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Sapey E, Crowley LE, Edgar RG, Griffiths D, Samanta S, Crisford H, Bolton CE, Hurst JR, Stockley RA. Cardiovascular disease in Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency: an observational study assessing the role of neutrophil proteinase activity and the suitability of validated screening tools. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024; 19:130. [PMID: 38515138 PMCID: PMC10956254 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-024-03124-x] [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: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) is a rare, inherited lung disease which shares features with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) but has a greater burden of proteinase related tissue damage. These proteinases are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population. It is unclear whether patients with AATD have a greater risk of CVD compared to usual COPD, how best to screen for this, and whether neutrophil proteinases are implicated in AATD-associated CVD. This study had three aims. To compare CVD risk in never-augmented AATD patients to non-AATD COPD and healthy controls (HC). To assess relationships between CVD risk and lung physiology. To determine if neutrophil proteinase activity was associated with CVD risk in AATD. Cardiovascular risk was assessed by QRISK2® score and aortic stiffness measurements using carotid-femoral (aortic) pulse wave velocity (aPWV). Medical history, computed tomography scans and post-bronchodilator lung function parameters were reviewed. Systemic proteinase 3 activity was measured. Patients were followed for 4 years, to assess CVD development. RESULTS 228 patients with AATD, 50 with non-AATD COPD and 51 healthy controls were recruited. In all COPD and HC participants, QRISK2® and aPWV gave concordant results (with both measures either high or in the normal range). This was not the case in AATD. Once aPWV was adjusted for age and smoking history, aPWV was highest and QRISK2® lowest in AATD patients compared to the COPD or HC participants. Higher aPWV was associated with impairments in lung physiology, the presence of emphysema on CT scan and proteinase 3 activity following adjustment for age, smoking status and traditional CVD risk factors (using QRISK2® scores) in AATD. There were no such relationships with QRISK2® in AATD. AATD patients with confirmed CVD at four-year follow up had a higher aPWV but not QRISK2® at baseline assessment. CONCLUSION aPWV measured CVD risk is elevated in AATD. This risk is not captured by QRISK2®. There is a relationship between aPWV, lung disease and proteinase-3 activity. Proteinase-driven breakdown of elastin fibres in large arteries and lungs is a putative mechanism and forms a potential therapeutic target for CVD in AATD.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Sapey
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2GW, UK
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
| | - L E Crowley
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2GW, UK.
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
| | - R G Edgar
- Institute of Applied Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
| | - D Griffiths
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
| | - S Samanta
- UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK
| | - H Crisford
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2GW, UK
| | - C E Bolton
- NIHR Nottingham BRC Respiratory Theme, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, City Hospital NUH Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - J R Hurst
- UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK
| | - R A Stockley
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
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Blackwood M, Gruntman AM, Tang Q, Pires-Ferreira D, Reil D, Kondratov O, Marsic D, Zolotukhin S, Gernoux G, Keeler AM, Mueller C, Flotte TR. Biodistribution and safety of a single rAAV3B-AAT vector for silencing and replacement of alpha-1 antitrypsin in Cynomolgus macaques. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2024; 32:101200. [PMID: 38445045 PMCID: PMC10914479 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2024.101200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is characterized by both chronic lung disease due to loss of wild-type AAT (M-AAT) antiprotease function and liver disease due to toxicity from delayed secretion, polymerization, and aggregation of misfolded mutant AAT (Z-AAT). The ideal gene therapy for AATD should therefore comprise both endogenous Z-AAT suppression and M-AAT overexpression. We designed a dual-function rAAV3B (df-rAAV3B) construct, which was effective at transducing hepatocytes, resulting in a considerable decrease of Z-AAT levels and safe M-AAT augmentation in mice. We optimized df-rAAV3B and created two variants, AAV3B-E12 and AAV3B-G3, to simultaneously enhance the concentration of M-AAT in the bloodstream to therapeutic levels and silence endogenous AAT liver expression in cynomolgus monkeys. Our results demonstrate that AAV3b-WT, AAV3B-E12, and AAV3B-G3 were able to transduce the monkey livers and achieve high M-AAT serum levels efficiently and safely. In this nondeficient model, we did not find downregulation of endogenous AAT. However, the dual-function vector did serve as a potentially "liver-sparing" alternative for high-dose liver-mediated AAT gene replacement in the context of underlying liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan Blackwood
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Alisha M. Gruntman
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | - Qiushi Tang
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Debora Pires-Ferreira
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Darcy Reil
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Oleksandr Kondratov
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Damien Marsic
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- MaiBo Biotech, Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu, China
| | - Sergei Zolotukhin
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Gwladys Gernoux
- Nantes Université, CHU de Nantes, INSERM, TaRGeT–Translational Research in Gene Therapy, UMR 1089, 44200 Nantes, France
| | - Allison M. Keeler
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | | | - Terence R. Flotte
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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Yang T, Yu J, Ahmed T, Nguyen K, Nie F, Zan R, Li Z, Han P, Shen H, Zhang X, Takayama S, Song Y. Synthetic neutrophil extracellular traps dissect bactericidal contribution of NETs under regulation of α-1-antitrypsin. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf2445. [PMID: 37115934 PMCID: PMC10146876 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf2445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Deciphering the complex interplay of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) with the surrounding environment is a challenge with notable clinical implications. To bridge the gap in knowledge, we report our findings on the antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa of synthetic NET-mimetic materials composed of nanofibrillated DNA-protein complexes. Our synthetic system makes component-by-component bottom-up analysis of NET protein effects possible. When the antimicrobial enzyme neutrophil elastase (NE) is incorporated into the bactericidal DNA-histone complexes, the resulting synthetic NET-like structure exhibits an unexpected reduction in antimicrobial activity. This critical immune function is rescued upon treatment with alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), a physiological tissue-protective protease inhibitor. This suggests a direct causal link between AAT inhibition of NE and preservation of histone-mediated antimicrobial activity. These results help better understand the complex and, at times, contradictory observations of in vivo antimicrobial effects of NETs and AAT by excluding neutrophil, cytokine, and chemoattractant contributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Yang
