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Keating M, Hagle R, Osorio-Méndez D, Rodriguez-Parks A, Almutawa SI, Kang J. A robust knock-in approach using a minimal promoter and a minicircle. Dev Biol 2024; 505:24-33. [PMID: 37839785 PMCID: PMC10841522 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.10.002] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Knock-in reporter (KI) animals are essential tools in biomedical research to study gene expression impacting diverse biological events. While CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing allows for the successful generation of KI animals, several factors should be considered, such as low expression of the target gene, prevention of bacterial DNA integration, and in-frame editing. To circumvent these challenges, we developed a new strategy that utilizes minicircle technology and introduces a minimal promoter. We demonstrated that minicircles serve as an efficient donor DNA in zebrafish, significantly enhancing KI events compared to plasmids containing bacterial backbones. In an attempt to generate a KI reporter for scn8ab, we precisely integrated a fluorescence gene at the start codon. However, the seamlessly integrated reporter was unable to direct expression that recapitulates endogenous scn8ab expression. To overcome this obstacle, we introduced the hsp70 minimal promoter to provide an ectopic transcription initiation site and succeeded in establishing stable KI transgenic reporters for scn8ab. This strategy also created a fgf20b KI reporter line with a high success rate. Furthermore, our data revealed that an unexpectedly edited genome can inappropriately influence the integrated reporter gene expression, highlighting the importance of selecting a proper KI line. Overall, our approach utilizing a minicircle and an ectopic promoter establishes a robust and efficient strategy for KI generation, expanding our capacity to create KI animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Keating
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Ryan Hagle
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Daniel Osorio-Méndez
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Anjelica Rodriguez-Parks
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Sarah I Almutawa
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Junsu Kang
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA; UW Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
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Keating M, Hagle R, Osorio-Mendez D, Rodriguez-Parks A, Almutawa SI, Kang J. A robust knock-in approach using a minimal promoter and a minicircle. bioRxiv 2023:2023.09.15.558008. [PMID: 37745465 PMCID: PMC10516040 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.15.558008] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Knock-in reporter (KI) animals are essential tools in biomedical research to study gene expression impacting diverse biological events. While CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing allows for the successful generation of KI animals, several factors should be considered, such as low expression of the target gene, prevention of bacterial DNA integration, and in-frame editing. To circumvent these challenges, we developed a new strategy that utilizes minicircle technology and introduces a minimal promoter. We demonstrated that minicircles serve as an efficient donor DNA in zebrafish, significantly enhancing KI events compared to plasmids containing bacterial backbones. In an attempt to generate a KI reporter for scn8ab, we precisely integrated a fluorescence gene at the start codon. However, the seamlessly integrated reporter was unable to direct expression that recapitulates endogenous scn8ab expression. To overcome this obstacle, we introduced the hsp70 minimal promoter to provide an ectopic transcription initiation site and succeeded in establishing stable KI transgenic reporters for scn8ab. This strategy also created a fgf20b KI reporter line with a high success rate. Furthermore, our data revealed that an unexpectedly edited genome can inappropriately influence the integrated reporter gene expression, highlighting the importance of selecting a proper KI line. Overall, our approach utilizing a minicircle and an ectopic promoter establishes a robust and efficient strategy for KI generation, expanding our capacity to create KI animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Keating
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Ryan Hagle
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Daniel Osorio-Mendez
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Anjelica Rodriguez-Parks
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Sarah I Almutawa
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Junsu Kang
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- UW Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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3
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Yang C, You J, Pan Q, Tang Y, Cai L, Huang Y, Gu J, Wang Y, Yang X, Du Y, Ouyang D, Chen H, Zhong H, Li Y, Yang J, Han Y, Sun F, Chen Y, Wang Q, Weng D, Liu Z, Xiang T, Xia J. Targeted delivery of a PD-1-blocking scFv by CD133-specific CAR-T cells using nonviral Sleeping Beauty transposition shows enhanced antitumour efficacy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Med 2023; 21:327. [PMID: 37635247 PMCID: PMC10464109 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-03016-0] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND CD133 is considered a marker for cancer stem cells (CSCs) in several types of tumours, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Chimeric antigen receptor-specific T (CAR-T) cells targeting CD133-positive CSCs have emerged as a tool for the clinical treatment of HCC, but immunogenicity, the high cost of clinical-grade recombinant viral vectors and potential insertional mutagenesis limit their clinical application. METHODS CD133-specific CAR-T cells secreting PD-1 blocking scFv (CD133 CAR-T and PD-1 s cells) were constructed using a sleeping beauty transposon system from minicircle technology, and the antitumour efficacy of CD133 CAR-T and PD-1 s cells was analysed in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS A univariate analysis showed that CD133 expression in male patients at the late stage (II and III) was significantly associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.0057) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.015), and a multivariate analysis showed a trend toward worse OS (P = 0.041). Male patients with advanced HCC exhibited an approximately 20-fold higher PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) compared with those with HCC at an early stage. We successfully generated CD133 CAR-T and PD-1 s cells that could secrete PD-1 blocking scFv based on a sleeping beauty system involving minicircle vectors. CD133 CAR-T and PD-1 s cells exhibited significant antitumour activity against HCC in vitro and in xenograft mouse models. Thus, CD133 CAR-T and PD-1 s cells may be a therapeutically tractable strategy for targeting CD133-positive CSCs in male patients with advanced HCC. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides a nonviral strategy for constructing CAR-T cells that could also secrete checkpoint blockade inhibitors based on a Sleeping Beauty system from minicircle vectors and revealed a potential benefit of this strategy for male patients with advanced HCC and high CD133 expression (median immunohistochemistry score > 2.284).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaopin Yang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinqi You
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiuzhong Pan
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Tang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Liming Cai
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Huang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiamei Gu
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Sun Yat-Sen University, Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yizhi Wang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Yang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yufei Du
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Dijun Ouyang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Haoran Zhong
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongqiang Li
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Jieying Yang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yulong Han
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Fengze Sun
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Chen
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Qijing Wang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Desheng Weng
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongqiu Liu
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China.
