoBioCel Research Group, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- Laboratory of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Jose Luis Pedraz
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, NanoBioCel Research Group, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; (N.A.); (M.M.)
- Networking Research Centre of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Bioaraba, NanoBioCel Research Group, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- Laboratory of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
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19
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Guo C, Fordjour FK, Tsai SJ, Morrell JC, Gould SJ. Choice of selectable marker affects recombinant protein expression in cells and exosomes. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:100838. [PMID: 34051235 PMCID: PMC8258971 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgenic mammalian cells are used for numerous research, pharmaceutical, industrial, and clinical purposes, and dominant selectable markers are often used to enable the selection of transgenic cell lines. Using HEK293 cells, we show here that the choice of selectable marker gene has a significant impact on both the level of recombinant protein expression and the cell-to-cell variability in recombinant protein expression. Specifically, we observed that cell lines generated with the NeoR or BsdR selectable markers and selected in the antibiotics G418 or blasticidin, respectively, displayed the lowest level of recombinant protein expression as well as the greatest cell-to-cell variability in transgene expression. In contrast, cell lines generated with the BleoR marker and selected in zeocin yielded cell lines that expressed the highest levels of linked recombinant protein, approximately 10-fold higher than those selected using the NeoR or BsdR markers, as well as the lowest cell-to-cell variability in recombinant protein expression. Intermediate yet still-high levels of expression were observed in cells generated with the PuroR- or HygR-based vectors and that were selected in puromycin or hygromycin, respectively. Similar results were observed in the African green monkey cell line COS7. These data indicate that each combination of selectable marker and antibiotic establishes a threshold below which no cell can survive and that these thresholds vary significantly between different selectable markers. Moreover, we show that choice of selectable marker also affects recombinant protein expression in cell-derived exosomes, consistent with the hypothesis that exosome protein budding is a stochastic rather than determinative process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxu Guo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland, USA
| | - Francis K Fordjour
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland, USA
| | - Shang Jui Tsai
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland, USA
| | - James C Morrell
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland, USA
| | - Stephen J Gould
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland, USA.
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20
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Chiozzini C, Manfredi F, Ferrantelli F, Leone P, Giovannelli A, Olivetta E, Federico M. The C-Terminal Domain of Nef mut Is Dispensable for the CD8 + T Cell Immunogenicity of In Vivo Engineered Extracellular Vesicles. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9040373. [PMID: 33921215 PMCID: PMC8068889 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9040373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Intramuscular injection of DNA vectors expressing the extracellular vesicle (EV)-anchoring protein Nefmut fused at its C-terminus to viral and tumor antigens elicit a potent, effective, and anti-tolerogenic CD8+ T cell immunity against the heterologous antigen. The immune response is induced through the production of EVs incorporating Nefmut-derivatives released by muscle cells. In the perspective of a possible translation into the clinic of the Nefmut-based vaccine platform, we aimed at increasing its safety profile by identifying the minimal part of Nefmut retaining the EV-anchoring protein property. We found that a C-terminal deletion of 29-amino acids did not affect the ability of Nefmut to associate with EVs. The EV-anchoring function was also preserved when antigens from both HPV16 (i.e., E6 and E7) and SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., S1 and S2) were fused to its C-terminus. Most important, the Nefmut C-terminal deletion did not affect levels, quality, and diffusion at distal sites of the antigen-specific CD8+ T immunity. We concluded that the C-terminal Nefmut truncation does not influence stability, EV-anchoring, and CD8+ T cell immunogenicity of the fused antigen. Hence, the C-terminal deleted Nefmut may represent a safer alternative to the full-length isoform for vaccines in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Chiozzini
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Francesco Manfredi
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Flavia Ferrantelli
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Patrizia Leone
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Andrea Giovannelli
- National Center for Animal Experimentation and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Eleonora Olivetta
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Maurizio Federico
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-4990-6016; Fax: +39-06-49903210
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Alves CPA, Prazeres DMF, Monteiro GA. Minicircle Biopharmaceuticals–An Overview of Purification Strategies. FRONTIERS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fceng.2020.612594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Minicircles are non-viral delivery vectors with promising features for biopharmaceutical applications. These vectors are plasmid-derived circular DNA molecules that are obtained in vivo in Escherichia coli by the intramolecular recombination of a parental plasmid, which generates a minicircle containing the eukaryotic therapeutic cassette of interest and a miniplasmid containing the prokaryotic backbone. The production process results thus in a complex mixture, which hinders the isolation of minicircle molecules from other DNA molecules. Several strategies have been proposed over the years to meet the challenge of purifying and obtaining high quality minicircles in compliance with the regulatory guidelines for therapeutic use. In minicircle purification, the characteristics of the strain and parental plasmid used have a high impact and strongly affect the purification strategy that can be applied. This review summarizes the different methods developed so far, focusing not only on the purification method itself but also on its dependence on the upstream production strategy used.
