Suppression of human colon tumor growth by adenoviral vector-mediated NK4 expression in an athymic mouse model

AIM： To investigate the suppressive effects of adenoviral vector-mediated expression of NK4, an antagonist of hepatocyte growth factor （HGF）, on human colon cancer in an athymic mouse model to explore the possibility of applying NK4 to cancer gene therapy. METHODS： A human colon tumor model was developed by subcutaneous implantation of tumor tissue formed by LS174T cells grown in athymic mice. Fifteen tumorbearing mice were randomized into three groups （n= 5 in each group） at d 3 after tumor implantation and mice were injected intratumorally with phosphate-buffered saline （PBS） or with recombinant adenovirus expressing 13-galactosidase （Ad-LacZ） or NK4 （rvAdCMV/NK4） at a 6-d interval for total 5 injections in each mouse. Tumor sizes were measured during treatment to draw a tumor growth curve. At d 26 after the first treatment, all animals were sacrificed and the tumors were removed to immunohistochemically examine proliferating cell nuclear antigen （PCNA）, microvessel density （represented by CD31）, and apoptotic cells. In a separate experiment, 15 additional athymic mice were employed to develop a tumor metastasis model by intraperitoneal injection （ip） of LS174T cells. These mice were randomized into 3 groups （n = 5 in each group） at d 1 after injection and were treated by ip injection of PBS, or Ad-LacZ, or rvAdCMV/NK4 at a 6-d interval for total two injections in each mouse. All animals were sacrificed at d 14 and the numbers and weights of disseminated tumors within the abdominal cavity were measured. RESULTS： Growth of significantly suppressed human colon tumors were in the athymic mice treatedwith rvAdCMV/NK4 （2537.4± 892.3 mm^3） compared to those treated by either PBS （5175.2 ± 1228.6 mm^3） or Ad-LacZ （5578.8± 1955.7 mm^3） （P 〈 0.05）. The tumor growth inhibition rate was as high as 51%. Immunohistochemical staining revealed a similar PCNA labeling index （75.1% ± 11.2% in PBS group vs 72.8% ± 7.6% in Ad-LacZ group vs 69.3% ± 9.4% in rvAdCMV/ NK4 group） in all groups, but significantly lower microvessel density （10.7 ± 2.4 in rvAdCMV/NK4 group vs 25.6 ± 3.8 in PBS group or 21.3 ± 3.5 in Ad-LacZ group, P 〈 0.05）, and a markedly higher apoptotic index （7.3% ± 2.4% in rvAdCMV/NK4 group vs 2.6 4, 1.1% in PBS group or 2.1% ± 1.5% in Ad-LacZ group, P 〈 0.05） in the rvAdCMV/NK4 group compared to the two control groups. In the tumor metastasis model, the number and weight of disseminated tumors of mice treated with rvAdCMV/NK4 were much lower than those of the control groups （tumor number： 6.2 ± 3.3 in rvAdCMV/ NK4 group vs 22.9 ± 7.6 in PBS group or 19.8 ± 8.5 in Ad-LacZ group, P 〈 0.05; tumor weight： 324 ± 176 mg in rvAdCMV/NK4 group vs 962 ± 382 mg in PBS group or 1116 ± 484 mg in Ad-LacZ group, P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The recombinant adenovirus, rvAdCMV/ NK4, can attenuate the growth of colon cancer in vivo, probably by suppressing angiogenesis and inducing tumor cell apoptosis, but not by direct suppression of tumor cell proliferation. Moreover, rvAdCMV/NK4 may inhibit peritoneal dissemination of colon cancer cells in a murine tumor metastasis model. These findings indicate that NK4 gene transfer may be an effective tool for the treatment of colon cancer.

