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Muñoz S, Bertolin J, Jimenez V, Jaén ML, Garcia M, Pujol A, Vilà L, Sacristan V, Barbon E, Ronzitti G, El Andari J, Tulalamba W, Pham QH, Ruberte J, VandenDriessche T, Chuah MK, Grimm D, Mingozzi F, Bosch F. Treatment of infantile-onset Pompe disease in a rat model with muscle-directed AAV gene therapy. Mol Metab 2024; 81:101899. [PMID: 38346589 PMCID: PMC10877955 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2024.101899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Pompe disease (PD) is caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid α-glucosidase (GAA), leading to progressive glycogen accumulation and severe myopathy with progressive muscle weakness. In the Infantile-Onset PD (IOPD), death generally occurs <1 year of age. There is no cure for IOPD. Mouse models of PD do not completely reproduce human IOPD severity. Our main objective was to generate the first IOPD rat model to assess an innovative muscle-directed adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-mediated gene therapy. METHODS PD rats were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The novel highly myotropic bioengineered capsid AAVMYO3 and an optimized muscle-specific promoter in conjunction with a transcriptional cis-regulatory element were used to achieve robust Gaa expression in the entire muscular system. Several metabolic, molecular, histopathological, and functional parameters were measured. RESULTS PD rats showed early-onset widespread glycogen accumulation, hepato- and cardiomegaly, decreased body and tissue weight, severe impaired muscle function and decreased survival, closely resembling human IOPD. Treatment with AAVMYO3-Gaa vectors resulted in widespread expression of Gaa in muscle throughout the body, normalizing glycogen storage pathology, restoring muscle mass and strength, counteracting cardiomegaly and normalizing survival rate. CONCLUSIONS This gene therapy holds great potential to treat glycogen metabolism alterations in IOPD. Moreover, the AAV-mediated approach may be exploited for other inherited muscle diseases, which also are limited by the inefficient widespread delivery of therapeutic transgenes throughout the muscular system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Muñoz
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Joan Bertolin
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Veronica Jimenez
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Maria Luisa Jaén
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Miquel Garcia
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Anna Pujol
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Laia Vilà
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Victor Sacristan
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Elena Barbon
- INTEGRARE, Genethon, INSERM UMR951, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91002, Evry, France
| | - Giuseppe Ronzitti
- INTEGRARE, Genethon, INSERM UMR951, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91002, Evry, France
| | - Jihad El Andari
- Department of Infectious Diseases/Virology, Section Viral Vector Technologies, BioQuant Center, Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Warut Tulalamba
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), B-1090, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Center for Molecular & Vascular Biology, University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Quang Hong Pham
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), B-1090, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Center for Molecular & Vascular Biology, University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jesus Ruberte
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Thierry VandenDriessche
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), B-1090, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Center for Molecular & Vascular Biology, University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marinee K Chuah
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), B-1090, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Center for Molecular & Vascular Biology, University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk Grimm
- Department of Infectious Diseases/Virology, Section Viral Vector Technologies, BioQuant Center, Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- INTEGRARE, Genethon, INSERM UMR951, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91002, Evry, France
| | - Fatima Bosch
- Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy (CBATEG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain.