| | - Tong Xiang
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jianchuan Xia
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People's Republic of China.
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Anuntasomboon P, Siripattanapipong S, Unajak S, Choowongkomon K, Burchmore R, Leelayoova S, Mungthin M, E-kobon T. Identification of a conserved maxicircle and unique minicircles as part of the mitochondrial genome of Leishmania martiniquensis strain PCM3 in Thailand. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:459. [PMID: 36510327 PMCID: PMC9743726 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05592-1] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomatids, including Leishmania, is known as kinetoplast DNAs (kDNAs). The kDNAs form networks of hundreds of DNA circles that are evidently interlocked and require complex RNA editing. Previous studies showed that kDNA played a role in drug resistance, adaptation, and survival of Leishmania. Leishmania martiniquensis is one of the most frequently observed species in Thailand, and its kDNAs have not been illustrated. METHODS This study aimed to extract the kDNA sequences from Illumina short-read and PacBio long-read whole-genome sequence data of L. martiniquensis strain PCM3 priorly isolated from the southern province of Thailand. A circular maxicircle DNA was reconstructed by de novo assembly using the SPAdes program, while the minicircle sequences were retrieved and assembled by the rKOMIC tool. The kDNA contigs were confirmed by blasting to the NCBI database, followed by comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS We successfully constructed the complete circular sequence of the maxicircle (19,008 bp) and 214 classes of the minicircles from L. martiniquensis strain PCM3. The genome comparison and annotation showed that the maxicircle structure of L. martiniquensis strain PCM3 was similar to those of L. enriettii strain LEM3045 (84.29%), L. arabica strain LEM1108 (82.79%), and L. tarentolae (79.2%). Phylogenetic analysis also showed unique evolution of the minicircles of L. martiniquensis strain PCM3 from other examined Leishmania species. CONCLUSIONS This was the first report of the complete maxicircle and 214 minicircles of L. martiniquensis strain PCM3 using integrated whole-genome sequencing data. The information will be helpful for further improvement of diagnosis methods and monitoring genetic diversity changes of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornchai Anuntasomboon
- grid.9723.f0000 0001 0944 049XDepartment of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand ,grid.9723.f0000 0001 0944 049XOmics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Suradej Siripattanapipong
- grid.10223.320000 0004 1937 0490Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sasimanas Unajak
- grid.9723.f0000 0001 0944 049XDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kiattawee Choowongkomon
- grid.9723.f0000 0001 0944 049XDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Richard Burchmore
- grid.8756.c0000 0001 2193 314XGlasgow Polyomics, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Saovanee Leelayoova
- grid.10223.320000 0004 1937 0490Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mathirut Mungthin
- grid.10223.320000 0004 1937 0490Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Teerasak E-kobon
- grid.9723.f0000 0001 0944 049XDepartment of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand ,grid.9723.f0000 0001 0944 049XOmics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok, Thailand
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Boushaki D, Wallis J, Van den Broeck F, Schnaufer A. Molecular Analysis of Trypanosome Infections in Algerian Camels. Acta Parasitol 2022. [PMID: 35657485 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-022-00577-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Surra is an economically important livestock disease in many low- and middle-income countries, including those of Northern Africa. The disease is caused by the biting fly-transmitted subspecies Trypanosoma brucei evansi, which is very closely related to the tsetse-transmitted subspecies T. b. brucei and the sexually transmitted subspecies T. b. equiperdum. At least two phylogenetically distinct groups of T. b. evansi can be distinguished, called type A and type B. These evolved from T. b. brucei independently. The close relationships between the T. brucei subspecies and the multiple evolutionary origins of T. b. evansi pose diagnostic challenges. METHODS Here we use previously established and newly developed PCR assays based on nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers to type the causative agent of recent trypanosome infections of camels in Southern Algeria. RESULTS/CONCLUSION We confirm that these infections have been caused by T. b. evansi type A. We also report a newly designed PCR assay specific for T. b. evansi type A that we expect will be of diagnostic use for the community.