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Fakhr E, Modic Ž, Cid-Arregui A. Recent developments in immunotherapy of cancers caused by human papillomaviruses. Immunology 2020; 163:33-45. [PMID: 33205441 PMCID: PMC8044335 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A subset of oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is the main cause of genital cancers, most importantly cervical cancer and an increasing number of head and neck cancers. Despite the availability of prophylactic vaccines against the most prevalent oncogenic HPV types, HPV‐induced malignancies are still a major health and economic burden. Besides conventional treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, immunotherapy is emerging as an efficient adjuvant option. Here, we review relevant studies and ongoing clinical trials using immune checkpoint inhibitors, therapeutic vaccines, gene editing approaches and adoptive T cell therapies, with special focus on engineered TCR T cells, which are showing encouraging results and could lead to significant improvement in the treatment of HPV+‐infected cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Fakhr
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Registered at Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Živa Modic
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Angel Cid-Arregui
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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23
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Eusébio D, Almeida AM, Alves JM, Maia CJ, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa Â. The Performance of Minicircle DNA Versus Parental Plasmid in p53 Gene Delivery Into HPV-18-Infected Cervical Cancer Cells. Nucleic Acid Ther 2020; 31:82-91. [PMID: 33252302 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2020.0904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Minicircle DNA (mcDNA) has been suggested as a vanguard technology for gene therapy, consisting of a nonviral DNA vector devoid of prokaryotic sequences. Unlike conventional plasmid DNA (pDNA), this small vector is able to sustain high expression rates throughout time. Thus, this work describes the construction, production, and purification of mcDNA-p53 and its precursor parental plasmid (PP)-p53 for a comparative study of both DNA vectors in the growth suppression of human papillomavirus (HPV)-18-infected cervical cancer cells. First, live cell imaging and fluorescence microscopy studies allowed to understand that mcDNA-p53 vector was able to enter cell nuclei more rapidly than PP-p53 vector, leading to a transfection efficiency of 68% against 34%, respectively. Then, p53 transcripts and protein expression assessment revealed that both vectors were able to induce transcription and the target protein expression. However, the mcDNA-p53 vector performance stood out, by demonstrating higher p53 expression levels (91.65 ± 2.82 U/mL vs. 74.75 ± 4.44 U/mL). After assuring the safety of both vectors by viability studies, such potential was confirmed by proliferation and apoptosis assays. These studies confirmed the mcDNA-p53 vector function toward cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HPV-18-infected cervical cancer cells. Altogether, these results suggest that the mcDNA vector has a more promising and efficient role as a DNA vector than conventional pDNA, opening new investigation lines for cervical cancer treatment in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalinda Eusébio
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ana Margarida Almeida
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Joel Marques Alves
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Cláudio Jorge Maia
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João António Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Science Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
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24
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Arévalo-Soliz LM, Hardee CL, Fogg JM, Corman NR, Noorbakhsh C, Zechiedrich L. Improving therapeutic potential of non-viral minimized DNA vectors. CELL & GENE THERAPY INSIGHTS 2020; 6:1489-1505. [PMID: 33953961 PMCID: PMC8095377 DOI: 10.18609/cgti.2020.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The tragic deaths of three patients in a recent AAV-based X-linked myotubular myopathy clinical trial highlight once again the pressing need for safe and reliable gene delivery vectors. Non-viral minimized DNA vectors offer one possible way to meet this need. Recent pre-clinical results with minimized DNA vectors have yielded promising outcomes in cancer therapy, stem cell therapy, stem cell reprograming, and other uses. Broad clinical use of these vectors, however, remains to be realized. Further advances in vector design and production are ongoing. An intriguing and promising potential development results from manipulation of the specific shape of non-viral minimized DNA vectors. By improving cellular uptake and biodistribution specificity, this approach could impact gene therapy, DNA nanotechnology, and personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lirio M Arévalo-Soliz
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Cinnamon L Hardee
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jonathan M Fogg
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nathan R Corman
- Rural Medical Education Program, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL 61107, USA
| | - Cameron Noorbakhsh
- Weiss School of Natural Sciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Lynn Zechiedrich
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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25
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Almeida AM, Eusébio D, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa Â. Minicircle DNA Vaccine Purification and E7 Antigen Expression Assessment. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2197:207-222. [PMID: 32827139 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0872-2_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV ) has been extensively associated with the development of cervical cancer due to the expression of oncoproteins like E7. This protein can interfere with pRB tumor suppressor activity, enabling the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells. DNA vaccines are known as the third-generation vaccines, providing the ability of targeting viral infections such as HPV in a preventive and therapeutic way. Although current strategies make use of plasmid DNA (pDNA) as the vector of choice to be used as a DNA vaccine, minicircle DNA (mcDNA) has been proving its added value as a non-viral DNA vector by demonstrating higher expression efficiency and increased biosafety than the pDNA. However, due to its innovative profile, few methodologies have been explored and implemented for the manufacture of this molecule. This chapter describes the detailed procedures for the production, extraction, and purification of supercoiled E7-mcDNA vaccine, by using size-exclusion chromatography to obtain mcDNA with a purity degree which meets the regulatory agency criteria. Then, the assessment of E7 antigen expression through immunocytochemistry is also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Almeida
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Dalinda Eusébio
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
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26
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Almeida AM, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa Â. Minicircle DNA: The Future for DNA-Based Vectors? Trends Biotechnol 2020; 38:1047-1051. [PMID: 32409109 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Minicircle DNA (mcDNA) is a smaller and safer version of non-viral DNA vectors that results from a cutting-edge in vivo recombination process to excise prokaryotic sequences from plasmid DNA (pDNA). Considering the molecule's potential and increasing interest as a non-viral DNA-based therapeutic, biomanufacturing methodologies need to be improved, especially in downstream processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Margarida Almeida
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João António Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Photosensitive Poly-l-lysine/Heparin Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes for Delivery of Genetic Drugs. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12051077. [PMID: 32397208 PMCID: PMC7285230 DOI: 10.3390/polym12051077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Photo-triggered release of biopharmaceutical drugs inside the cells is a challenging direction of modern science, which requires obtaining new polymeric systems. The interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) of poly-l-lysine with heparin capable of encapsulation of genetic constructions—such as model oligonucleotide, siRNA, and pDNA—were obtained. Poly-l-lysine to heparin ratios were optimized to provide the appropriate release kinetics of genetic material from the polyplex. In order to impart the obtained IPEC with photosensitive properties, the linker was synthesized as based on 4-brommethyl-3-nitrobenzoic acid. The conditions and kinetics of photosensitive linker destruction were carefully studied. The colloid particles of IPEC were modified with Cy3 probe and their cellular internalization was investigated by flow cytometry method. The efficacy of photosensitive IPECs as siRNA and pDNA delivery system was evaluated.