Overexpression of the mTERT gene by adenoviral vectors promotes the proliferation of neuronal stem cells in vitro and stimulates neurogenesis in the hippocampus of mice

We sought to construct the adenoviral vector carrying the gene encoding mouse telomerase reverse transcriptase（mTERT）,as well as detect its expression and effect on the proliferation of neuronal stem cells.mTERT was am-plified by RT-PCR and then the eukaryotic expression vector of pDC-EGFP-TERT was constructed.After DNA sequence analysis,we detected that there were 293 cells transfected with pDC-EGFP-TERT and helper adenovirus plasmid pBHG lox ΔE1,and three Cre using Lipofectamine 2000 mediation,named Ad-mTERT-GFP,to pack-age adenoviral particles.The Ad-mTERT-GFP was used to infect neuronal stem cells and then the expression and activity of mTERT were detected.In addition,Bromodeoxyuridine labeling test identified the impact of mTERT overexpression on proliferation of neuronal stem cells.The recombinant adenoviral vector confirmed that mTERT was successfully constructed.Overexpression of mTERT stimulated the proliferation of neuronal stem cells both in vitro and in vivo.mTERT overexpression via adenoviral vector carrying mTERT cDNA upregulated the ability of proliferation in neuronal stem cells.

Constructing recombinant replication-defective adenoviral vectors that express glucose transporter-1 through in vitro ligation

BACKGROUND： We constructed a homologous recombination bacterial method based on the pAdEasy system, a widely used system, for generating recombinant adenoviral vectors that express glucose transporter- 1 （GLUT 1） in rats, OBJECTIVE： This study was designed to investigate the feasibility of generating recombinant replication-defective adenoviral vectors that express GLUT1 in rats by in vitro ligation based on the Adeno-X^TM system. DESIGN： An in vitro cell-based experiment. SETTING： This study was performed at the Linbaixin Medical Research Center of the Second Hospital Affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University and Central Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Sun Yat-sen University between January and August 2004. MATERIALS： Male, adult, Sprague Dawley rats were used to extract total RNA from brain tissue. E. coli DH5 a and human embryonic kidney 293 cells （HEK293 cells） used in the present study were cryo-preserved by the Second Hospital Affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University. Rabbit anti-rat GLUT1 polyclonal antibody （Chemicon, U.S.A.） and primers （Shanghai Boya Bioengineering Co., Ltd） were also used. METHODS： E1/E3-deleted replication-defective adenoviral vectors were used. Using in vitro ligation, the target gene was first sub-cloned into a shuttle vector plasmid to obtain the fragment containing target gene expression cassettes by enzyme digestion. Subsequently, the fragment was co-transformed with linearized adenoviral backbone vector into the E. coli strain. The recombinant adenoviral plasmid was transfected into HEK293 cells to assembly recombinant adenoviral vectors with replication capabilities. The procedure was repeated several times for recombinant adenoviral vectors amplification. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Efficiency of recombinant adenoviral vectors to express the target gene was measured by gene and protein expression through polymerase chain reaction and Western Blot assays, respectively. RESULTS： Results demonstrated that recombinant adenoviral vectors successfully expressed GLUT1 protein, with a relative molecular mass of 55000 in HEK293 cells. These results suggest that recombinant adenoviral vectors obtained by homologous bacterial recombination feature high efficiency, rapidness, and simplicity. CONCLUSION： We successfully amplified the rat GLUT1 gene and constructed replication-defective adenoviral vectors expressing GLUT1. The replication-defective adenoviral vectors proved to successfully express the target gene in HEK293 cells.

Adenoviral Vectors in Veterinary Vaccine Development: Potential for Further Development

Vaccines are an integral part of veterinary disease prevention. However there are still a significant number of veterinary diseases for which vaccines do not currently exist or where currently available vaccines do not provide adequate immunity. Adenoviruses have transitioned from tools for gene replacement therapy to bona fide vaccine delivery vehicles because of their ability to elicit potent cell-mediated and humoral responses making them ideal for use against viruses and other intracellular pathogens. Adenoviral vector based vaccines are likely to play a significant role in overcoming these problems in the future. However, this vector is under utilized in veterinary vaccine development at this time. This review focuses on adenoviral vector based vaccines developed to date and explores the potential for veterinary vaccine development based upon this platform: advantages and potential disadvantages of this technology are discussed as well as the potential for developing efficacious commercial veterinary adenoviral vector based vaccines.