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Jinlong Yu
- Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Tasdiq Ahmed
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Katherine Nguyen
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Fang Nie
- Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Rui Zan
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Biliary Tract Minimal Invasive Surgery and Materials, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhiwei Li
- Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Pei Han
- Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Hao Shen
- Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Xiaonong Zhang
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Biliary Tract Minimal Invasive Surgery and Materials, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shuichi Takayama
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Yang Song
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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Pires Ferreira D, Gruntman AM, Flotte TR. Gene therapy for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: an update. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2023; 23:283-291. [PMID: 36825473 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2023.2183771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Altering the human genetic code has been explored since the early 1990s as a definitive answer for the treatment of monogenic and acquired diseases which do not respond to conventional therapies. In Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) the proper synthesis and secretion of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) protein is impaired, leading to its toxic hepatic accumulation along with its pulmonary insufficiency, which is associated with parenchymal proteolytic destruction. Because AATD is caused by mutations in a single gene whose correction alone would normalize the mutant phenotype, it has become a popular target for both augmentation gene therapy and gene editing. Although gene therapy products are already a reality for the treatment of some pathologies, such as inherited retinal dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy, AATD-related pulmonary and, especially, liver diseases still lack effective therapeutic options. AREAS COVERED Here, we review the course, challenges, and achievements of AATD gene therapy as well as update on new strategies being developed. EXPERT OPINION Reaching safe and clinically effective expression of the AAT is currently the greatest challenge for AATD gene therapy. The improvement and emergence of technologies that use gene introduction, silencing and correction hold promise for the treatment of AATD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debora Pires Ferreira
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Alisha M Gruntman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Terence R Flotte
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
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Fazleen A, Wilkinson T. The emerging role of proteases in α 1-antitrypsin deficiency and beyond. ERJ Open Res 2021; 7:00494-2021. [PMID: 34820446 PMCID: PMC8607071 DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00494-2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
α1-Antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) has been historically under-recognised and under-diagnosed; recently it has begun to receive greater interest in terms of attempts at deeper elucidation of pathology and treatment options. However, the concept of disease phenotypes within AATD (emphysema, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis or a combination of phenotypes) has not been proposed or studied. Of the three neutrophil serine proteases, neutrophil elastase was historically believed to be the sole contributor to disease pathology in AATD. Recently, Proteinase-3 has been increasingly studied as an equal, if not greater, contributor to the disease process. Cathepsin G, however, has not been extensively evaluated in this area. Matrix metalloproteinases have also been mentioned in the pathogenesis of AATD but have not been widely explored. This article considers the available evidence for differential protease activity in patients with AATD, including the contribution to distinct phenotypes of the disease. Owing to limited literature in this area, extrapolations from studies of other chronic lung diseases with similar phenotypes, including COPD and bronchiectasis, have been made. We consider a new framework of understanding defined by protease-driven endotypes of disease which may lead to new opportunities for precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aishath Fazleen
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Tom Wilkinson
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Shimi G, Zand H. Association of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency with vitamin D status: who is most at risk of getting severe COVID-19? Inflamm Res 2021; 70:375-377. [PMID: 33740066 PMCID: PMC7976726 DOI: 10.1007/s00011-021-01456-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a new disease that we do not know yet how to treat, is rapidly evolving and has forced us to stay indoors. Surprisingly, a broad range of symptoms has been reported since COVID-19 emergence. Individual variations in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 can be due to non-genetic and genetic factors. Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is an inherited condition that is associated with an increased risk of liver and lung diseases which may increase susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. At the same time, there could be a possibility of developing non-hereditary AATD. Discussion In addition to some evidence showing the role of vitamin D deficiency in COVID-19 pathology, it has been recognized that there is a biological link between AAT and vitamin D. Therefore, here we offer a new perspective that lower vitamin D levels in COVID-19 patients can cause acquired AATD that provide a condition with more disease severity and a higher risk of death. As a consequence, COVID-19 individuals with vitamin D deficiency may have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. Conclusion Therefore, early vitamin D and AAT assessments and optimal interventions could be helpful to prevent severe COVID-19 outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazaleh Shimi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Science and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 1981619573, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Zand
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Science and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 1981619573, Tehran, Iran.
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