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28
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Zimmermann A, Hercher D, Regner B, Frischer A, Sperger S, Redl H, Hacobian A. Evaluation of BMP-2 Minicircle DNA for Enhanced Bone Engineering and Regeneration. Curr Gene Ther 2020; 20:55-63. [PMID: 32338217 DOI: 10.2174/1566523220666200427121350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date, the significant osteoinductive potential of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) non-viral gene therapy cannot be fully exploited therapeutically. This is mainly due to weak gene delivery and brief expression peaks restricting the therapeutic effect. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to test the application of minicircle DNA, allowing prolonged expression potential. It offers notable advantages over conventional plasmid DNA. The lack of bacterial sequences and the resulting reduction in size, enables safe usage and improved performance for tissue regeneration. METHODS We inserted an optimized BMP-2 gene cassette with minicircle plasmid technology. BMP-2 minicircle plasmids were produced in E. coli yielding plasmids lacking bacterial backbone elements. Comparative studies of these BMP-2 minicircles and conventional BMP-2 plasmids were performed in vitro in cell systems, including bone marrow derived stem cells. Tests performed included gene expression profiles and cell differentiation assays. RESULTS A C2C12 cell line transfected with the BMP-2-Advanced minicircle showed significantly elevated expression of osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and BMP-2 protein amount when compared to cells transfected with conventional BMP-2-Advanced plasmid. Furthermore, the plasmids show suitability for stem cell approaches by showing significantly higher levels of ALP activity and mineralization when introduced into human bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs). CONCLUSION We have designed a highly bioactive BMP-2 minicircle plasmid with the potential to fulfil clinical requirements for non-viral gene therapy in the field of bone regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Zimmermann
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - David Hercher
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benedikt Regner
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Amelie Frischer
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon Sperger
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heinz Redl
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ara Hacobian
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
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Zhang T, Shi H, Liu N, Tian J, Zhao X, Steer CJ, Han Q, Song G. Activation of microRNA-378a-3p biogenesis promotes hepatic secretion of VLDL and hyperlipidemia by modulating ApoB100-Sortilin1 axis. Am J Cancer Res 2020; 10:3952-3966. [PMID: 32226531 PMCID: PMC7086368 DOI: 10.7150/thno.39578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). As a standard-of-care approach for hyperlipidemia, statins only reduce the risk of coronary artery disease by 20-40%, underscoring the importance of identifying molecular pathways for the design of drugs against this disorder. Alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression have been reported in patients with hyperlipidemia and CVD. This study was designed to determine the mechanism of dysregulated miR-378a-3p under the status of hyperlipidemia and evaluate how miR-378a-3p regulates hepatic secretion of VLDL. Methods: Wild-type mice kept on a high fat diet were injected with miR-378a-3p inhibitor or a mini-circle expression system containing miR-378a precursor to study loss and gain-of functions of miR-378a-3p. Mice were treated with Triton WR1339 and 35S-methionine/cysteine to determine the effect of miR-378a-3p on hepatic secretion of VLDL. Database mining, luciferase assay, and ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) were used to study the mechanism of dysregulated miR-378a-3p biogenesis. Results: miR-378a-3p expression is significantly increased in livers of hyperlipidemic mice. Sort1 (sortilin 1) was identified as a direct target of miR-378a-3p. By inhibiting the function of sortilin 1 as a transmembrane trafficking receptor, miR-378a-3p stabilized ApoB100 and promoted ApoB100 secretion in vitro. Liver-specific expression of miR-378a-3p stabilized ApoB100 and facilitated hepatic secretion of VLDL, which subsequently increased levels of VLDL/LDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides. In contrast, antagonizing miR-378a-3p using its inhibitor increased hepatic expression of Sort1 and reduced hepatic export of VLDL with its consequent effects of serum lipid levels. Additional knockdown of up-regulated Sort1 in livers of mice offset the effects of miR-378a-3p inhibitor, suggesting that Sort1 was indispensable for miR-378a-3p to promote secretion of VLDL and thereby high levels of circulating VLDL/LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Furthermore, oncogenic E2F1 (E2F transcription factor 1) was identified as a transcriptional activator of miR-378a-3p. E2f1 knockdown, through reducing miR-378a-3p, impaired secretion of VLDL and reduced levels of VLDL/LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Conclusions: This study defines a novel pathway of E2F1-miR-378a-3p-SORT1-ApoB100 that controls levels of circulating VLDL/LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by modulating degradation and secretion of ApoB100, and suggests the use of miR-378a-3p as a potential therapeutic target for dyslipidemia.