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2
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Rossiaud L, Fragner P, Barbon E, Gardin A, Benabides M, Pellier E, Cosette J, El Kassar L, Giraud-Triboult K, Nissan X, Ronzitti G, Hoch L. Pathological modeling of glycogen storage disease type III with CRISPR/Cas9 edited human pluripotent stem cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1163427. [PMID: 37250895 PMCID: PMC10213880 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1163427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Glycogen storage disease type III (GSDIII) is a rare genetic disease caused by mutations in the AGL gene encoding the glycogen debranching enzyme (GDE). The deficiency of this enzyme, involved in cytosolic glycogen degradation, leads to pathological glycogen accumulation in liver, skeletal muscles and heart. Although the disease manifests with hypoglycemia and liver metabolism impairment, the progressive myopathy is the major disease burden in adult GSDIII patients, without any curative treatment currently available. Methods: Here, we combined the self-renewal and differentiation capabilities of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with cutting edge CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to establish a stable AGL knockout cell line and to explore glycogen metabolism in GSDIII. Results: Following skeletal muscle cells differentiation of the edited and control hiPSC lines, our study reports that the insertion of a frameshift mutation in AGL gene results in the loss of GDE expression and persistent glycogen accumulation under glucose starvation conditions. Phenotypically, we demonstrated that the edited skeletal muscle cells faithfully recapitulate the phenotype of differentiated skeletal muscle cells of hiPSCs derived from a GSDIII patient. We also demonstrated that treatment with recombinant AAV vectors expressing the human GDE cleared the accumulated glycogen. Discussion: This study describes the first skeletal muscle cell model of GSDIII derived from hiPSCs and establishes a platform to study the mechanisms that contribute to muscle impairments in GSDIII and to assess the therapeutic potential of pharmacological inducers of glycogen degradation or gene therapy approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucille Rossiaud
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- Genethon, Evry, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, Inserm, Genethon, Integrare Research Unit UMR_S951, Evry, France
| | - Pascal Fragner
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Elena Barbon
- Genethon, Evry, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, Inserm, Genethon, Integrare Research Unit UMR_S951, Evry, France
| | - Antoine Gardin
- Genethon, Evry, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, Inserm, Genethon, Integrare Research Unit UMR_S951, Evry, France
| | - Manon Benabides
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Emilie Pellier
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | | | - Lina El Kassar
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Karine Giraud-Triboult
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Xavier Nissan
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Giuseppe Ronzitti
- Genethon, Evry, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, Inserm, Genethon, Integrare Research Unit UMR_S951, Evry, France
| | - Lucile Hoch
- CECS, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- INSERM U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE U861, I-Stem, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
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3
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Ariëns RA, Hunt BJ, Agbani EO, Ahnström J, Ahrends R, Alikhan R, Assinger A, Bagoly Z, Balduini A, Barbon E, Barrett CD, Batty P, Carneiro JDA, Chan W, de Maat M, de Wit K, Denis C, Ellis MH, Eslick R, Fu H, Hayward CPM, Ho‐Tin‐Noé B, Klok F, Kumar R, Leiderman K, Litvinov RI, Mackman N, McQuilten Z, Neal MD, Parker WAE, Preston RJS, Rayes J, Rezaie AR, Roberts LN, Rocca B, Shapiro S, Siegal DM, Sousa LP, Suzuki‐Inoue K, Zafar T, Zhou J. Illustrated State-of-the-Art Capsules of the ISTH 2022 Congress. Res Pract Thromb Haemost 2022; 6:e12747. [PMID: 35814801 PMCID: PMC9257378 DOI: 10.1002/rth2.12747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ISTH London 2022 Congress is the first held (mostly) face-to-face again since the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise in 2020. For 2 years we met virtually, but this year's in-person format will allow the ever-so-important and quintessential creativity and networking to flow again. What a pleasure and joy to be able to see everyone! Importantly, all conference proceedings are also streamed (and available recorded) online for those unable to travel on this occasion. This ensures no one misses out. The 2022 scientific program highlights new developments in hemophilia and its treatment, acquired and other inherited bleeding disorders, thromboinflammation, platelets and coagulation, clot structure and composition, fibrinolysis, vascular biology, venous thromboembolism, women's health, arterial thrombosis, pediatrics, COVID-related thrombosis, vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia with thrombosis, and omics and diagnostics. These areas are elegantly reviewed in this Illustrated Review article. The Illustrated Review is a highlight of the ISTH Congress. The format lends itself very well to explaining the science, and the collection of beautiful graphical summaries of recent developments in the field are stunning and self-explanatory. This clever and effective way to communicate research is revolutionary and different from traditional formats. We hope you enjoy this article and will be inspired by its content to generate new research ideas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ejaife O. Agbani
