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Maddalena A, Dell'Aquila F, Giovannelli P, Tiberi P, Wanderlingh LG, Montefusco S, Tornabene P, Iodice C, Visconte F, Carissimo A, Medina DL, Castoria G, Auricchio A. High-Throughput Screening Identifies Kinase Inhibitors That Increase Dual Adeno-Associated Viral Vector Transduction In Vitro and in Mouse Retina. Hum Gene Ther 2018; 29:886-901. [PMID: 29641320 PMCID: PMC6098407 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2017.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinal gene therapy based on adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors is safe and efficient in humans. The low intrinsic DNA transfer capacity of AAV has been expanded by dual vectors where a large expression cassette is split in two halves independently packaged in two AAV vectors. Dual AAV transduction efficiency, however, is greatly reduced compared to that obtained with a single vector. As AAV intracellular trafficking and processing are negatively affected by phosphorylation, this study set to identify kinase inhibitors that can increase dual AAV vector transduction. By high-throughput screening of a kinase inhibitors library, three compounds were identified that increase AAV transduction in vitro, one of which has a higher effect on dual than on single AAV vectors. Importantly, the transduction enhancement is exerted on various AAV serotypes and is not transgene dependent. As kinase inhibitors are promiscuous, siRNA-mediated silencing of targeted kinases was performed, and AURKA and B, PLK1, and PTK2 were among those involved in the increase of AAV transduction levels. The study shows that kinase inhibitor administration reduces AAV serotype 2 (AAV2) capsid phosphorylation and increases the activity of DNA-repair pathways involved in AAV DNA processing. Importantly, the kinase inhibitor PF-00562271 improves dual AAV8 transduction in photoreceptors following sub-retinal delivery in mice. The study identifies kinase inhibitors that increase dual and single AAV transduction by modulating AAV entry and post-entry steps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Maddalena
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Fabio Dell'Aquila
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Pia Giovannelli
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Tiberi
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | | | - Sandro Montefusco
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | | | - Carolina Iodice
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | | | - Annamaria Carissimo
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
- Institute for Applied Mathematics “Mauro Picone,” National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Diego Luis Medina
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Gabriella Castoria
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Alberto Auricchio
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
- Medical Genetics, Department of Advanced Biomedicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
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Watanabe S, Sanuki R, Ueno S, Koyasu T, Hasegawa T, Furukawa T. Tropisms of AAV for subretinal delivery to the neonatal mouse retina and its application for in vivo rescue of developmental photoreceptor disorders. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54146. [PMID: 23335994 PMCID: PMC3545928 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2012] [Accepted: 12/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is well established as a vehicle for in vivo gene transfer into the mammalian retina. This virus is promising not only for gene therapy of retinal diseases, but also for in vivo functional analysis of retinal genes. Previous reports have shown that AAV can infect various cell types in the developing mouse retina. However, AAV tropism in the developing retina has not yet been examined in detail. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We subretinally delivered seven AAV serotypes (AAV2/1, 2/2, 2/5, 2/8, 2/9, 2/10, and 2/11) of AAV-CAG-mCherry into P0 mouse retinas, and quantitatively evaluated the tropisms of each serotype by its infecting degree in retinal cells. After subretinal injection of AAV into postnatal day 0 (P0) mouse retinas, various retinal cell types were efficiently transduced with different AAVs. Photoreceptor cells were efficiently transduced with AAV2/5. Retinal cells, except for bipolar and Müller glial cells, were efficiently transduced with AAV2/9. Horizontal and/or ganglion cells were efficiently transduced with AAV2/1, AAV2/2, AAV2/8, AAV2/9 and AAV2/10. To confirm the usefulness of AAV-mediated gene transfer into the P0 mouse retina, we performed AAV-mediated rescue of the Cone-rod homeobox gene knockout (Crx KO) mouse, which exhibits an outer segment formation defect, flat electroretinogram (ERG) responses, and photoreceptor degeneration. We injected an AAV expressing Crx under the control of the Crx 2kb promoter into the neonatal Crx KO retina. We showed that AAV mediated-Crx expression significantly decreased the abnormalities of the Crx KO retina. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE In the current study, we report suitable AAV tropisms for delivery into the developing mouse retina. Using AAV2/5 in photoreceptor cells, we demonstrated the possibility of gene replacement for the developmental disorder and subsequent degeneration of retinal photoreceptors caused by the absence of Crx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Watanabe