Down-regulation of IL-8 expression in human airway epithelial cells through helper-dependent adenoviral-mediated RNA interference

Interleukin (IL)-8 is a potent neutrophil chemotactic factor and a crucial mediator in neutrophil-dependent inflammation.Various cell types produce IL-8, either in response to external stimuli such as cytokines or bacterial infection, or aftermalignant transformation. Anti-IL-8 strategies have been considered for anti-inflammatory therapy. In this paper wedemonstrate that the RNA interference technique can be used to efficiently down-regulate IL-8 protein expression inairway epithelial cells. We used a helper-dependent adenoviral vector to express a small hairpin (sh)RNA targetinghuman IL-8 in cultured airway epithelial cells (IB3-1, Cftr-/-; C38, Cftr-corrected) stimulated with TNF-α, IL-1β orheat-inactivated Burkholderia cenocepacia. Stimulated IL-8 expression in IB3-1 and C38 cells was significantly reducedby shRNA expression. The shRNA targeting IL-8 had no effect on the activation of NF-κB, or on the protein levels ofIκB or IL-6, suggesting that this anti-IL-8 strategy was highly specific, and therefore may offer potential for thetreatment of inflammatory diseases.

Effects of adenoviral-mediated gene transduction of NK4 on proliferation, movement, and invasion of human colonic LS174T cancer cells in vitro

AIM： To investigate the inhibitory effects of a recombinant adenovirus vector that expresses NK4, a truncated form of human hepatocyte growth factor （HGF）, on human colonic adenocarcinoma cells in vitro to establish a basis for future NK4 gene cancer therapy. METHODS： Cells from the LS174T human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line were infected with recombinant adenovirus rvAdCMV/NK4 and the effects of the manipulation on tumor cell proliferation, scatter, migration, and basement membrane invasion were assessed. Cells infected with a recombinant adenovirus vector （Ad-LacZ） expressing β-galactosidase served as the controls. RESULTS： We found that rvAdCMV/NK4 expression attenuated HGF-induced tumor cell scatter, migration, and basement membrane invasion （P 〈 0.05）, but did not inhibit tumor cell proliferation. CONCLUSION： HGF-induced LS174T tumor cell scatter, migration, and invasion can be antagonized by the recombinant NK4-expressing adenovirus.

核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体蛋白6重组腺病毒过表达载体的构建与鉴定

目的构建及鉴定携带小鼠核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体蛋白6(NLRP6)基因(NM_133946.2)的过表达重组腺病毒载体。方法合成小鼠NLRP6基因的编码序列,经酶切后插入腺病毒载体(GL2003),转化大肠杆菌感受态细胞DH-5α进行培养,挑取转化子,进行聚合酶链反应(PCR)鉴定后送测序进行比对。采用蛋白质印迹法(Western blot)验证重组质粒中NLRP6蛋白的表达。利用Admax包装系统获得重组腺病毒载体Ad-NLRP6,导入HEK293细胞,经扩增纯化后测定病毒滴度。结果双酶切及DNA测序证明NLRP6成功构建入表达质粒中,同时检测其携带的FLAG标签蛋白,表明NLRP6表达水平显著升高。包装并生产携带NLRP6的重组腺病毒,进一步将病毒感染HEK293细胞,Ad-NLRP6细胞表达绿色荧光蛋白提示感染成功,收集病毒,经扩增纯化后测定病毒滴度为4×10^(10)PFU/mL。结论成功构建携带小鼠NLRP6基因的过表达重组腺病毒载体,这一结果为进一步研究NLRP6分子学功能提供了有效工具。

Inhibition of KIT RNAi mediated with adenovirus in gastrointestinal stromal tumor xenograft