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of MedicineUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryAlbertaCanada
| | | | - Robert Ahrends
- Institute of Analytical ChemistryUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Raza Alikhan
- Haemostasis & ThrombosisUniversity Hospital of WalesCardiffUK
| | | | - Zsuzsa Bagoly
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and ELKH‐DE Neurodegenerative and Cerebrovascular Research GroupUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
| | | | - Elena Barbon
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene TherapyIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific InstituteMilanItaly
| | - Christopher D. Barrett
- Division of Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Department of SurgeryUniversity of Nebraska Medical CenterOmahaNebraskaUSA,Koch Institute, Center for Precision Cancer MedicineMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA,Division of Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, Boston University Medical CenterBoston University School of MedicineBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | | | | | - Wee Shian Chan
- University of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Moniek de Maat
- Department of HematologyErasmus MCRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Kerstin de Wit
- Queen’s University and McMaster UniversityKingstonONCanada
| | | | - Martin H. Ellis
- Hematology Institute and Blood Bank, Meir Medical Center and Sackler School of MedicineTel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Renee Eslick
- Haematology DepartmentCanberra HospitalGarranAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Hongxia Fu
- Division of Hematology, Department of MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | | | | | - Frederikus A. Klok
- Department of Medicine – Thrombosis and HemostasisLeiden University Medical CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Riten Kumar
- Dana Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders CenterBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Rustem I. Litvinov
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of Pennsylvania School of MedicinePhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Nigel Mackman
- UNC Blood Research Center, Division of Hematology, Department of MedicineUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
| | | | - Matthew D. Neal
- Trauma and Transfusion Medicine Research Center, Department of SurgeryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - William A. E. Parker
- Cardiovascular Research Unit, Northern General HospitalUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Roger J. S. Preston
- Irish Centre for Vascular Biology, Department of Pharmacy & Biomolecular SciencesRoyal College of Surgeons in IrelandDublin 2Ireland
| | | | - Alireza R. Rezaie
- Cardiovascular Biology Research ProgramOklahoma Medical Research FoundationOklahoma CityOklahomaUSA
| | - Lara N. Roberts
- King’s Thrombosis Centre, Department of Haematological MedicineKing’s College Hospital NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Bianca Rocca
- Department of Safety and Bioethics, Section of PharmacologyCatholic University School of MedicineRomeItaly
| | - Susan Shapiro
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOxfordUK,Radcliffe Department of MedicineOxford UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Deborah M. Siegal
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of OttawaOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Lirlândia P. Sousa
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de FarmáciaUniversidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo HorizonteBrazil
| | - Katsue Suzuki‐Inoue
- Department of Clinical and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of YamanashiYamanashiJapan
| | - Tahira Zafar
- Frontier Medical CollegeAbbotabadPakistan,Hemophilia Treatment CenterRawalpindiPakistan
| | - Jiaxi Zhou
- Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases HospitalChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeTianjinChina
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Lisjak M, De Caneva A, Marais T, Barbon E, Biferi MG, Porro F, Barzel A, Zentilin L, Kay MA, Mingozzi F, Muro AF. Promoterless Gene Targeting Approach Combined to CRISPR/Cas9 Efficiently Corrects Hemophilia B Phenotype in Neonatal Mice. Front Genome Ed 2022; 4:785698. [PMID: 35359664 PMCID: PMC8962648 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2022.785698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many inborn errors of metabolism require life-long treatments and, in severe conditions involving the liver, organ transplantation remains the only curative treatment. Non-integrative AAV-mediated gene therapy has shown efficacy in adult patients. However, treatment in pediatric or juvenile settings, or in conditions associated with hepatocyte proliferation, may result in rapid loss of episomal viral DNA and thus therapeutic efficacy. Re-administration of the therapeutic vector later in time may not be possible due to the presence of anti-AAV neutralizing antibodies. We have previously shown the permanent rescue of the neonatal lethality of a Crigler-Najjar mouse model by applying an integrative gene-therapy based approach. Here, we targeted the human coagulation factor IX (hFIX) cDNA into a hemophilia B mouse model. Two AAV8 vectors were used: a promoterless vector with two arms of homology for the albumin locus, and a vector carrying the CRISPR/SaCas9 and the sgRNA. Treatment of neonatal P2 wild-type mice resulted in supraphysiological levels of hFIX being stable 10 months after dosing. A single injection of the AAV vectors into neonatal FIX KO