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30
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Guo X, Chen D, Cai Q, Huang Z, Xu W, Peng L, Chen P. Minicircle DNA vector expressing interferon-lambda-3 inhibits hepatitis B virus replication and expression in hepatocyte-derived cell line. BMC Mol Cell Biol 2020; 21:6. [PMID: 32070272 PMCID: PMC7027252 DOI: 10.1186/s12860-020-00250-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interferon-alpha (IFNα) is a first-line treatment option for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but the severe systemic side-effects limited its clinical application. Interferon-lambda (IFNλ) with comparable antiviral activity and less toxic side-effects is thought to be a good alternative interferon to IFNα. Additionally, the gene vector mediated sustainably expression of therapeutic product in the target cells/tissue may overcome the shortcomings resulted from the short half-life of IFNs. RESULTS We constructed a liver-specific IFNλ3-expressing minicircle (MC) vector under the control of a hepatocyte-specific ApoE promoter (MC.IFNλ3) and investigated its anti-HBV activity in a HBV-expressing hepatocyte-derived cell model (HepG2.2.15). As expected, the MC.IFNλ3 vector capable of expressing IFNλ3 in the recipient hepatocytes has demonstrated robust anti-HBV activity, in terms of suppressing viral antigen expression and viral DNA replication, via activation the interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression in HepG2.2.15 cells. CONCLUSIONS Given the MC vector can be easily delivered into liver, the liver-targeted IFN gene-transfer (MC.IFNλ3), instead of systemic administrating IFN repeatedly, provides a promising concept for the treatment of chronic HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Guo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dianke Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingxian Cai
- Department of Hepatology, The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhanlian Huang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenxiong Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang Peng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Ping Chen
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
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31
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Barnea-Cramer AO, Singh M, Fischer D, De Silva S, McClements ME, Barnard AR, MacLaren RE. Repair of Retinal Degeneration following Ex Vivo Minicircle DNA Gene Therapy and Transplantation of Corrected Photoreceptor Progenitors. Mol Ther 2020; 28:830-844. [PMID: 32027843 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The authors describe retinal reconstruction and restoration of visual function in heritably blind mice missing the rhodopsin gene using a novel method of ex vivo gene therapy and cell transplantation. Photoreceptor precursors with the same chromosomal genetic mutation were treated ex vivo using minicircle DNA, a non-viral technique that does not present the packaging limitations of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. Following transplantation, genetically modified cells reconstructed a functional retina and supported vision in blind mice harboring the same founder gene mutation. Gene delivery by minicircles showed comparable long-term efficiency to AAV in delivering the missing gene, representing the first non-viral system for robust treatment of photoreceptors. This important proof-of-concept finding provides an innovative convergence of cell and gene therapies for the treatment of hereditary neurodegenerative disease and may be applied in future studies toward ex vivo correction of patient-specific cells to provide an autologous source of tissue to replace lost photoreceptors in inherited retinal blindness. This is the first report using minicircles in photoreceptor progenitors and the first to transplant corrected photoreceptor precursors to restore vision in blind animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mandeep Singh
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Dominik Fischer
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; University Eye Hospital and Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Centre for Ophthalmology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Samantha De Silva
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Alun R Barnard
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Robert E MacLaren
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.
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32
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Rezaei T, Khalili S, Baradaran B, Mosafer J, Rezaei S, Mokhtarzadeh A, de la Guardia M. Recent advances on HIV DNA vaccines development: Stepwise improvements to clinical trials. J Control Release 2019; 316:116-137. [PMID: 31669566 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
According to WHO (World Health Organization) reports, more than 770,000 people died from HIV and almost 1.7 million people becoming newly infected in the worldwide in 2018. Therefore, many attempts should be done to produce a forceful vaccine to control the AIDS. DNA-based vaccines have been investigated for HIV vaccination by researches during the recent 20 years. The DNA vaccines are novel approach for induction of both type of immune responses (cellular and humoral) in the host cells and have many advantages including high stability, fast and easy of fabrication and absence of severe side effects when compared with other vaccination methods. Recent studies have been focused on vaccine design, immune responses and on the use of adjuvants as a promising strategy for increased level of responses, delivery approaches by viral and non-viral methods and vector design for different antigens of HIV virus. In this review, we outlined the aforementioned advances on HIV DNA vaccines. Then we described the future trends in clinical trials as a strong strategy even in healthy volunteers and the potential developments in control and prevention of HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayebeh Rezaei
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Biotechnology, Higher Education Institute of Rab-Rashid, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Saeed Khalili
- Department of Biology Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Rajee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behzad Baradaran
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Jafar Mosafer
- Research Center of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
| | - Sarah Rezaei
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ahad Mokhtarzadeh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Biotechnology, Higher Education Institute of Rab-Rashid, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Miguel de la Guardia
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
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33
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Green EW, Bunse L, Bozza M, Sanghvi K, Platten M. TCR validation toward gene therapy for cancer. Methods Enzymol 2019; 629:419-441. [PMID: 31727252 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2019.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The speed of T cell receptor (TCR) discovery has been revolutionized by barcode-based TCR sequencing approaches that allow the reconstitution of a T cell's paired alpha and beta TCR chain, and the process of TCR discovery promises to become ever faster and cheaper with the continuing development single cell analysis techniques. This technological progress has generated an urgent need to develop efficient TCR validation platforms for the rapid and safe clinical translation of TCRs into therapeutic agents. Whereas much attention has in the past focused on CD8-positive cytotoxic T cells recognizing MHC class I presented epitopes, the increasing demand to validate TCRs expressed on neoepitope-reactive CD4 T cells requires the implementation of large-scale T cell activation-based readout assays to complement existing multimer and cytotoxicity-based assays. Here, we present commonly used TCR validation assays, and include detailed guidance on TCR synthesis, delivery, and appropriate experimental control TCRs. We also comment on upcoming methods that hold promise for further speeding the process of TCR validation, hastening the translation of TCRs from the laboratory into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward W Green
- German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lukas Bunse
- German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany; University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany; University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Matthias Bozza
- German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Khwab Sanghvi
- German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Platten