AIM: To investigate a therapeutic method for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) based on KIT RNA interference (RNAi) with AdMax adenovirus. METHODS: KIT short hairpin RNA (shRNA), whose lateral sides were decorated with restriction endonuclease sequences, was designed. T 4 DNA ligase catalyzed the joint of the KIT shRNA and the green fluorescent protein-containing PDC316-EGFP-U6 to form PDC316EGFP-U6-KIT. Homologous recombination of AdEGFPU6-KIT was performed with the AdMax system. Heterotopically transplanted GISTs were established in nude mice. AdEGFP-U6-KIT was intratumorally injected. The volume, inhibition ratio of tumor and CD117 expression of GIST graft tumor in nude mice were compared between test and control groups. RESULTS: The length of KIT shRNA was determined to be about 50bp by agarose electrophoresis. Gene se-quencing detected the designed KIT RNAi sequence in PDC316-EGFP-U6-KIT. After transfection with AdEGFPU6-KIT, 293 cells displayed green fluorescence. The physical and infective titers of AdEGFP-U6-KIT were 5 × 10 11 viral particles/mL and 5.67 × 10 7 plaque forming units/mL, respectively. The mean volume of the grafted tumor was significantly smaller in test mice than in control mice (75.3 ± 22.9 mm 3 vs 988.6 ± 30.5 mm 3 , t = -18.132, P < 0.05). The inhibition ratio of the tumors was 59.6% in the test group. CD117 positive expression was evident in two cases (20%) in the test group and 10 cases (100%) in the control group (χ 2 = 10.2083, P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: AdEGFP-U6-KIT is successfully constructed, and KIT RNAi mediated with Admax vector system can effectively inhibit the expression of the KIT gene and the growth of GIST in nude mice.

Construction and Characterization of a Novel Recombinant Attenuated and Replication-Deficient Candidate Human Adenovirus Type 3 Vaccine:"Adenovirus Vaccine Within an Adenovirus Vector"

Human adenoviruses(HAd Vs)are highly contagious and result in large number of acute respiratory disease(ARD)cases with severe morbidity and mortality.Human adenovirus type 3(HAd V-3)is the most common type that causes ARD outbreaks in Asia,Europe,and the Americas.However,there is currently no vaccine approved for its general use.The hexon protein contains the main neutralizing epitopes,provoking strong and lasting immunogenicity.In this study,a novel recombinant and attenuated adenovirus vaccine candidate against HAd V-3 was constructed based on a commercially-available replication-defective HAd V-5 gene therapy and vaccine vector.The entire HAd V-3 hexon gene was integrated into the E1 region of the vector by homologous recombination using a bacterial system.The resultant recombinants expressing the HAd V-3 hexon protein were rescued in AD293 cells,identified and characterized by RT-PCR,Western blots,indirect immunofluorescence,and electron microscopy.This potential vaccine candidate had a similar replicative efficacy as the wild-type HAd V-3 strain.However,and importantly,the vaccine strain had been rendered replication-defective and was incapable of replication in A549 cells after more than twentygeneration passages in AD293 cells.This represents a significant safety feature.The mice immunized both intranasally and intramuscularly by this vaccine candidate raised significant neutralizing antibodies against HAd V-3.Therefore,this recombinant,attenuated,and safe adenovirus vaccine is a promising HAd V-3 vaccine candidate.The strategy of using a clinically approved and replication-defective HAd V-5 vector provides a novel approach to develop universal adenovirus vaccine candidates against all the other types of adenoviruses causing ARDs and perhaps other adenovirus-associated diseases.