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Prommersberger S, Monjezi R, Shankar R, Schmeer M, Hudecek M, Ivics Z, Schleef M. Minicircles for CAR T Cell Production by Sleeping Beauty Transposition: A Technological Overview. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2521:25-39. [PMID: 35732991 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2441-8_2] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Development and application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has led to a breakthrough in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. In 2017, the FDA approved the first commercialized CD19-specific CAR T cell products for treatment of patients with B-cell malignancies. This success increased the desire to broaden the availability of CAR T cells to a larger patient cohort with hematological but also solid tumors. A critical factor of CAR T cell production is the stable and efficient delivery of the CAR transgene into T cells. This gene transfer is conventionally achieved by viral vectors. However, viral gene transfer is not conducive to affordable, scalable, and timely manufacturing of CAR T cell products. Thus, there is a necessity for developing alternative nonviral engineering platforms, which are more cost-effective, less complex to handle and which provide the scalability requirement for a globally available therapy.One alternative method for engineering of T cells is the nonviral gene transfer by Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposition. Electroporation with two nucleic acids is sufficient to achieve stable CAR transfer into T cells. One of these vectors has to encode the gene of interest, which is the CAR , the second one a recombinase called SB transposase, the enzyme that catalyzes integration of the transgene into the host cell genome. As nucleic acids are easy to produce and handle SB gene transfer has the potential to provide scalability, cost-effectiveness, and feasibility for widespread use of CAR T cell therapies.Nevertheless, the electroporation of two large-size plasmid vectors into T cells leads to high T cell toxicity and low gene transfer rates and has hindered the prevalent clinical application of the SB system. To circumvent these limitations, conventional plasmid vectors can be replaced by minimal-size vectors called minicircles (MC ). MCs are DNA vectors that lack the plasmid backbone, which is relevant for propagation in bacteria, but has no function in a human cell. Thus, their size is drastically reduced compared to conventional plasmids. It has been demonstrated that MC-mediated SB CAR transposition into T cells enhances their viability and gene transfer rate enabling the production of therapeutic doses of CAR T cells. These improvements make CAR SB transposition from MC vectors a promising alternative for engineering of clinical grade CAR T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Razieh Monjezi
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ram Shankar
- PlasmidFactory GmbH & Co. KG, Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Michael Hudecek
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany
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Mitdank H, Sama S, Tröger M, Testa MF, Ferrarese M, Balestra D, Pinotti M, Weng A. An advanced method for the small-scale production of high-quality minicircle DNA. Int J Pharm 2021; 605:120830. [PMID: 34214654 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Minicircle DNA is a promising tool in the field of gene therapy, whose products are increasingly gaining market access. Greater transfection efficiency and longer expression time as well as lower immunogenicity contrast with cost-intensive production, which also stands in the way of a broader use of the advantages of this technology in research. Starting from a commercial minicircle production kit a simple protocol for the cost-effective small-scale production of high-quality minicircle DNA to be used at a research scale has been developed by combining and improving procedures of various publications. An optimized size-exclusion chromatography method led to almost pure minicircle DNA with a superior proportion of the desired supercoiled plasmid conformation. The pharmaceutical potential of the produced minicircle DNA was investigated in vitro by real-time impedance assays in a tumor cell model in case of coded suicide genes as well as by ELISA of the translation product in case of coded human coagulation factor IX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hardy Mitdank
- Institute of Pharmacy, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Simko Sama
- Institute of Pharmacy, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Meike Tröger
- Institute of Pharmacy, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Francesca Testa
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 64, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Mattia Ferrarese
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 64, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Dario Balestra
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 64, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 64, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alexander Weng
- Institute of Pharmacy, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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8
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Alves CPA, Prazeres DMF, Monteiro GA. Recombination efficiency measurement by real-time PCR: A strategy to evaluate ParA-mediated minicircle production. Anal Biochem 2021; 628:114285. [PMID: 34118213 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2021.114285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Minicircles (MCs) are DNA molecules that are produced in Escherichia coli by replicating a parental plasmid (PP) and inducing its site-specific intramolecular recombination into miniplasmid (MP; containing the prokaryotic backbone) and MC molecules (comprised by the eukaryotic cassette). The determination of the recombination efficiency and the monitoring of PP, MC and MP species during processing and in the final product are critical aspects of MC manufacturing. This work describes a real-time PCR method for the specific identification of PP, MP or MC that uses sets of primers specific for each species. The method was evaluated using artificial mixtures of (i) PP and MP, (ii) PP and MC and (iii) MP and MC that were probed for all three DNA molecules. The ratio of molecules of each DNA species in these mixtures were determined with differences lower than 10% relatively to the expected ratio of the species in 90% of the mixtures. Next, the recombination efficiency was successfully estimated by analysing pre-purified DNA samples obtained from cell cultures. A standard deviation < 2% was obtained between replicas and results closely correlated with those obtained by densitometry analysis of agarose gels. Further optimization is required to determine recombination efficiency directly from whole cells.