- German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany; University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany; University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Grisch-Chan HM, Schwank G, Harding CO, Thöny B. State-of-the-Art 2019 on Gene Therapy for Phenylketonuria. Hum Gene Ther 2019; 30:1274-1283. [PMID: 31364419 PMCID: PMC6763965 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2019.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is considered to be a paradigm for a monogenic metabolic disorder but was never thought to be a primary application for human gene therapy due to established alternative treatment. However, somewhat unanticipated improvement in neuropsychiatric outcome upon long-term treatment of adults with PKU with enzyme substitution therapy might slowly change this assumption. In parallel, PKU was for a long time considered to be an excellent test system for experimental gene therapy of a Mendelian autosomal recessive defect of the liver due to an outstanding mouse model and the easy to analyze and well-defined therapeutic end point, that is, blood l-phenylalanine concentration. Lifelong treatment by targeting the mouse liver (or skeletal muscle) was achieved using different approaches, including (1) recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) or nonviral naked DNA vector-based gene addition, (2) genome editing using base editors delivered by rAAV vectors, and (3) by delivering rAAVs for promoter-less insertion of the PAH-cDNA into the Pah locus. In this article we summarize the gene therapeutic attempts of correcting a mouse model for PKU and discuss the future implications for human gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiu Man Grisch-Chan
- Division of Metabolism, University Children's Hospital Zurich and Children's Research Centre, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gerald Schwank
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cary O. Harding
- Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Oregon Science and Health University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Beat Thöny
- Division of Metabolism, University Children's Hospital Zurich and Children's Research Centre, Zurich, Switzerland
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Zeng M, Alshehri F, Zhou D, Lara-Sáez I, Wang X, Li X, A S, Xu Q, Zhang J, Wang W. Efficient and Robust Highly Branched Poly(β-amino ester)/Minicircle COL7A1 Polymeric Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery to Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Keratinocytes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:30661-30672. [PMID: 31390173 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b13135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a severe congenital skin fragility disease caused by COL7A1 mutations that result in type VII collagen (C7) deficiency. Herein, we report a synergistic polyplex system that can efficiently restore C7 expression in RDEB keratinocytes. A highly branched multifunctional poly(β-amino ester) (HPAE), termed as HC32-122, was optimized systematically as the high-performance gene delivery vector for keratinocytes, achieving much higher transfection capability than polyethylenimine, SuperFect, and Lipofectamine 2000 without inducing obvious cytotoxicity. Concurrently, a 12 kb length minicircle DNA encoding ∼9 kb full-length COL7A1 (MCC7) devoid of bacterial sequence was biosynthesized as the therapeutic gene. Combining the highly potent polymer and the miniaturized gene structure, HC32-122/MCC7 polyplexes achieve 96.4% cellular uptake efficiency, 4019-fold COL7A1 mRNA enhancement, and robust recombinant C7 expression. Structure-property investigations reveal that HC32-122 can effectively condense MCC7 to form small, uniform, compact, and positively charged spherical nanoparticles with high DNA release flexibility. Moreover, formulation study shows that sucrose is conductive to lyophilized HC32-122/DNA polyplexes for maintaining the transfection capability. Direct frozen polyplexes can maintain full gene transfection capability after one-year storage. High efficiency, biocompatibility, facile manipulation, and long-term stability make the HC32-122/MCC7 system a promising bench-to-bed candidate for treating the debilitating RDEB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zeng
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
- Department of Dermatology , The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University , Hefei 230022 , China
| | - Fatma Alshehri
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University , Riyadh 11671 , Saudi Arabia
| | - Dezhong Zhou
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology , Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an , Shaanxi 710049 , China
| | - Irene Lara-Sáez
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
| | - Xi Wang
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
| | - Xiaolin Li
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
| | - Sigen A
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
| | - Qian Xu
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
| | - Jing Zhang
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
| | - Wenxin Wang
- Charles Institute of Dermatology , University College Dublin , Dublin D04 V1W8 , Ireland
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Buck J, Grossen P, Cullis PR, Huwyler J, Witzigmann D. Lipid-Based DNA Therapeutics: Hallmarks of Non-Viral Gene Delivery. ACS NANO 2019; 13:3754-3782. [PMID: 30908008 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b07858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Gene therapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of monogenic disorders. Non-viral gene delivery systems including lipid-based DNA therapeutics offer the opportunity to deliver an encoding gene sequence specifically to the target tissue and thus enable the expression of therapeutic proteins in diseased cells. Currently, available gene delivery approaches based on DNA are inefficient and require improvements to achieve clinical utility. In this Review, we discuss state-of-the-art lipid-based DNA delivery systems that have been investigated in a preclinical setting. We emphasize factors influencing the delivery and subsequent gene expression in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. In addition, we cover aspects of nanoparticle engineering and optimization for DNA therapeutics. Finally, we highlight achievements of lipid-based DNA therapies in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Buck
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Basel , Klingelbergstrasse 50 , 4056 Basel , Switzerland
| | - Philip Grossen
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Basel , Klingelbergstrasse 50 , 4056 Basel , Switzerland
| | - Pieter R Cullis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , University of British Columbia , 2350 Health Sciences Mall , Vancouver , British Columbia V6T 1Z3 , Canada
| | - Jörg Huwyler
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Basel , Klingelbergstrasse 50 , 4056 Basel , Switzerland
| | - Dominik Witzigmann
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Basel , Klingelbergstrasse 50 , 4056 Basel , Switzerland
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , University of British Columbia , 2350 Health Sciences Mall , Vancouver , British Columbia V6T 1Z3 , Canada
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Almeida AM, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa A. Minicircle DNA purification: Performance of chromatographic monoliths bearing lysine and cadaverine ligands. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2019; 1118-1119:7-16. [PMID: 31005775 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2019.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Minicircle DNA (mcDNA) technology is in the vanguard of vectors designed for gene therapy, since the absence of prokaryotic sequences confers to mcDNA higher biosafety in comparison to other DNA vectors. However, the presence of other isoforms and non-recombined parental molecules hampers the isolation of supercoiled (sc) mcDNA with the chromatographic methods already established for plasmid purification. In this work, two monolithic supports were modified with lysine and its decarboxylated derivative, cadaverine, to explore their performance in the sc mcDNA purification. Increasing NaCl gradients and different pH values (from 6 to 9) were tested in both modified monoliths. In general, cadaverine modified support established stronger interactions with mcDNA than lysine modified monolith, at acidic pH. For instance, at pH 6.0 the retention time for RNA and DNA molecules in lysine modified monolith was 11.58 and 14.59, respectively, while for cadaverine modified monolith was 20.32 and 27.12, respectively. The lysine modified monolith was able to successfully isolate sc mcDNA from the lysate sample. However, recovery yield was significantly sacrificed to guarantee high purity levels of sc mcDNA. The cadaverine modified monolith showed better selectivity than the previous monolith, achieving the successful sc mcDNA isolation from the lysate sample. The final sc mcDNA sample, obtained by the column that showed the best performance, was characterized by real-time PCR, presenting 98.4% purity and 78.6% recovery yield. The impurities content, namely genomic DNA, proteins and endotoxins, was found within the criteria established by regulatory agencies. Overall, a simple and practical chromatographic strategy to purify sc mcDNA was for the first time implemented by exploring a modified monolithic column, with no significant reduction on the purity and recovery and without resorting to backbone modification or specific enzymatic digestion. Such features will surely be crucial in the industrial scale-up of this chromatographic strategy since it will not be associated with significant cost-increase.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Almeida