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- JST, CREST, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Osaka Bioscience Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Rikako Sanuki
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- JST, CREST, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Osaka Bioscience Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shinji Ueno
- Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Koyasu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Hasegawa
- Research Center for Ultra-high Voltage Electron Microscopy, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takahisa Furukawa
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- JST, CREST, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Osaka Bioscience Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Dietzel J, Kuhrt H, Stahl T, Kacza J, Seeger J, Weber M, Uhlig A, Reichenbach A, Grosche A, Pannicke T. Morphometric analysis of the retina from horses infected with the Borna disease virus. Vet Pathol 2007; 44:57-63. [PMID: 17197624 DOI: 10.1354/vp.44-1-57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Borna disease (BD) is a fatal disorder of horses, often characterized by blindness. Although degeneration of retinal neurons has been demonstrated in a rat model, there are controversial data concerning whether a similar degeneration occurs in the retina of infected horses. To investigate whether BD may cause degeneration of photoreceptors and possibly of other neuronal cells at least at later stages of the disease, we performed a detailed quantitative morphologic study of retinal tissue from Borna-diseased horses. BD was diagnosed by detection of pathognomonic Joest-Degen inclusion bodies in the postmortem brains. Paraffin sections of paraformaldehyde-fixed retinae were used for histologic and immunohistochemical stainings. Numbers of neurons and Müller glial cells were counted, and neuron-to-Müller cell ratios were calculated. Among tissues from 9 horses with BD, we found retinae with strongly altered histologic appearance as well as retinae with only minor changes. The neuron-to-Müller cell ratio for the whole retina was significantly smaller in diseased animals (8.5 +/- 0.4; P < .01) as compared with controls (17.6 +/- 0.8). It can be concluded that BD in horses causes alterations of the retinal histology of a variable degree. The study provides new data about the pathogenesis of BD concerning the retina and demonstrates that a loss of photoreceptors may explain the observed blindness in infected horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Dietzel
- Paul-Flechsig-Institut für Hirnforschung, Universität Leipzig, Jahnallee 59, D-04109 Leipzig, Germany
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Jacobson SG, Boye SL, Aleman TS, Conlon TJ, Zeiss CJ, Roman AJ, Cideciyan AV, Schwartz SB, Komaromy AM, Doobrajh M, Cheung AY, Sumaroka A, Pearce-Kelling SE, Aguirre GD, Kaushal S, Maguire AM, Flotte TR, Hauswirth WW. Safety in Nonhuman Primates of Ocular AAV2-RPE65, a Candidate Treatment for Blindness in Leber Congenital Amaurosis. Hum Gene Ther 2006; 17:845-58. [PMID: 16942444 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2006.17.845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a molecularly heterogeneous disease group that leads to blindness. LCA caused by RPE65 mutations has been studied in animal models and vision has been restored by subretinal delivery of AAV-RPE65 vector. Human ocular gene transfer trials are being considered. Our safety studies of subretinal AAV-2/2.RPE65 in RPE65-mutant dogs showed evidence of modest photoreceptor loss in the injection region in some animals at higher vector doses. We now test the hypothesis that there can be vectorrelated toxicity to the normal monkey, with its human-like retina. Good Laboratory Practice safety studies following single intraocular injections of AAV-2/2.RPE65 in normal cynomolgus monkeys were performed for 1-week and 3-month durations. Systemic toxicity was not identified. Ocular-specific studies included clinical examinations, electroretinography, and retinal histopathology. Signs of ocular inflammation postinjection had almost disappeared by 1 week. At 3 months, electroretinography in vector-injected eyes was no different than in vehicle-injected control eyes or compared with presurgical recordings. Healed sites of retinal perforation from subretinal injections were noted clinically and by histopathology. Foveal architecture in subretinally