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9
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Florian M, Wang JP, Deng Y, Souza-Moreira L, Stewart DJ, Mei SHJ. Gene engineered mesenchymal stem cells: greater transgene expression and efficacy with minicircle vs. plasmid DNA vectors in a mouse model of acute lung injury. Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 12:184. [PMID: 33726829 PMCID: PMC7962085 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-021-02245-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute lung injury (ALI) and in its severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), results in increased pulmonary vascular inflammation and permeability and is a major cause of mortality in many critically ill patients. Although cell-based therapies have shown promise in experimental ALI, strategies are needed to enhance the potency of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to develop more effective treatments. Genetic modification of MSCs has been demonstrated to significantly improve the therapeutic benefits of these cells; however, the optimal vector for gene transfer is not clear. Given the acute nature of ARDS, transient transfection is desirable to avoid off-target effects of long-term transgene expression, as well as the potential adverse consequences of genomic integration. METHODS Here, we explored whether a minicircle DNA (MC) vector containing human angiopoietin 1 (MC-ANGPT1) can provide a more effective platform for gene-enhanced MSC therapy of ALI/ARDS. RESULTS At 24 h after transfection, nuclear-targeted electroporation using an MC-ANGPT1 vector resulted in a 3.7-fold greater increase in human ANGPT1 protein in MSC conditioned media compared to the use of a plasmid ANGPT1 (pANGPT1) vector (2048 ± 567 pg/mL vs. 552.1 ± 33.5 pg/mL). In the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI model, administration of pANGPT1 transfected MSCs significantly reduced bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) neutrophil counts by 57%, while MC-ANGPT1 transfected MSCs reduced it by 71% (p < 0.001) by Holm-Sidak's multiple comparison test. Moreover, compared to pANGPT1, the MC-ANGPT1 transfected MSCs significantly reduced pulmonary inflammation, as observed in decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2). pANGPT1-transfected MSCs significantly reduced BAL albumin levels by 71%, while MC-ANGPT1-transfected MSCs reduced it by 85%. CONCLUSIONS Overall, using a minicircle vector, we demonstrated an efficient and sustained expression of the ANGPT1 transgene in MSCs and enhanced the therapeutic effect on the ALI model compared to plasmid. These results support the potential benefits of MC-ANGPT1 gene enhancement of MSC therapy to treat ARDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Florian
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jia-Pey Wang
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Yupu Deng
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Duncan J Stewart
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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10
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Shin YJ, Luo K, Quan Y, Ko EJ, Chung BH, Lim SW, Yang CW. Therapeutic Challenge of Minicircle Vector Encoding Klotho in Animal Model. Am J Nephrol 2019; 49:413-424. [PMID: 30982029 DOI: 10.1159/000499863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Klotho treatment is a promising approach against kidney injury, but its clinical application is still undetermined. We developed a novel strategy to allow self-production of Klotho protein, using minicircle (MC) technology, and evaluated its feasibility in therapeutic Klotho delivery. METHODS We engineered MC vectors to carry cassette sequences of Klotho and verified the self-production of Klotho protein from in HEK293T cells. We evaluated the location and persistence of delivered MC in vivo, and the duration of Klotho protein production from MCs by serial measurement of Klotho protein in blood. We subsequently evaluated the therapeutic potential of Klotho-encoding MCs in experimental model of renal injury. RESULTS We confirmed the production of Klotho from MC by its significant availability in cells transfected with the MC, as well as in its conditioned medium, compared to that in cells transfected with parent vector. MCs were delivered in vivo by hydrodynamic injection via tail vein. After a single injection of MCs, red fluorescence protein was detected until 30 days in liver, and Klotho protein was maintained until 10 days in the blood, suggesting the production of Klotho protein from MCs via protein synthesis machinery in liver. Therapeutic effect of MC was confirmed by functional and histological improvement seen in mouse model of acute ischemia-reperfusion injury and unilateral ureteral obstruction. CONCLUSION Together, these findings implied that self-generated Klotho protein, using MC technology, is functionally active and relevant as a therapeutic approach in renal injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoo Jin Shin
- Convergent Research Consortium for Immunologic Disease, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transplant Research Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kang Luo
- Convergent Research Consortium for Immunologic Disease, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transplant Research Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yi Quan
- Convergent Research Consortium for Immunologic Disease, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transplant Research Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jeong Ko