mice also resulted in the stable expression of above-normal levels of hFIX, reaching up to 150% of the human levels. Mice subjected to tail clip analysis showed a clotting capacity comparable to wild-type animals, thus demonstrating the rescue of the disease phenotype. Immunohistological analysis revealed clusters of hFIX-positive hepatocytes. When we tested the approach in adult FIX KO mice, we detected hFIX in plasma by ELISA and in the liver by western blot. However, the hFIX levels were not sufficient to significantly ameliorate the bleeding phenotype upon tail clip assay. Experiments conducted using a AAV donor vectors containing the eGFP or the hFIX cDNAs showed a higher recombination rate in P2 mice compared to adult animals. With this study, we demonstrate an alternative gene targeting strategy exploiting the use of the CRISPR/SaCas9 platform that can be potentially applied in the treatment of pediatric patients suffering from hemophilia, also supporting its application to other liver monogenic diseases. For the treatment of adult patients, further studies for the improvement of targeting efficiency are still required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Lisjak
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessia De Caneva
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Thibaut Marais
- Inserm UMRS974, Centre of Research in Myology (CRM), Institut de Myologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Elena Barbon
- Genethon, Evry, France
- IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Biferi
- Inserm UMRS974, Centre of Research in Myology (CRM), Institut de Myologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Fabiola Porro
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Adi Barzel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lorena Zentilin
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Mark A. Kay
- Departments of Pediatrics and Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- Genethon, Evry, France
- University Pierre and Marie Curie - Paris 6, INSERM U974, Paris, France
- Spark Therapeutics, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Andrés F. Muro
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
- *Correspondence: Andrés F. Muro,
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5
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Leborgne C, Barbon E, Alexander JM, Hanby H, Delignat S, Cohen DM, Collaud F, Muraleetharan S, Lupo D, Silverberg J, Huang K, van Wittengerghe L, Marolleau B, Miranda A, Fabiano A, Daventure V, Beck H, Anguela XM, Ronzitti G, Armour SM, Lacroix-Desmazes S, Mingozzi F. IgG-cleaving endopeptidase enables in vivo gene therapy in the presence of anti-AAV neutralizing antibodies. Nat Med 2020; 26:1096-1101. [PMID: 32483358 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-0911-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies to adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are highly prevalent in humans1,2, and block liver transduction3-5 and vector readministration6; thus, they represent a major limitation to in vivo gene therapy. Strategies aimed at overcoming anti-AAV antibodies are being studied7, which often involve immunosuppression and are not efficient in removing pre-existing antibodies. Imlifidase (IdeS) is an endopeptidase able to degrade circulating IgG that is currently being tested in transplant patients8. Here, we studied if IdeS could eliminate anti-AAV antibodies in the context of gene therapy. We showed efficient cleavage of pooled human IgG (intravenous Ig) in vitro upon endopeptidase treatment. In mice passively immunized with intravenous Ig, IdeS administration decreased anti-AAV antibodies and enabled efficient liver gene transfer. The approach was scaled up to nonhuman primates, a natural host for wild-type AAV. IdeS treatment before AAV vector infusion was safe and resulted in enhanced liver transduction, even in the setting of vector readministration. Finally, IdeS reduced anti-AAV antibody levels from human plasma samples in vitro, including plasma from prospective gene therapy trial participants. These results provide a potential solution to overcome pre-existing antibodies to AAV-based gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Leborgne
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | - Elena Barbon
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | | | | | - Sandrine Delignat
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | | | - Fanny Collaud
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | | | - Dan Lupo
- Spark Therapeutics, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Laetitia van Wittengerghe
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | - Béatrice Marolleau
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | - Adeline Miranda
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | - Anna Fabiano
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | - Victoria Daventure
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Heena Beck
- Spark Therapeutics, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Giuseppe Ronzitti
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France
| | | | - Sebastien Lacroix-Desmazes
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France. .,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France.
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- Généthon INTEGRARE UMR-S951 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université d'Evry, Université Paris Saclay), Evry, France. .,Spark Therapeutics, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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6