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - F Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - A Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Şişli HB, Hayal TB, Seçkin S, Şenkal S, Kıratlı B, Şahin F, Doğan A. Gene Editing in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: Recent Advances for Clinical Therapies. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1237:17-28. [PMID: 31728915 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2019_439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The identification of human embryonic stem cells and reprogramming technology to obtain induced pluripotent stem cells from adult somatic cells have provided unique opportunity to create human disease models, gene editing strategies and cell therapy options.Development of pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells and genomic manipulation tools enabled to use site specific nucleases in the cell therapy research. Identification of efficient gene manipulation, safe differentiation and use will provide a novel strategy to treat many diseases in the near future. Current available registered clinical trials clearly indicate the need for pluripotent stem cell and gene therapy treatment options. Although gene editing based pluripotent stem cell research is a popular field for research worldwide, improvement of clinical approaches for treatment still remains to be investigated. In this review, we summarized the current situation of gene editing based pluripotent cell therapy developments and applications in clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Burcu Şişli
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Taha Bartu Hayal
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Selin Seçkin
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Selinay Şenkal
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Binnur Kıratlı
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Fikrettin Şahin
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ayşegül Doğan
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Del Pozo-Rodríguez A, Rodríguez-Gascón A, Rodríguez-Castejón J, Vicente-Pascual M, Gómez-Aguado I, Battaglia LS, Solinís MÁ. Gene Therapy. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 171:321-368. [PMID: 31492963 DOI: 10.1007/10_2019_109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gene therapy medicinal products (GTMPs) are one of the most promising biopharmaceuticals, which are beginning to show encouraging results. The broad clinical research activity has been addressed mainly to cancer, primarily to those cancers that do not respond well to conventional treatment. GTMPs to treat rare disorders caused by single-gene mutations have also made important advancements toward market availability, with eye and hematopoietic system diseases as the main applications.Nucleic acid-marketed products are based on both in vivo and ex vivo strategies. Apart from DNA-based therapies, antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNA, and, recently, T-cell-based therapies have been also marketed. Moreover, the gene-editing tool CRISPR is boosting the development of new gene therapy-based medicines, and it is expected to have a substantial impact on the gene therapy biopharmaceutical market in the near future.However, despite the important advancements of gene therapy, many challenges have still to be overcome, which are discussed in this book chapter. Issues such as efficacy and safety of the gene delivery systems and manufacturing capacity of biotechnological companies to produce viral vectors are usually considered, but problems related to cost and patient affordability must be also faced to ensure the success of this emerging therapy. Graphical Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Del Pozo-Rodríguez
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Alicia Rodríguez-Gascón
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Julen Rodríguez-Castejón
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Mónica Vicente-Pascual
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Itziar Gómez-Aguado
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Luigi S Battaglia
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - María Ángeles Solinís
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
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40
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Serra J, Alves CPA, Brito L, Monteiro GA, Cabral JMS, Prazeres DMF, da Silva CL. Engineering of Human Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells with Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Encoding Minicircles for Angiogenic Ex Vivo Gene Therapy. Hum Gene Ther 2018; 30:316-329. [PMID: 30200778 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2018.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a debilitating and prevalent condition characterized by blockage of the arteries, leading to limb amputation in more severe cases. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) are known to have intrinsic regenerative properties that can be potentiated by the introduction of pro-angiogenic genes such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Herein, the use of human bone marrow MSC transiently transfected with minicircles encoding for VEGF is proposed as an ex vivo gene therapy strategy to enhance angiogenesis in PAD patients. The VEGF gene was cloned in minicircle and conventional plasmid vectors and used to transfect bone marrow-derived MSC ex vivo. VEGF expression was evaluated both by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The number of VEGF transcripts following MSC transfection with minicircles increased 130-fold relative to the expression in non-transfected MSC, whereas for the plasmid (pVAX1)-based transfection, the increase was 50-fold. Compared to the VEGF basal levels secreted by MSC (11.1 ± 3.4 pg/1,000 cells/day), significantly higher values were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after both minicircle and pVAX1 transfection (644.8 ± 82.5 and 508.3 ± 164.0 pg/1,000 cells/day, respectively). The VEGF overexpression improved the angiogenic potential of MSC in vitro, as confirmed by endothelial cell tube formation and cell migration assays, without affecting the expansion potential ex vivo, as well as multilineage differentiation capacity or immunophenotype of MSC. Although preclinical in vivo studies are required, these results suggest that minicircle-mediated VEGF gene delivery, combined with the unique properties of human MSC, could represent a promising ex vivo gene therapy approach for an improved angiogenesis in the context of PAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Serra
- 1 Department of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cláudia P A Alves
- 1 Department of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Liliana Brito
- 1 Department of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gabriel A Monteiro
- 1 Department of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.,2 The Discoveries Centre for Regenerative and Precision Medicine, Lisbon Campus, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Joaquim M S Cabral
- 1 Department of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.,2 The Discoveries Centre for Regenerative and Precision Medicine, Lisbon Campus, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Duarte Miguel F Prazeres
- 1 Department of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cláudia L da Silva
- 1 Department of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.,2 The Discoveries Centre for Regenerative and Precision Medicine, Lisbon Campus, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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Zagato E, Vermeulen L, Dewitte H, Van Imschoot G, Vandenbroucke RE, Demeester J, De Smedt SC, Neyts K, Remaut K, Braeckmans K. Quantifying the Average Number of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics per Nanocarrier by Single Particle Tracking Microscopy. Mol Pharm 2018; 15:1142-1149. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Zagato
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lotte Vermeulen
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Heleen Dewitte
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Griet Van Imschoot
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Roosmarijn E. Vandenbroucke
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jo Demeester
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stefaan C. De Smedt
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kristiaan Neyts
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Katrien Remaut