- Convergent Research Consortium for Immunologic Disease, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transplant Research Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Ha Chung
- Convergent Research Consortium for Immunologic Disease, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transplant Research Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Woo Lim
- Convergent Research Consortium for Immunologic Disease, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transplant Research Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul Woo Yang
- Convergent Research Consortium for Immunologic Disease, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea,
- Transplant Research Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea,
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea,
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11
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Gallego I, Villate-Beitia I, Martínez-Navarrete G, Menéndez M, López-Méndez T, Soto-Sánchez C, Zárate J, Puras G, Fernández E, Pedraz JL. Non-viral vectors based on cationic niosomes and minicircle DNA technology enhance gene delivery efficiency for biomedical applications in retinal disorders. Nanomedicine 2019; 17:308-318. [PMID: 30790710 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2018.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Low transfection efficiency is a major challenge to overcome in non-viral approaches to reach clinical practice. Our aim was to explore new strategies to achieve more efficient non-viral gene therapies for clinical applications and in particular, for retinal diseases. Cationic niosomes and three GFP-encoding genetic materials consisting on minicircle (2.3 kb), its parental plasmid (3.5 kb) and a larger plasmid (5.5 kb) were combined to form nioplexes. Once fully physicochemically characterized, in vitro experiments in ARPE-19 retina epithelial cells showed that transfection efficiency of minicircle nioplexes doubled that of plasmids ones, maintaining good cell viability in all cases. Transfections in retinal primary cells and injections of nioplexes in rat retinas confirmed the higher capacity of cationic niosomes vectoring minicircle to deliver the genetic material into retina cells. Therefore, nioplexes based on cationic niosomes vectoring minicircle DNA represent a potential tool for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idoia Gallego
- NanoBioCel Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Ilia Villate-Beitia
- NanoBioCel Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Gema Martínez-Navarrete
- Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain; Neuroprothesis and Neuroengineering Research Group, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
| | - Margarita Menéndez
- Rocasolano Physical Chemistry Institute, Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (IQFR-CSIC), Madrid, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center in Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Spain
| | - Tania López-Méndez
- NanoBioCel Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Cristina Soto-Sánchez
- Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain; Neuroprothesis and Neuroengineering Research Group, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
| | - Jon Zárate
- NanoBioCel Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Gustavo Puras
- NanoBioCel Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain.
| | - Eduardo Fernández
- Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain; Neuroprothesis and Neuroengineering Research Group, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
| | - José Luis Pedraz
- NanoBioCel Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Spain.
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12
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Wagner S, McCracken J, Bruszies S, Broadhurst R, Wells DN, Oback B, Bode J, Laible G. Episomal minicircles persist in periods of transcriptional inactivity and can be transmitted through somatic cell nuclear transfer into bovine embryos. Mol Biol Rep 2019; 46:1737-1746. [PMID: 30694456 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-019-04624-x] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Episomal plasmids based on a scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR) are extrachromosomal DNA entities that replicate once per cell cycle and are stably maintained in cells or tissue. We generated minicircles, episomal plasmids devoid of bacterial sequences, and show that they are stably transmitted in clonal primary bovine fibroblasts without selection pressure over more than two months. Total DNA, plasmid extraction and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses suggest that the minicircles remained episomal and were not integrated into the genome. Minicircles survived extended periods in serum-starved cells, which indicates that ongoing transcription in non-proliferating cells is not necessary for the maintenance of S/MAR-episomes. To test whether minicircles endure the process of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), we used cell-cycle synchronized, serum-starved, minicircle-containing cells. Analysis of cells outgrown from SCNT-derived blastocysts shows that the minicircles are maintained through SCNT and early embryonic development, which raises the prospect of using cell lines with episomal minicircles for the generation of transgenic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Wagner
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand. .,Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK.