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Barbon E, Ayme G, Mohamadi A, Ottavi J, Kawecki C, Casari C, Verhenne S, Marmier S, van Wittenberghe L, Charles S, Collaud F, Denis CV, Christophe OD, Mingozzi F, Lenting PJ. Single-domain antibodies targeting antithrombin reduce bleeding in hemophilic mice with or without inhibitors. EMBO Mol Med 2020; 12:e11298. [PMID: 32159286 PMCID: PMC7136963 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201911298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Novel therapies for hemophilia, including non-factor replacement and in vivo gene therapy, are showing promising results in the clinic, including for patients having a history of inhibitor development. Here, we propose a novel therapeutic approach for hemophilia based on llama-derived single-domain antibody fragments (sdAbs) able to restore hemostasis by inhibiting the antithrombin (AT) anticoagulant pathway. We demonstrated that sdAbs engineered in multivalent conformations were able to block efficiently AT activity in vitro, restoring the thrombin generation potential in FVIII-deficient plasma. When delivered as a protein to hemophilia A mice, a selected bi-paratopic sdAb significantly reduced the blood loss in a model of acute bleeding injury. We then packaged this sdAb in a hepatotropic AAV8 vector and tested its safety and efficacy profile in hemophilic mouse models. We show that the long-term expression of the bi-paratopic sdAb in the liver is safe and poorly immunogenic, and results in sustained correction of the bleeding phenotype in hemophilia A and B mice, even in the presence of inhibitory antibodies to the therapeutic clotting factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Barbon
- Genethon, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U951 IntegrareUniversité Paris‐SaclayUniversity of EvryEvryFrance
| | - Gabriel Ayme
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Amel Mohamadi
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | | | - Charlotte Kawecki
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Caterina Casari
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Sebastien Verhenne
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Solenne Marmier
- Genethon, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U951 IntegrareUniversité Paris‐SaclayUniversity of EvryEvryFrance
| | - Laetitia van Wittenberghe
- Genethon, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U951 IntegrareUniversité Paris‐SaclayUniversity of EvryEvryFrance
| | - Severine Charles
- Genethon, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U951 IntegrareUniversité Paris‐SaclayUniversity of EvryEvryFrance
| | - Fanny Collaud
- Genethon, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U951 IntegrareUniversité Paris‐SaclayUniversity of EvryEvryFrance
| | - Cecile V Denis
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Olivier D Christophe
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- Genethon, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U951 IntegrareUniversité Paris‐SaclayUniversity of EvryEvryFrance
| | - Peter J Lenting
- HITh, UMR_S1176Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
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7
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Le Quellec S, Dane AP, Barbon E, Bordet JC, Mingozzi F, Dargaud Y, Marais T, Biferi MG, Négrier C, Nathawani AC, Enjolras N. Recombinant Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors Expressing Human Coagulation FIX-E456H Variant in Hemophilia B Mice. Thromb Haemost 2019; 119:1956-1967. [PMID: 31659733 DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1697658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Gene therapy using recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) has induced sustained long-term coagulation human factor IX (hFIX) levels in hemophilia B (HB) patients. However, asymptomatic transient liver toxicity was observed at high vector doses, highlighting the need to improve the potency of these vectors. We report the generation of an AAV transgene cassette containing the hyperfunctional hFIX-E456H variant showing improved binding to platelets, with a comparison to wild-type hFIX (hFIX-WT) and hFIX-R384L variant (Padua) transgenes, containing F9 truncated-intron 1 (I1). In vitro specific activity was increased by 3.2- and 4.2-fold with hFIX-E456H and hFIX-R384L variants compared with hFIX-WT, using chromogenic assay, and by 7-and 8.6-fold with hFIX-E456H and hFIX-R384L variants compared with hFIX-WT, using one-stage assay. The transgenes were packaged into single-stranded AAV2/8 vectors that were tail vein injected at 5 × 109, 2 × 1010, and 5 × 1010 vg per mouse in HB mice. Plasma FIX activity level, assessed by chromogenic assay, was up to fourfold higher for hFIX-E456H compared with hFIX-WT and was not different compared with hFIX-R384L, among the three dose cohorts. Overall, the in vivo specific activity was increased by threefold for hFIX-E456H and 4.9-fold for hFIX-R384L compared with hFIX-WT. At the lower dose of 5 × 109 vg, the blood loss was significantly lower for hFIX-E456H compared with hFIX-WT, but did not differ compared with hFIX-R384L. The results found for the hFIX-E456H variant indicate that it might be a suitable alternative for gene therapy of HB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Le Quellec
- EA 4609-Hémostase et Cancer, SFR Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Lyon, France.,Laboratoire d'hématologie, Hopital Louis Pradel, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Allison P Dane
- Research Department of Haematology, University College of London Cancer Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Barbon
- Genethon, UMR_S951 INSERM, Univ Evry, Université Paris Saclay, EPHE, Evry, France
| | - Jean-Claude Bordet
- EA 4609-Hémostase et Cancer, SFR Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Lyon, France.,Laboratoire d'hématologie, Hopital Louis Pradel, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- Genethon, UMR_S951 INSERM, Univ Evry, Université Paris Saclay, EPHE, Evry, France
