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Déglon N. Gene editing as a therapeutic strategy for spinocerebellar ataxia type-3. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2024:S0035-3787(24)00478-8. [PMID: 38580500 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2024.03.003] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), also known as Machado-Joseph disease, is a neurodegenerative disease caused by expanded polyglutamine repeats in exon 10 of the ataxin-3 gene, ATXN3. The accumulation of mutant ATXN3 protein leads to severe clinical manifestations and premature death. Clinically, SCA3 pathology is characterized by progressive ataxia leading to motor incoordination that may affect balance, gait and speech, and neuropathologically by a progressive degeneration of the spinal cord and cerebellum, as well as the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia. Although SCA3 is a rare disease, it is the most common autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia worldwide. Its geographical distribution varies worldwide, with peak prevalence in certain regions of Brazil, Portugal and China. In 1994, the identification of the polyglutamine expansion in the ATXN3 gene made it possible not only to diagnose this pathology but also to dissect the mechanisms leading to cellular degeneration. As a monogenic disease for which only symptomatic treatment is available, the ATXN3 gene represents an attractive therapeutic target for gene editing strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Déglon
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DNC), Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Pavillon 3, Avenue de Beaumont, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies (LCMN), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Venkatakrishnan J, Yuan Y, Zhang J, Yu Y, Hu YC, Kao WWY. Self-complementary AAV vector therapy for treating corneal cloudiness of mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII). Ocul Surf 2024; 32:39-47. [PMID: 38218582 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2024.01.002] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To design a novel efficacious scAAV-Gusb viral vector for treating Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VII (MPS VII) caused by a mutation in the β-Glu gene (Gusb allele). METHODS β-Glu expression of single-stranded AAV-Gusb (ssAAV-Gusb) and self-complementary AAV (scAAV-Gusb) vectors are tested with cultured murine Gusb fibroblasts. The scAAV-Gusb vector was chosen in further studies to prolong the life span and treat corneal pathology of Gusb mice via intrahepatic injection of neonates and intrastromal injection in adults, respectively. Corneal pathology was studied using HRT2 in vivo confocal microscope and histochemistry in mice corneas. RESULTS Both ssAAV-Gusb and scAAV-Gusb vectors expressed murine β-Glu in cultured Gusb fibroblasts. The scAAV-Gusb vector had higher transduction efficiency than the ssAAV-Gusb vector. To prolong the life span of Gusb mice, neonates (3 days old) were administered with scAAV-Gusb virus via intrahepatic injection. The treatment improves the survival rate of Gusb mice, prolonging the median survival rate from 22.5 weeks (untreated) to 50 weeks (treated). Thereafter, we determined the efficacy of the scAAV-Gusb virus in ameliorating corneal cloudiness observed in aged Gusb mice. Both corneal cloudiness and stroma thickness decreased, and there was the presence of β-Glu enzyme activity in the Gusb corneas receiving scAAV-Gusb virus associated with morphology change of amoeboid stromal cells in untreated to characteristic dendritic keratocytes morphology after 4-12 weeks of scAAV-Gusb virus injection. CONCLUSION Intrahepatic injection of scAAV-Gusb is efficacious in prolonging the life span of Gusb mice, and intrastromal injection can ameliorate corneal phenotypes. Both strategies can be adapted for treating other MPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhuwala Venkatakrishnan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Yong Yuan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Yang Yu
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Yueh-Chiang Hu
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Winston W-Y Kao
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Yu C, Trivedi PD, Chaudhuri P, Bhake R, Johnson EJ, Caton T, Potter M, Byrne BJ, Clément N. NaCl and KCl mediate log increase in AAV vector particles and infectious titers in a specific/timely manner with the HSV platform. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2021; 21:1-13. [PMID: 33768125 PMCID: PMC7960503 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The increasing demand for adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors, a result from the surging interest for their potential to cure human genetic diseases by gene transfer, tumbled on low-performing production systems. Innovative improvements to increase both yield and quality of the vector produced have become a priority undertaking in the field. In a previous study, we showed that adding a specific concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl) to the production medium resulted in a dramatic increase of AAV vector particle and infectious titers when using the herpes simplex virus (HSV) production system, both in adherent or suspension platforms. In this work, we studied additional salts and their impact on AAV vector production. We found that potassium chloride (KCl), or a combination of KCl and NaCl, resulted in the highest increase in AAV vector production. We determined that the salt-mediated effect was the most impactful when the salt was present between 8 and approximately 16 h post-infection, with the highest rate increase occurring within the first 24 h of the production cycle. We showed that the AAV vector yield increase did not result from an increase in cell growth, size, or viability. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the impact on AAV vector production was specifically mediated by NaCl and KCl independently of their impact on the osmolality of the production media. Our findings convincingly showed that NaCl and KCl were uniquely efficacious to promote up to a 10-fold increase in the production of highly infectious AAV vectors when produced in the presence of HSV. We think that this study will provide unique and important new insights in AAV biology toward the establishment of more successful production protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenghui Yu
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Prasad D Trivedi
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Payel Chaudhuri
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Radhika Bhake
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Evan J Johnson
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Tina Caton
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Mark Potter
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Barry J Byrne
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Nathalie Clément
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Academic Research Building, RG-187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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Diaz JA, Geard A, FitzPatrick LM, Delhove JMKM, Buckley SMK, Waddington SN, McKay TR, Karda R. Continual Conscious Bioluminescent Imaging in Freely Moving Mice. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2081:161-175. [PMID: 31721124 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9940-8_11] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
In vivo bioluminescent imaging allows the detection of reporter gene expression in rodents in real time. Here we describe a novel technology whereby we can generate somatotransgenic rodents with the use of a viral vector carrying a luciferase transgene. We are able to achieve long term luciferase expression by a single injection of lentiviral or adeno-associated virus vectors to newborn mice. Further, we describe whole body bioluminescence imaging of conscious mice in a noninvasive manner, thus enforcing the 3R's (replacement, reduction, and refinement) of biomedical animal research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Antinao Diaz
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Amy Geard
- UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK
- Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | | | - Suzanne M K Buckley
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Simon N Waddington
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
- Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tristan R McKay
- Centre for Biomedicine, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Rajvinder Karda
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.
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Abstract
During the last decade, there has been a significant progress toward clinical translation in the field of cardiac gene therapy based on extensive preclinical data. However, despite encouraging positive results in early phase clinical trials, more recent larger trials reported only neutral results. Nevertheless, the field has gained important knowledge from these trials and is leading to the development of more cardiotropic vectors and improved delivery systems. It has become more evident that humans are more resistant to therapeutic transgene expression compared to experimental animals and thus refinement in gene delivery tools and methods are essential for future success. We provide an overview of the current status of cardiac gene therapy focusing on gene delivery tools and methods. Newer technologies, devices, and approaches will undoubtedly lead to more promising clinical results in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyotake Ishikawa
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY, 10029-6574, USA
| | - Roger J Hajjar
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY, 10029-6574, USA.
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Abstract
Gene therapy has emerged as a powerful tool in targeting the molecular mechanisms implicated in heart failure. Refinements in vector technology, including the development of recombinant adeno-associated vectors, have allowed for safe, long-term, and efficient gene transfer to the myocardium. These advancements, coupled with evolving delivery techniques, have placed gene therapy as a viable therapeutic option for patients with heart failure. However, after much promise in early-phase clinical trials, the more recent larger clinical trials have shown disappointing results, thus forcing the field to re-evaluate current vectors, delivery systems, targets, and endpoints. We provide here an updated review of current cardiac gene therapy programmes that have been or are being translated into clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Sebastien Hulot
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, AP-HP, Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition (ICAN), Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Kiyotake Ishikawa
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA
| | - Roger J Hajjar
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA
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