| | - Judi McCracken
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Sabine Bruszies
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Ric Broadhurst
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - David N Wells
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Björn Oback
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Jürgen Bode
- Hannover Medical School (MHH), Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Götz Laible
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
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13
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Sekiba K, Otsuka M, Ohno M, Yamagami M, Kishikawa T, Suzuki T, Ishibashi R, Seimiya T, Tanaka E, Koike K. Inhibition of HBV Transcription From cccDNA With Nitazoxanide by Targeting the HBx-DDB1 Interaction. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 7:297-312. [PMID: 30704981 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health concern worldwide. Although currently used nucleos(t)ide analogs efficiently inhibit viral replication, viral proteins transcribed from the episomal viral covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) minichromosome continue to be expressed long-term. Because high viral RNA or antigen loads may play a biological role during this chronicity, the elimination of viral products is an ultimate goal of HBV treatment. HBV regulatory protein X (HBx) was recently found to promote transcription of cccDNA with degradation of Smc5/6 through the interaction of HBx with the host protein DDB1. Here, this protein-protein interaction was considered as a new molecular target of HBV treatment. METHODS To identify candidate compounds that target the HBx-DDB1 interaction, a newly constructed split luciferase assay system was applied to comprehensive compound screening. The effects of the identified compounds on HBV transcription and cccDNA maintenance were determined using HBV minicircle DNA, which mimics HBV cccDNA, and the natural HBV infection model of human primary hepatocytes. RESULTS We show that nitazoxanide (NTZ), a thiazolide anti-infective agent that has been approved by the FDA for protozoan enteritis, efficiently inhibits the HBx-DDB1 protein interaction. NTZ significantly restores Smc5 protein levels and suppresses viral transcription and viral protein production in the HBV minicircle system and in human primary hepatocytes naturally infected with HBV. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that NTZ, which targets an HBV-related viral-host protein interaction, may be a promising new therapeutic agent and a step toward a functional HBV cure.
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14
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Yan Z, Zeng J, Yu Y, Xiang K, Hu H, Zhou X, Gu L, Wang L, Zhao J, Young JAT, Gao L. HBVcircle: A novel tool to investigate hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA. J Hepatol 2017; 66:1149-1157. [PMID: 28213165 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2017.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Revised: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) persists as a stable episome in infected hepatocytes and serves as a template for the transcription of all viral genes. Due to the narrow host range of HBV, the development of a robust mouse model that supports cccDNA-dependent viral replication is a key hurdle in the development of novel HBV therapeutics. This study aimed to develop a novel tool to investigate HBV cccDNA. METHODS Through minicircle technology, HBVcircle, a recombinant cccDNA, was easily generated and extracted from a genetically engineered E. coli strain. We characterized the performance of HBVcircle in cell culture by transfection and in immunocompetent mice by hydrodynamic injection (HDI). RESULTS We demonstrated that HBVcircle formed authentic cccDNA-like molecules in vitro in transiently transfected hepatic cells and in vivo in mouse liver after HDI. HBVcircle supported high levels and persistent HBV replication. In addition, we investigated different factors affecting HBV in vivo replication and persistence, including the host genetic background, vector design and dosage, viral genes and genotypes, and immune activation status. Furthermore, different classes of anti-HBV drugs were also assessed with the HBVcircle system. CONCLUSION Compared with previous reported HBV mouse models which employ other viral vectors to introduce overlength HBV genomes, viral gene expression and associated phenotypes are entirely driven by cccDNA-like viral genomes in the HBVcircle mouse model. Therefore, the HBVcircle is a close mimic of cccDNA, and it represents a novel tool for addressing HBV cccDNA related biological questions and for anti-HBV drug discovery. LAY SUMMARY To establish a mouse model that supports cccDNA-dependent transcription, a novel tool named HBVcircle, was developed with minicircle technology. HBVcircle formed authentic cccDNA-like molecules in hepatocytes, and supported high levels and persistent HBV replication in vivo. The HBVcircle is a close mimic of cccDNA, and it represents a novel tool for addressing HBV cccDNA related biological questions and for anti-HBV drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Yan
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jing Zeng
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Youjun Yu
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Kunlun Xiang
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hui Hu
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xue Zhou
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lili Gu
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Li Wang
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jie Zhao
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China
| | | | - Lu Gao
- Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, China.
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Abstract
Minicircle DNA vectors are plasmid derivatives free of bacterial elements. These vectors are mostly provided from common plasmids via recombination by site-specific recombinases in E. coli. Absence of bacterial backbone in minicircle vectors results in high-level and persistent expression of transgene in comparison with conventional plasmids and provides promising vehicles for gene therapy and vaccination. Here we describe the production of replicative minicircle DNA vectors using the PBAD/araC system expressing ΦC31 integrase in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nafiseh Sanei Ata-Abadi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran.