Adenovirus-expressed preS2 antibody inhibits hepatitis B virus infection and hepatic carcinogenesis

AIM:To investigate the inhibitory effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) preS2 antibody (preS2Ab) against HBV in-fection and HBV-associated hepatic carcinogenesis.METHODS:An adenoviral vector carrying the full-length light and heavy chains of the HBV preS2Ab gene,Ad315-preS2Ab,was constructed.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting analyses were used to determine the preS2Ab expres-sion levels in vitro.Immunofluorescent techniques were used to examine the binding affinity between the expressed HBV preS2Ab and HBV-positive liver cells.ELISAs were also used to determine hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels to assess the inhibitory effect of the preS2Ab against HBV infection in L02 cells.The inhibitory effect of preS2Ab against hepatic carcinogen-esis was studied with diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in HBV transgenic mice.RESULTS:The expression of HBV preS2Ab increased with increases in the multiplicity of infection (MOI) of Ad315-preS2Ab in L02 cells,with 350.87 ± 17.37 μg/L of preS2Ab when the MOI was 100 plaque forming units (pfu)/cell.The expressed preS2Abs could recog-nize liver cells from HBV transgenic mice.ELISA results showed that L02 cells expressing preS2Ab produced less HBsAg after treatment with the serum of HBV pa-tients than parental L02 cells expressing no preS2Ab.HBV transgenic mice treated with Ad315-preS2Ab had fewer and smaller cancerous nodes after induction with DEN than mice treated with a blank Ad315 vec-tor or untreated mice.Additionally,the administration of Ad315-preS2Ab could alleviate hepatic cirrhosis and decrease the serum levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase.CONCLUSION:Adenovirus-mediated HBV preS2Ab expression could inhibit HBV infection in L02 cells,and then inhibit DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinogenesis and protect hepatic function in HBV transgenic mice.

Construction of recombinant human nerve growth factor beta adenovirus and evaluation of its function An in vitro and in vivo study

Exogenous delivery of nerve growth factor （NGF） promotes neural regeneration. However, the short half-life limits delivery efficacy. Therefore, a long-term, efficient, local delivery tool or scheme is needed. The purpose of this study was to construct a functioning, recombinant, adenoviral vector carrying human NGF-β （hNGF-β） DNA, and to measure expression of the constructed vector in vitro and in vivo. rhNGF-β adenoviral vector containing full-length hNGF-β cDNA was generated by homologous recombination in Escherichia CoIL The rhNGF-β adenovirus was packaged and amplified in human embryonic kidney HEK293 cells. Transformation efficiency, expression and function of rhNGF-β adenovirus for primary Schwann cells, Schwann cell lines, human embryonic kidney HEK 293 cells, CRH myoblasts, and NIH3T3 fibroblasts were evaluated. Subsequently, expression of rhNGF-β adenovirus at the peripheral nerve of rat was also assessed. Recombinant adenoviral vector carrying hNGF-β was successfully constructed and confirmed by restriction endonuclease analysis and DNA sequence analysis. Green fluorescent protein expression was observed in 90% of rhNGF-β adenovirus-infected cells （primary Schwann cells, Schwann cell line, human embryonic kidney HEK 293 cells, CRH myoblasts, and NIH3T3 fibroblasts） compared with non-infected cells. Total mRNA isolated from rhNGF-β adenovirus-infected cells exhibited strong expression. Maximum NGF release was induced by primary cultured Schwann cells at 4 days after infection, which steadily continued for 14 days. PC-12 cells exposed to media conditioned with rhNGF-β adenovirus-infected Schwann cells exhibited increased neurite extension. In vivo experiment revealed that the injected rhNGF-β adenovirus was transfected into the cells at the injected site and promoted expression of NGF, p75NTR and brain derived neurotrophic factor at the sciatic nerve and dorsal root ganglia.