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kevin Braeckmans
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Hacobian A, Hercher D. Pushing the Right Buttons: Improving Efficacy of Therapeutic DNA Vectors. TISSUE ENGINEERING PART B-REVIEWS 2017; 24:226-239. [PMID: 29264951 DOI: 10.1089/ten.teb.2017.0353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Gene therapy represents a potent therapeutical application for regenerative medicine. So far, viral and nonviral approaches suffer from major drawbacks hindering efficient gene therapeutic applicability: the immunogenicity of viral systems on the one hand, and the low gene transfer efficiency of nonviral systems on the other hand. Therefore, there is a high demand for improvements of therapeutical systems at several levels. This review summarizes different DNA vector modifications to enhance biological efficacy and efficiency of therapeutical vectors, aiming for low toxicity, high specificity, and biological efficacy-the cornerstones for successful translation of gene therapy into the clinic. We aim to provide a step-by-step instruction to optimize their vectors to achieve the desired outcome of gene therapy. Our review provides the means to either construct a potent gene therapeutic vector de novo or to specifically address a bottleneck in the chain of events mandatory for therapeutic success. Although most of the introduced techniques can be translated into different areas, this review primarily addresses improvements for applications in transient gene therapy in the field of tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ara Hacobian
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Department of Molecular Biology, AUVA Research Center, The Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration , Vienna, Austria
| | - David Hercher
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Department of Molecular Biology, AUVA Research Center, The Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration , Vienna, Austria
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Levacic AK, Morys S, Kempter S, Lächelt U, Wagner E. Minicircle Versus Plasmid DNA Delivery by Receptor-Targeted Polyplexes. Hum Gene Ther 2017; 28:862-874. [DOI: 10.1089/hum.2017.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Krhac Levacic
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Morys
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Susanne Kempter
- Department of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Lächelt
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Nanosystems Initiative Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Nanosystems Initiative Munich, Munich, Germany
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44
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Smith TT, Stephan SB, Moffett HF, McKnight LE, Ji W, Reiman D, Bonagofski E, Wohlfahrt ME, Pillai SPS, Stephan MT. In situ programming of leukaemia-specific T cells using synthetic DNA nanocarriers. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 12:813-820. [PMID: 28416815 PMCID: PMC5646367 DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2017.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 441] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
An emerging approach for treating cancer involves programming patient-derived T cells with genes encoding disease-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), so that they can combat tumour cells once they are reinfused. Although trials of this therapy have produced impressive results, the in vitro methods they require to generate large numbers of tumour-specific T cells are too elaborate for widespread application to treat cancer patients. Here, we describe a method to quickly program circulating T cells with tumour-recognizing capabilities, thus avoiding these complications. Specifically, we demonstrate that DNA-carrying nanoparticles can efficiently introduce leukaemia-targeting CAR genes into T-cell nuclei, thereby bringing about long-term disease remission. These polymer nanoparticles are easy to manufacture in a stable form, which simplifies storage and reduces cost. Our technology may therefore provide a practical, broadly applicable treatment that can generate anti-tumour immunity 'on demand' for oncologists in a variety of settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyrel T. Smith
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Sirkka B. Stephan
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Howell F. Moffett
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Laura E. McKnight
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Weihang Ji
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Diana Reiman
- Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Academy, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Emmy Bonagofski
- Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Academy, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Martin E. Wohlfahrt
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Smitha P. S. Pillai
- Comparative Pathology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Matthias T. Stephan
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
- Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Academy, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
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Low-Dose Gene Therapy for Murine PKU Using Episomal Naked DNA Vectors Expressing PAH from Its Endogenous Liver Promoter. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2017. [PMID: 28624210 PMCID: PMC5423318 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Limited duration of transgene expression, insertional mutagenesis, and size limitations for transgene cassettes pose challenges and risk factors for many gene therapy vectors. Here, we report on physiological expression of liver phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) by delivery of naked DNA/minicircle (MC)-based vectors for correction of homozygous enu2 mice, a model of human phenylketonuria (PKU). Because MC vectors lack a defined size limit, we constructed a MC vector expressing a codon-optimized murine Pah cDNA that includes a truncated intron and is under the transcriptional control of a 3.6-kb native Pah promoter/enhancer sequence. This vector, delivered via hydrodynamic injection, yielded therapeutic liver PAH activity and sustained correction of blood phenylalanine comparable to viral or synthetic liver promoters. Therapeutic efficacy was seen with vector copy numbers of <1 vector genome per diploid hepatocyte genome and was achieved at a vector dose that was significantly lowered. Partial hepatectomy and subsequent liver regeneration was associated with >95% loss of vector genomes and PAH activity in liver, demonstrating that MC vectors had not integrated into the liver genome. In conclusion, MC vectors, which do not have a defined size-limitation, offer a favorable safety profile for hepatic gene therapy due to their non-integration in combination with native promoters.
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Verhenne S, Vandeputte N, Pareyn I, Izsvák Z, Rottensteiner H, Deckmyn H, De Meyer SF, Vanhoorelbeke K. Long-Term Prevention of Congenital Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in ADAMTS13 Knockout Mice by Sleeping Beauty Transposon-Mediated Gene Therapy. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2017; 37:836-844. [PMID: 28254814 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.116.308680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Severe deficiency in the von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) because of mutations in the ADAMTS13 gene can lead to acute episodes of congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), requiring prompt treatment. Current treatment consists of therapeutic or prophylactic infusions of fresh frozen plasma. However, lifelong treatment with plasma products is a stressful therapy for TTP patients. Here, we describe the use of the nonviral sleeping beauty (SB) transposon system as a gene therapeutic approach to realize lifelong expression of ADAMTS13 and subsequent protection against congenital TTP. APPROACH AND RESULTS We demonstrated that hydrodynamic tail vein injection of the SB100X system expressing murine ADAMTS13 in Adamts13-/- mice resulted in long-term expression of supraphysiological levels of transgene ADAMTS13 over a period of 25 weeks. Stably expressed ADAMTS13 efficiently removed the prothrombotic ultralarge von Willebrand factor multimers present in the circulation of Adamts13-/- mice. Moreover, mice stably expressing ADAMTS13 were protected against TTP. The treated mice did not develop severe thrombocytopenia or did organ damage occur when triggered with recombinant von Willebrand factor, and this up to 20 weeks after gene transfer. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate the feasibility of using SB100X-mediated gene therapy to achieve sustained expression of transgene ADAMTS13 and long-term prophylaxis against TTP in Adamts13-/- mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastien Verhenne
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.)