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular Genetics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Naeimeh Rezaei
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Kianoush Dormiani
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hossein Nasr-Esfahani
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
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16
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Fernandes AR, Chari DM. Part II: Functional delivery of a neurotherapeutic gene to neural stem cells using minicircle DNA and nanoparticles: Translational advantages for regenerative neurology. J Control Release 2016; 238:300-10. [PMID: 27369863 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Revised: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Both neurotrophin-based therapy and neural stem cell (NSC)-based strategies have progressed to clinical trials for treatment of neurological diseases and injuries. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in particular can confer neuroprotective and neuro-regenerative effects in preclinical studies, complementing the cell replacement benefits of NSCs. Therefore, combining both approaches by genetically-engineering NSCs to express BDNF is an attractive approach to achieve combinatorial therapy for complex neural injuries. Current genetic engineering approaches almost exclusively employ viral vectors for gene delivery to NSCs though safety and scalability pose major concerns for clinical translation and applicability. Magnetofection, a non-viral gene transfer approach deploying magnetic nanoparticles and DNA with magnetic fields offers a safe alternative but significant improvements are required to enhance its clinical application for delivery of large sized therapeutic plasmids. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of using minicircles with magnetofection technology to safely engineer NSCs to overexpress BDNF. Primary mouse NSCs overexpressing BDNF generated increased daughter neuronal cell numbers post-differentiation, with accelerated maturation over a four-week period. Based on our findings we highlight the clinical potential of minicircle/magnetofection technology for therapeutic delivery of key neurotrophic agents.
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17
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Mun JY, Shin KK, Kwon O, Lim YT, Oh DB. Minicircle microporation-based non-viral gene delivery improved the targeting of mesenchymal stem cells to an injury site. Biomaterials 2016; 101:310-20. [PMID: 27315214 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.05.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 04/08/2016] [Revised: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Genetic engineering approaches to improve the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been made by viral and non-viral gene delivery methods. Viral methods have severe limitations in clinical application because of potential oncogenic, pathogenic, and immunogenic risks, while non-viral methods have suffered from low transfection efficiency and transient weak expression as MSCs are hard-to-transfect cells. In this study, minicircle, which is a minimal expression vector free of bacterial sequences, was employed for MSC transfection as a non-viral gene delivery method. The conventional cationic liposome method was not effective for MSC transfection as it resulted in very low transfection efficiency (less than 5%). Microporation, a new electroporation method, greatly improved the transfection efficiency of minicircles by up to 66% in MSCs without any significant loss of cell viability. Furthermore, minicircle microporation generated much stronger and prolonged transgene expression compared with plasmid microporation. When MSCs microporated with minicircle harboring firefly luciferase gene were subcutaneously injected to mice, the bioluminescence continued for more than a week, whereas the bioluminescence of the MSCs induced by plasmid microporation rapidly decreased and disappeared in mice within three days. By minicircle microporation as a non-viral gene delivery, MSCs engineered to overexpress CXCR4 showed greatly increased homing ability toward an injury site as confirmed through in vivo bioluminescence imaging in mice. In summary, the engineering of MSCs through minicircle microporation is expected to enhance the therapeutic potential of MSCs in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Young Mun
- Synthetic Biology and Bioengineering Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun Koo Shin
- Synthetic Biology and Bioengineering Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ohsuk Kwon
- Synthetic Biology and Bioengineering Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Biosystems and Bioengineering Program, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Taik Lim
- SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea.
| | - Doo-Byoung Oh
- Synthetic Biology and Bioengineering Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Biosystems and Bioengineering Program, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
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18
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Bandara N, Gurusinghe S, Chen H, Chen S, Wang LX, Lim SY, Strappe P. Minicircle DNA-mediated endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene transfer enhances angiogenic responses of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cell Res Ther 2016; 7:48. [PMID: 27036881 PMCID: PMC4818467 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-016-0307-2] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Non-viral-based gene modification of adult stem cells with endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) may enhance production of nitric oxide and promote angiogenesis. Nitric oxide (NO) derived from endothelial cells is a pleiotropic diffusible gas with positive effects on maintaining vascular tone and promoting wound healing and angiogenesis. Adult stem cells may enhance angiogenesis through expression of bioactive molecules, and their genetic modification to express eNOS may promote NO production and subsequent cellular responses. Methods Rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) were transfected with a minicircle DNA vector expressing either green fluorescent protein (GFP) or eNOS. Transfected cells were analysed for eNOS expression and NO production and for their ability to form in vitro capillary tubules and cell migration. Transcriptional activity of angiogenesis-associated genes, CD31, VEGF-A, PDGFRα, FGF2, and FGFR2, were analysed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results