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Nafchi NAM, Chilcott EM, Brown S, Fuller HR, Bowerman M, Yáñez-Muñoz RJ. Enhanced expression of the human Survival motor neuron 1 gene from a codon-optimised cDNA transgene in vitro and in vivo. Gene Ther 2023; 30:812-825. [PMID: 37322133 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-023-00406-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disease particularly characterised by degeneration of ventral motor neurons. Survival motor neuron (SMN) 1 gene mutations cause SMA, and gene addition strategies to replace the faulty SMN1 copy are a therapeutic option. We have developed a novel, codon-optimised hSMN1 transgene and produced integration-proficient and integration-deficient lentiviral vectors with cytomegalovirus (CMV), human synapsin (hSYN) or human phosphoglycerate kinase (hPGK) promoters to determine the optimal expression cassette configuration. Integrating, CMV-driven and codon-optimised hSMN1 lentiviral vectors resulted in the highest production of functional SMN protein in vitro. Integration-deficient lentiviral vectors also led to significant expression of the optimised transgene and are expected to be safer than integrating vectors. Lentiviral delivery in culture led to activation of the DNA damage response, in particular elevating levels of phosphorylated ataxia telangiectasia mutated (pATM) and γH2AX, but the optimised hSMN1 transgene showed some protective effects. Neonatal delivery of adeno-associated viral vector (AAV9) vector encoding the optimised transgene to the Smn2B/- mouse model of SMA resulted in a significant increase of SMN protein levels in liver and spinal cord. This work shows the potential of a novel codon-optimised hSMN1 transgene as a therapeutic strategy for SMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda A M Nafchi
- AGCTlab.org, Centre of Gene and Cell Therapy, Centre for Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Ellie M Chilcott
- AGCTlab.org, Centre of Gene and Cell Therapy, Centre for Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Sharon Brown
- School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease, TORCH Building, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, SY10 7AG, UK
| | - Heidi R Fuller
- School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease, TORCH Building, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, SY10 7AG, UK
| | - Melissa Bowerman
- Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease, TORCH Building, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, SY10 7AG, UK
- School of Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Rafael J Yáñez-Muñoz
- AGCTlab.org, Centre of Gene and Cell Therapy, Centre for Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK.
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Genetics and gene therapy in Dravet syndrome. Epilepsy Behav 2022; 131:108043. [PMID: 34053869 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Dravet syndrome is a well-established electro-clinical condition first described in 1978. A main genetic cause was identified with the discovery of a loss-of-function SCN1A variant in 2001. Mechanisms underlying the phenotypic variations have subsequently been a main topic of research. Various genetic modifiers of clinical severities have been elucidated through many rigorous studies on genotype-phenotype correlations and the recent advances in next generation sequencing technology. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of the regulation of gene expression and remarkable progress on genome-editing technology using the CRISPR-Cas9 system provide significant opportunities to overcome hurdles of gene therapy, such as enhancing NaV1.1 expression. This article reviews the current understanding of genetic pathology and the status of research toward the development of gene therapy for Dravet syndrome. This article is part of the Special Issue "Severe Infantile Epilepsies".
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Dehghan Manshadi M, Kamalidehghan B, Aryani O, Khalili E, Dadgar S, Tondar M, Ahmadipour F, Yong Meng G, Houshmand M. Four novel ARSA gene mutations with pathogenic impacts on metachromatic leukodystrophy: a bioinformatics approach to predict pathogenic mutations. Ther Clin Risk Manag 2017; 13:725-731. [PMID: 28670130 PMCID: PMC5482404 DOI: 10.2147/tcrm.s119967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) disorder is a rare lysosomal storage disorder that leads to severe neurological symptoms and an early death. MLD occurs due to the deficiency of enzyme arylsulfatase A (ARSA) in leukocytes, and patients with MLD excrete sulfatide in their urine. In this study, the ARSA gene in 12 non-consanguineous MLD patients and 40 healthy individuals was examined using polymerase chain reaction sequencing. Furthermore, the structural and functional effects of new mutations on ARSA were analyzed using SIFT (sorting intolerant from tolerant), I-Mutant 2, and PolyPhen bioinformatics software. Here, 4 new pathogenic homozygous mutations c.585G>T, c.661T>A, c.849C>G, and c.911A>G were detected. The consequence of this study has extended the genotypic spectrum of MLD patients, paving way to a more effective method for carrier detection and genetic counseling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Behnam Kamalidehghan
- Medical Genetics Department, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Medical Genetics, National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Omid Aryani
- Department of Medical Genetics, Special Medical Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elham Khalili
- Department of Medical Genetics, Special Medical Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sepideh Dadgar
- Department of Medical Genetics, Special Medical Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Tondar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Fatemeh Ahmadipour
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Goh Yong Meng
- Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Massoud Houshmand
- Department of Medical Genetics, Special Medical Center, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Medical Genetics, National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
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Abstract
Retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells provides a potentially curative therapy for severe β-thalassemia. Lentiviral vectors based on human immunodeficiency virus have been developed for this purpose and have been shown to be effective in curing thalassemia in mouse models. One participant in an ongoing clinical trial has achieved transfusion independence after gene transfer into bone marrow stem cells owing, in part, to a genetically modified, dominant clone. Ongoing efforts are focused on improving the efficiency of lentiviral vector-mediated gene transfer into stem cells so that the curative potential of gene transfer can be consistently achieved.
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Escors D, Breckpot K. Lentiviral vectors in gene therapy: their current status and future potential. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2010; 58:107-19. [PMID: 20143172 DOI: 10.1007/s00005-010-0063-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2009] [Accepted: 10/06/2009] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The concept of gene therapy originated in the mid twentieth century and was perceived as a revolutionary technology with the promise to cure almost any disease of which the molecular basis was understood. Since then, several gene vectors have been developed and the feasibility of gene therapy has been shown in many animal models of human disease. However, clinical efficacy could not be demonstrated until the beginning of the new century in a small-scale clinical trial curing an otherwise fatal immunodeficiency disorder in children. This first success, achieved after retroviral therapy, was later overshadowed by the occurrence of vector-related leukemia in a significant number of the treated children, demonstrating that the future success of gene therapy depends on our understanding of vector biology. This has led to the development of later-generation vectors with improved efficiency, specificity, and safety. Amongst these are HIV-1 lentivirus-based vectors (lentivectors), which are being increasingly used in basic and applied research. Human gene therapy clinical trials are currently underway using lentivectors in a wide range of human diseases. The intention of this review is to describe the main scientific steps leading to the engineering of HIV-1 lentiviral vectors and place them in the context of current human gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Escors
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Medical School of the Royal Free and University College London, London W1T 4JF, UK.
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Metachromatic leukodystrophy: an overview of current and prospective treatments. Bone Marrow Transplant 2008; 42 Suppl 2:S2-6. [DOI: 10.1038/bmt.2008.275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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The Role and Metabolism of Sulfatide in the Nervous System. Mol Neurobiol 2008; 37:93-103. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-008-8022-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2008] [Accepted: 04/09/2008] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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