injected eyes, vector or vehicle, could be abnormal. Morphometry of central retina showed no photoreceptor layer thickness abnormalities occurring in a dose-dependent manner. Vector sequences were present in the injected retina, vitreous, and optic nerve at 1 week but not consistently in the brain. At 3 months, there were no vector sequences in optic nerve and brain. The results allow for consideration of an upper range for no observed adverse effect level in future human trials of subretinal AAV-2/2.RPE65. The potential value of foveal treatment for LCA and other retinal degenerations warrants further research into how to achieve gene transfer without retinal injury from surgical detachment of the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G Jacobson
- Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Kacza J, Mohr C, Pannicke T, Kuhrt H, Dietzel J, Flüss M, Richt JA, Vahlenkamp TW, Stahl T, Reichenbach A, Seeger J. Changes of the organotypic retinal organization in Borna virus-infected Lewis rats. J Neurocytol 2001; 30:801-20. [PMID: 12165671 DOI: 10.1023/a:1019641404940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Retinae of Borna disease virus (BDV)-infected Lewis rats were investigated with emphasis on long-term changes in organotypic tissue organization and glia-neuron relationship. Virus inoculation was attained via intracerebral BDV injection. Following survival times ranging between two and eight months, the retinal thickness was reduced up to one third of that of controls. Photoreceptor segments were completely extinguished and the number of neurons was dramatically reduced. The typical laminar organization of the retina was largely dissolved. Electron microscopy revealed severe spongy degeneration. Large numbers of activated microglia and macrophages were found, both cell types performing very active phagocytosis. The microglial cells expressed an extraordinary phenotype as characterized by large numbers of processes, with some of them penetrating the endfeet of Müller cells and others establishing highly complex interdigitations with vacuolized swellings and endings of neuronal processes. Müller cells were not reduced in number but displayed clear indications of gliosis such as alterations in the immunoreactivity for filament proteins and glutamine synthetase, significantly thickened stem processes, and an altered pattern of K(+) currents in patch-clamp recordings. These findings demonstrate for the first time long-term neuron-glia interactions in the retina of BDV-infected rats. Moreover, the data contribute to our knowledge on structural and functional alterations accompanying persisting virus infection in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Kacza
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
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Lai CM, Shen WY, Constable I, Rakoczy PE. The use of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to develop a rat model for photoreceptor degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2000; 41:580-4. [PMID: 10670491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the effects of recombinant adenovirus-mediated downregulation of cathepsin S (CatS) on the retinal pigment epithelium and/or neural retina in vivo. METHODS The expression of green fluorescent protein (gfp) after subretinal injection of a recombinant adenovirus, Ad.gfp, into rat eyes was first established by in vivo fundus fluorescence photography and fluorescence microscopy. The autofluorescent debris accumulation in Ad.CatSAS (recombinant adenovirus carrying the antisense CatS gene)injected rat eyes was monitored by fluorescence microscopy, and the antisense CatS RNA expression was demonstrated by in situ hybridization. Changes in the retinal morphology were assessed by light microscopy. ResuLTS. The gfp expression was present in 30% to 90% of the injection area at 3 days and was absent 9 days after Ad.gfp injection. In Ad.CatSAS-injected eyes, the expression of antisense CatS RNA was demonstrated by in situ hybridization. Autofluorescent debris accumulation was significantly higher in Ad.CatSAS-injected eyes than in control eyes. The shortening of photoreceptor outer segments in Ad.CatSAS-injected eyes coincided with intense autofluorescent debris accumulation. The number of layers of photoreceptor cells decreased with time and were 11, 9, and 8 at 7, 14, and 28 days after Ad.CatSAS injection, respectively. In control eyes, the number of layers of photoreceptor cells (14) remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that recombinant adenovirus-mediated transient modulation of gene expression in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells could induce changes in the retina, and, in spite of the low expression of endogenous CatS in RPE cells, this enzyme plays an important role in maintenance of normal retinal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Lai
- Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Australia
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