| | - Yesim Dargaud
- EA 4609-Hémostase et Cancer, SFR Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Lyon, France.,Laboratoire d'hématologie, Hopital Louis Pradel, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Thibaut Marais
- UPMC Paris 06, INSERM UMRS974, Center of Research in Myology, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Maria-Grazia Biferi
- UPMC Paris 06, INSERM UMRS974, Center of Research in Myology, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Claude Négrier
- EA 4609-Hémostase et Cancer, SFR Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Lyon, France.,Laboratoire d'hématologie, Hopital Louis Pradel, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Amit C Nathawani
- Research Department of Haematology, University College of London Cancer Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nathalie Enjolras
- EA 4609-Hémostase et Cancer, SFR Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Lyon, France.,Laboratoire d'hématologie, Hopital Louis Pradel, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
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8
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Pignani S, Zappaterra F, Barbon E, Follenzi A, Bovolenta M, Bernardi F, Branchini A, Pinotti M. Tailoring the CRISPR system to transactivate coagulation gene promoters in normal and mutated contexts. Biochim Biophys Acta Gene Regul Mech 2019; 1862:619-624. [PMID: 31005673 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Engineered transcription factors (TF) have expanded our ability to modulate gene expression and hold great promise as bio-therapeutics. The first-generation TF, based on Zinc Fingers or Transcription-Activator-like Effectors (TALE), required complex and time-consuming assembly protocols, and were indeed replaced in recent years by the CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) technology. Here, with coagulation F7/F8 gene promoters as models, we exploited a CRISPRa system based on deactivated (d)Cas9, fused with a transcriptional activator (VPR), which is driven to its target by a single guide (sg)RNA. Reporter gene assays in hepatoma cells identified a sgRNA (sgRNAF7.5) triggering a ~35-fold increase in the activity of F7 promoter, either wild-type, or defective due to the c.-61T>G mutation. The effect was higher (~15-fold) than that of an engineered TALE-TF (TF4) targeting the same promoter region. Noticeably, when challenged on the endogenous F7 gene, the dCas9-VPR/sgRNAF7.5 combination was more efficient (~6.5-fold) in promoting factor VII (FVII) protein secretion/activity than TF4 (~3.8-fold). The approach was translated to the promoter of F8, whose reduced expression causes hemophilia A. Reporter gene assays in hepatic and endothelial cells identified sgRNAs that, respectively, appreciably increased F8 promoter activity (sgRNAF8.1, ~8-fold and 3-fold; sgRNAF8.2, ~19-fold and 2-fold) with synergistic effects (~38-fold and 2.7-fold). Since modest increases in F7/F8 expression would ameliorate patients' phenotype, the CRISPRa-mediated transactivation extent might approach the low therapeutic threshold. Through this pioneer study we demonstrated that the CRISPRa system is easily tailorable to increase expression, or rescue disease-causing mutations, of different promoters, with potential intriguing implications for human disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Pignani
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy; Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro, Novara, Italy
| | | | - Elena Barbon
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy; Genethon and INSERM U951, 91000 Evry, France
| | - Antonia Follenzi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro, Novara, Italy
| | - Matteo Bovolenta
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy; Genethon and INSERM U951, 91000 Evry, France
| | - Francesco Bernardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessio Branchini
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy
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9
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Donadon I, Pinotti M, Rajkowska K, Pianigiani G, Barbon E, Morini E, Motaln H, Rogelj B, Mingozzi F, Slaugenhaupt SA, Pagani F. Exon-specific U1 snRNAs improve ELP1 exon 20 definition and rescue ELP1 protein expression in a familial dysautonomia mouse model. Hum Mol Genet 2018; 27:2466-2476. [PMID: 29701768 PMCID: PMC6030917 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a rare genetic disease with no treatment, caused by an intronic point mutation (c.2204+6T>C) that negatively affects the definition of exon 20 in the elongator complex protein 1 gene (ELP1 also known as IKBKAP). This substitution modifies the 5' splice site and, in combination with regulatory splicing factors, induces different levels of exon 20 skipping, in various tissues. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of a novel class of U1 snRNA molecules, exon-specific U1s (ExSpeU1s), in correcting ELP1 exon 20 recognition. Lentivirus-mediated expression of ELP1-ExSpeU1 in FD fibroblasts improved ELP1 splicing and protein levels. We next focused on a transgenic mouse model that recapitulates the same tissue-specific mis-splicing seen in FD patients. Intraperitoneal delivery of ELP1-ExSpeU1s-adeno-associated virus particles successfully increased the production of full-length human ELP1 transcript and protein. This splice-switching class of molecules is the first to specifically correct the ELP1 exon 20 splicing defect. Our data provide proof of principle of ExSpeU1s-adeno-associated virus particles as a novel therapeutic strategy for FD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irving Donadon
- Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Katarzyna Rajkowska
- Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giulia Pianigiani
- Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Elisabetta Morini
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Helena Motaln
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Boris Rogelj
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biomedical Research Institute BRIS, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- Genethon and INSERM U951, Evry, France
- University Pierre and Marie Curie and INSERM U974, Paris, France
| | - Susan A Slaugenhaupt
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Franco Pagani
- Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
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10
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Fitzpatrick Z, Leborgne C, Barbon E, Masat E, Ronzitti G, van Wittenberghe L, Vignaud A, Collaud F, Charles S, Simon Sola M, Jouen F, Boyer O, Mingozzi F. Influence of Pre-existing Anti-capsid Neutralizing and Binding Antibodies on AAV Vector Transduction. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2018; 9:119-129. [PMID: 29766022 PMCID: PMC5948224 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Pre-existing immunity to adeno-associated virus (AAV) is highly prevalent in humans and can profoundly impact transduction efficiency. Despite the relevance to AAV-mediated gene transfer, relatively little is known about the fate of AAV vectors in the presence of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). Similarly, the effect of binding antibodies (BAbs), with no detectable neutralizing activity, on AAV transduction is ill defined. Here, we delivered AAV8 vectors to mice carrying NAbs and demonstrated that AAV particles are taken up by both liver parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells; viral particles are then rapidly cleared, without resulting in transgene expression. In vitro, imaging of hepatocytes exposed to AAV vectors pre-incubated with either NAbs or BAbs revealed that virus is taken up by cells in both cases. Whereas no successful transduction was observed when AAV was pre-incubated with NAbs, an increased capsid internalization and transgene expression was observed in the presence of BAbs. Accordingly, AAV8 vectors administered to mice passively immunized with anti-AAV8 BAbs showed a more efficient liver transduction and a unique vector biodistribution profile compared to mice immunized with NAbs. These results highlight a virtually opposite effect of neutralizing and binding antibodies on AAV vectors transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Fitzpatrick
- University Pierre and Marie Curie - Paris 6 and INSERM U974, 75005 Paris, France.,Genethon and INSERM U951, 91000 Evry, France
| | | | | | - Elisa Masat
- University Pierre and Marie Curie - Paris 6 and INSERM U974, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Marcelo Simon Sola
- University Pierre and Marie Curie - Paris 6 and INSERM U974, 75005 Paris, France.,Genethon and INSERM U951, 91000 Evry, France
| | - Fabienne Jouen
- Department of Immunology and Biotherapy, Normandie University, UNIROUEN, INSERM, U1234, 76000 Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Olivier Boyer
- Department of Immunology and Biotherapy, Normandie University, UNIROUEN, INSERM, U1234, 76000 Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- University Pierre and Marie Curie - Paris 6 and INSERM U974, 75005 Paris, France.,Genethon and INSERM U951, 91000 Evry, France
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11
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Barbon E, Ferrarese M, van Wittenberghe L, Sanatine P, Ronzitti G, Collaud F, Colella P, Pinotti M, Mingozzi F. Transposon-mediated Generation of Cellular and Mouse Models of Splicing Mutations to Assess the Efficacy of snRNA-based Therapeutics. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2016; 5:e392. [PMID: 27898092 PMCID: PMC5155329 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2016.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Disease-causing splicing mutations can be rescued by variants of the U1 small nuclear RNA (U1snRNAs). However, the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of modified U1snRNAs as therapeutic tools is limited by the availability of cellular and animal models specific for a given mutation. Hence, we exploited the hyperactive Sleeping Beauty transposon system (SB100X) to integrate human factor IX (hFIX) minigenes into genomic DNA in vitro and in vivo. We generated stable HEK293 cell lines and C57BL/6 mice harboring splicing-competent hFIX minigenes either wild type (SChFIX-wt) or mutated (SChFIXex5-2C). In both models the SChFIXex5-2C variant, found in patients affected by Hemophilia B, displayed an aberrant splicing pattern characterized by exon 5 skipping. This allowed us to test, for the first time in a genomic DNA context, the efficacy of the snRNA U1-fix9, delivered with an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector. With this approach, we showed rescue of the correct splicing pattern of hFIX mRNA, leading to hFIX protein expression. These data validate the SB100X as a versatile tool to quickly generate models of human genetic mutations, to study their effect in a stable DNA context and to assess mutation-targeted therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mattia Ferrarese
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Federico Mingozzi
- Genethon, Evry, France
- INSERM U951, Evry, France
- Institute of Myology, University Pierre and Marie Curie – Paris 6, Paris, France
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12