Minicircle vectors expressing GFP (MC-GFP) were used to transfect HEK293T cells and rBMSCs, and were compared to a larger parental vector (P-GFP). MC-GFP showed significantly higher transfection in HEK293T cells (55.51 ± 3.3 %) and in rBMSC (18.65 ± 1.05 %) compared to P-GFP in HEK293T cells (43.4 ± 4.9 %) and rBMSC (15.21 ± 0.22 %). MC-eNOS vectors showed higher transfection efficiency (21 ± 3 %) compared to P-eNOS (9 ± 1 %) and also generated higher NO levels. In vitro capillary tubule formation assays showed both MC-eNOS and P-eNOS gene-modified rBMSCs formed longer (14.66 ± 0.55 mm and 13.58 ± 0.68 mm, respectively) and a greater number of tubules (56.33 ± 3.51 and 51 ± 4, respectively) compared to controls, which was reduced with the NOS inhibitor L-NAME. In an in vitro wound healing assay, MC-eNOS transfected cells showed greater migration which was also reversed by L-NAME treatment. Finally, gene expression analysis in MC-eNOS transfected cells showed significant upregulation of the endothelial-specific marker CD31 and enhanced expression of VEGFA and FGF-2 and their corresponding receptors PDGFRα and FGFR2, respectively. Conclusions A novel eNOS-expressing minicircle vector can efficiently transfect rBMSCs and produce sufficient NO to enhance in vitro models of capillary formation and cell migration with an accompanying upregulation of CD31, angiogenic growth factor, and receptor gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadeeka Bandara
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia.,O'Brien Institute Department, St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia
| | - Saliya Gurusinghe
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia
| | - Haiying Chen
- Central laboratory and key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Medical Biology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, 252000, PR China
| | - Shuangfeng Chen
- Central laboratory and key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Medical Biology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, 252000, PR China
| | - Le-Xin Wang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia.,Central laboratory and key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Medical Biology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, 252000, PR China
| | - Shiang Y Lim
- O'Brien Institute Department, St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia.,Department of Surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
| | - Padraig Strappe
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia.
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Schnödt M, Schmeer M, Kracher B, Krüsemann C, Espinosa LE, Grünert A, Fuchsluger T, Rischmüller A, Schleef M, Büning H. DNA Minicircle Technology Improves Purity of Adeno-associated Viral Vector Preparations. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2016; 5:e355. [PMID: 28131313 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2016.60] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are considered as one of the most promising delivery systems in human gene therapy. In addition, AAV vectors are frequently applied tools in preclinical and basic research. Despite this success, manufacturing pure AAV vector preparations remains a difficult task. While empty capsids can be removed from vector preparations owing to their lower density, state-of-the-art purification strategies as of yet failed to remove antibiotic resistance genes or other plasmid backbone sequences. Here, we report the development of minicircle (MC) constructs to replace AAV vector and helper plasmids for production of both, single-stranded (ss) and self-complementary (sc) AAV vectors. As bacterial backbone sequences are removed during MC production, encapsidation of prokaryotic plasmid backbone sequences is avoided. This is of particular importance for scAAV vector preparations, which contained an unproportionally high amount of plasmid backbone sequences (up to 26.1% versus up to 2.9% (ssAAV)). Replacing standard packaging plasmids by MC constructs not only allowed to reduce these contaminations below quantification limit, but in addition improved transduction efficiencies of scAAV preparations up to 30-fold. Thus, MC technology offers an easy to implement modification of standard AAV packaging protocols that significantly improves the quality of AAV vector preparations.
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Hudecek M, Gogishvili T, Monjezi R, Wegner J, Shankar R, Kruesemann C, Miskey C, Ivics Z, Schmeer M, Schleef M. Minicircle-Based Engineering of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells. Recent Results Cancer Res 2016; 209:37-50. [PMID: 28101686 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-42934-2_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Plasmid DNA is being used as a pharmaceutical agent in vaccination, as well as a basic substance and starting material in gene and cell therapy, and viral vector production. Since the uncontrolled expression of backbone sequences present in such plasmids and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes may have profound detrimental effects, an important goal in vector development was to produce supercoiled DNA lacking bacterial backbone sequences: Minicircle (MC) DNA. The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system is a non-viral gene delivery platform enabling a close-to-random profile of genomic integration. In combination, the MC platform greatly enhances SB transposition and transgene integration resulting in higher numbers of stably modified target cells. We have recently developed a strategy for MC-based SB transposition of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) transgenes that enable improved transposition rates compared to conventional plasmids and rapid manufacturing of therapeutic CAR T cell doses (Monjezi et al. 2016). This advance enables manufacturing CAR T cells in a virus-free process that relies on SB-mediated transposition from MC DNA to accomplish gene-transfer. Advantages of this approach include a strong safety profile due to the nature of the MC itself and the genomic insertion pattern of MC-derived CAR transposons. In addition, stable transposition and high-level CAR transgene expression, as well as easy and reproducible handling, make MCs a preferred vector source for gene-transfer in advanced cellular and gene therapy. In this chapter, we will review our experience in MC-based CAR T cell engineering and discuss our recent advances in MC manufacturing to accelerate both pre-clinical and clinical implementation.
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