| | - Nele Vandeputte
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.)
| | - Inge Pareyn
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.)
| | - Zsuzsanna Izsvák
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.)
| | - Hanspeter Rottensteiner
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.)
| | - Hans Deckmyn
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.)
| | - Simon F De Meyer
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.)
| | - Karen Vanhoorelbeke
- From the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, Belgium (S.V., N.V., I.P., H.D., S.F.D.M., K.V.); Mobile DNA, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (Z.I.); and Shire, Gene Therapy, Vienna, Austria (H.R.).
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Gaspar VM, Cruz C, Queiroz JA, Pichon C, Correia IJ, Sousa F. Highly selective capture of minicircle DNA biopharmaceuticals by a novel zinc-histidine peptide conjugate. Sep Purif Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2016.10.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Hardee CL, Arévalo-Soliz LM, Hornstein BD, Zechiedrich L. Advances in Non-Viral DNA Vectors for Gene Therapy. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:E65. [PMID: 28208635 PMCID: PMC5333054 DOI: 10.3390/genes8020065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Uses of viral vectors have thus far eclipsed uses of non-viral vectors for gene therapy delivery in the clinic. Viral vectors, however, have certain issues involving genome integration, the inability to be delivered repeatedly, and possible host rejection. Fortunately, development of non-viral DNA vectors has progressed steadily, especially in plasmid vector length reduction, now allowing these tools to fill in specifically where viral or other non-viral vectors may not be the best options. In this review, we examine the improvements made to non-viral DNA gene therapy vectors, highlight opportunities for their further development, address therapeutic needs for which their use is the logical choice, and discuss their future expansion into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinnamon L. Hardee
- Interdepartmental Program in Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (L.M.A.-S.); (B.D.H.)
| | - Lirio Milenka Arévalo-Soliz
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (L.M.A.-S.); (B.D.H.)
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin D. Hornstein
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (L.M.A.-S.); (B.D.H.)
| | - Lynn Zechiedrich
- Interdepartmental Program in Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (L.M.A.-S.); (B.D.H.)
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Brett E, Zielins ER, Luan A, Ooi CC, Shailendra S, Atashroo D, Menon S, Blackshear C, Flacco J, Quarto N, Wang SX, Longaker MT, Wan DC. Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Upregulation of B-Cell Lymphoma 2 Enhances Bone Regeneration. Stem Cells Transl Med 2017; 6:151-160. [PMID: 28170185 PMCID: PMC5442739 DOI: 10.5966/sctm.2016-0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical translation of cell-based strategies for tissue regeneration remains challenging because survival of implanted cells within hostile, hypoxic wound environments is uncertain. Overexpression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) has been shown to inhibit apoptosis in implanted cells. The present study describes an "off the shelf" prefabricated scaffold integrated with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) used to upregulate Bcl-2 expression in implanted adipose-derived stromal cells for bone regeneration. Iron oxide cores were sequentially coated with branched polyethyleneimine, minicircle plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein and Bcl-2, and poly-β-amino ester. Through in vitro assays, increased osteogenic potential and biological resilience were demonstrated in the magnetofected group over control and nucleofected groups. Similarly, our in vivo calvarial defect study showed that magnetofection had an efficiency rate of 30%, which in turn resulted in significantly more healing compared with control group and nucleofected group. Our novel, prefabricated MNP-integrated scaffold allows for in situ postimplant temporospatial control of cell transfection to augment bone regeneration. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:151-160.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Brett
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth R. Zielins
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Anna Luan
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Chin Chun Ooi
- Department of Material Science Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Siny Shailendra
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - David Atashroo
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Siddarth Menon
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Charles Blackshear
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - John Flacco
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Natalina Quarto
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Shan X. Wang
- Department of Material Science Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Michael T. Longaker
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Derrick C. Wan
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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Abstract
When constructing transgenic cell lines via plasmid DNA integration, precise targeting to a desired genomic location is advantageous. It is also often advantageous to remove the bacterial backbone, since bacterial elements can lead to the epigenetic silencing of neighboring DNA. The least cumbersome method to remove the plasmid backbone is recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE). RMCE is accomplished by arranging recombinase sites in the genome and in a donor plasmid such that a recombinase can both integrate the donor plasmid and excise its bacterial backbone. When a single recombinase is used for RMCE, recombination between undesired pairings of the sites can lead to a significant number of unwanted cell lines. To reduce the frequency with which these side products occur, several variants of RMCE that increase desired outcomes have been developed. Nevertheless, an important feature lacking from these improved RMCE methods is that none have fully utilized the recombinases that have been demonstrated to be the most robust and stringent at performing genomic integration in plants and animals, i.e., the phiC31 and Bxb1 phage integrases. To address this need, we have developed an RMCE protocol using these two serine integrases that we call dual integrase cassette exchange (DICE). Our DICE system provides a means to achieve high-precision DNA integration at a desired location and is especially well suited for repeated recombination into the same locus. In this chapter, we provide our most current protocols for using DICE in feeder-free human-induced pluripotent stem cells .
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso P Farruggio
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Alway Building, M316, Stanford, CA, 94305-5120, USA
| | - Mital S Bhakta
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Alway Building, M316, Stanford, CA, 94305-5120, USA
| | - Michele P Calos
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Alway Building, M316, Stanford, CA, 94305-5120, USA.
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