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Barbon E, Pignani S, Branchini A, Bernardi F, Pinotti M, Bovolenta M. An engineered tale-transcription factor rescues transcription of factor VII impaired by promoter mutations and enhances its endogenous expression in hepatocytes. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28304. [PMID: 27341548 PMCID: PMC4920032 DOI: 10.1038/srep28304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Tailored approaches to restore defective transcription responsible for severe diseases have been poorly explored. We tested transcription activator-like effectors fused to an activation domain (TALE-TFs) in a coagulation factor VII (FVII) deficiency model. In this model, the deficiency is caused by the −94C > G or −61T > G mutation, which abrogate the binding of Sp1 or HNF-4 transcription factors. Reporter assays in hepatoma HepG2 cells naturally expressing FVII identified a single TALE-TF (TF4) that, by targeting the region between mutations, specifically trans-activated both the variant (>100-fold) and wild-type (20–40-fold) F7 promoters. Importantly, in the genomic context of transfected HepG2 and transduced primary hepatocytes, TF4 increased F7 mRNA and protein levels (2- to 3-fold) without detectable off-target effects, even for the homologous F10 gene. The ectopic F7 expression in renal HEK293 cells was modestly affected by TF4 or by TALE-TF combinations. These results provide experimental evidence for TALE-TFs as gene-specific tools useful to counteract disease-causing promoter mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Barbon
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy
| | - Silvia Pignani
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessio Branchini
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy.,LTTA Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
| | - Francesco Bernardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy.,LTTA Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
| | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy.,LTTA Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
| | - Matteo Bovolenta
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy
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13
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Balestra D, Barbon E, Scalet D, Cavallari N, Perrone D, Zanibellato S, Bernardi F, Pinotti M. Regulation of a strong F9 cryptic 5'ss by intrinsic elements and by combination of tailored U1snRNAs with antisense oligonucleotides. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:4809-16. [PMID: 26063760 PMCID: PMC4527485 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations affecting specific splicing regulatory elements offer suitable models to better understand their interplay and to devise therapeutic strategies. Here we characterize a meaningful splicing model in which numerous Hemophilia B-causing mutations, either missense or at the donor splice site (5'ss) of coagulation F9 exon 2, promote aberrant splicing by inducing the usage of a strong exonic cryptic 5'ss. Splicing assays with natural and artificial F9 variants indicated that the cryptic 5'ss is regulated, among a network of regulatory elements, by an exonic splicing silencer (ESS). This finding and the comparative analysis of the F9 sequence across species showing that the cryptic 5'ss is always paralleled by the conserved ESS support a compensatory mechanism aimed at minimizing unproductive splicing. To recover splicing we tested antisense oligoribonucleotides masking the cryptic 5'ss, which were effective on exonic changes but promoted exon 2 skipping in the presence of mutations at the authentic 5'ss. On the other hand, we observed a very poor correction effect by small nuclear RNA U1 (U1snRNA) variants with increased or perfect complementarity to the defective 5'ss, a strategy previously exploited to rescue splicing. Noticeably, the combination of the mutant-specific U1snRNAs with antisense oligonucleotides produced appreciable amounts of correctly spliced transcripts (from 0 to 20-40%) from several mutants of the exon 2 5'ss. Based on the evidence of an altered interplay among ESS, cryptic and the authentic 5'ss as a disease-causing mechanism, we provide novel experimental insights into the combinatorial correction activity of antisense molecules and compensatory U1snRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Balestra
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara and LTTA, Ferrara, Italy and
| | - Elena Barbon
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara and LTTA, Ferrara, Italy and
| | - Daniela Scalet
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara and LTTA, Ferrara, Italy and
| | - Nicola Cavallari
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara and LTTA, Ferrara, Italy and
| | - Daniela Perrone
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Silvia Zanibellato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara and LTTA, Ferrara, Italy and
| | - Francesco Bernardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara and LTTA, Ferrara, Italy and
| | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara and LTTA, Ferrara, Italy and
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14
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Cecconi M, Caliandro F, Barbon E, Elliott V, Dewhurst A, Rhodes A. Delta central venous pressure and dynamic indices of preload in postsurgical ICU patients. Crit Care 2011. [PMCID: PMC3061679 DOI: 10.1186/cc9469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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15
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Barbon E, Caliandro F, Kamdar J, Puntis M, Meeran H, Rhodes A, Dewhurst A, Cecconi M. Dynamic indices of preload in postcardiac surgery patients by pulse power analysis. Crit Care 2011. [PMCID: PMC3061684 DOI: 10.1186/cc9474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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