Anatomical distributional defects in mutant genes associated with dominant intermediate Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type C in an adenovirus-mediated mouse model

Dominant intermediate Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type C（DI-CMTC） is a dominantly inherited neuropathy that has been classified primarily based on motor conduction velocity tests but is now known to involve axonal and demyelination features.DI-CMTC is linked to tyrosyl-t RNA synthetase（YARS）-associated neuropathies,which are caused by E196 K and G41 R missense mutations and a single de novo deletion（153-156 del VKQV）.It is well-established that these YARS mutations induce neuronal dysfunction,morphological symptoms involving axonal degeneration,and impaired motor performance.The present study is the first to describe a novel mouse model of YARS-mutation-induced neuropathy involving a neuron-specific promoter with a deleted mitochondrial targeting sequence that inhibits the expression of YARS protein in the mitochondria.An adenovirus vector system and in vivo techniques were utilized to express YARS fusion proteins with a Flag-tag in the spinal cord,peripheral axons,and dorsal root ganglia.Following transfection of YARS-expressing viruses,the distributions of wild-type（WT） YARS and E196 K mutant proteins were compared in all expressed regions; G41 R was not expressed.The proportion of Flag/green fluorescent protein（GFP） double-positive signaling in the E196 K mutant-type mice did not significantly differ from that of WT mice in dorsal root ganglion neurons.All adenovirus genes,and even the empty vector without the YARS gene,exhibited GFP-positive signaling in the ventral horn of the spinal cord because GFP in an adenovirus vector is driven by a cytomegalovirus promoter.The present study demonstrated that anatomical differences in tissue can lead to dissimilar expressions of YARS genes.Thus,use of this novel animal model will provide data regarding distributional defects between mutant and WT genes in neurons,the DICMTC phenotype,and potential treatment approaches for this disease.

EFFECT ON BIOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF CHEMOTHERAPY-RESISTANT TUMOR CELLS BY HUMAN WILD-TYPE p53,GM-CSF AND B7-1 GENES VIA RECOMBINANTADENOVIRUS

Objective: To explore the effect on biological behavior of chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells by human wild-type p53, GM-CSF and B7-1 genes mediated via recombinant adenovirus. Methods: p53-abnormal KB-v200 (VCR resistant) and KB-s (VCR sensitive) cell lines were used as model tumor cells, which are resistant and sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs respectively. After infected with recombinant adenovirus carrying human wild-type p53, GM-CSF and B7-1 genes, changes in biological behavior (including drug sensitivity) of these two kinds of gene-transduced cancer cells were observed. Results: Both of the cell lines were susceptible to adenovirus, all of three exogenous genes (p53, GM-CSF and B7-1) could be effectively expressed in these cell lines, their growth was suppressed, and apoptosis was induced. The drug-pumping-out function of Pgp glycoprotein on the cytomembrane of drug-resistant KB-v200 cells was markedly affected 48h after transfection of the recombinant adenovirus, revealed by increase of the amount of rhodamine 123 accumulation in the cells. The MTT assay also indicated the reversal of their sensitivity to VCR drugs.In vivo experiment in nude mice it was demonstrated reduction of tumorigenicity of the KB-v200 cells or KB-s cells infected with the recombinant adenovirus, and increase of their sensitivity to VCR. Conclusion: The clinical application of this recombinant adenovirus carrying agents might be more effective in treatment of tumors with multidrug resistance(MDR).

腺病毒载体疫苗的研究进展

腺病毒载体从最初的基因治疗工具已发展为较成熟的疫苗载体。腺病毒载体疫苗在宿主体内可诱导强烈的体液和细胞免疫反应。基于腺病毒载体的埃博拉疫苗、新型冠状病毒疫苗等相继获批上市,还有数个腺病毒载体疫苗正处在临床试验阶段或研发阶段,这表明基于腺病毒载体的疫苗研制已成为当前极具吸引力和应用前景的疫苗种类和选择。本文简述了腺病毒的病原学特点,腺病毒作为疫苗载体的发展进程以及目前腺病毒载体疫苗的主要种类及现状,探讨了腺病毒载体疫苗的局限性及改进办法,旨在为腺病毒载体疫苗开发提供参考。

表达GⅡ.4型诺如病毒VP1复制缺陷型腺病毒构建与鉴定

人诺如病毒(norovirus,NoV)在体外难以培养,不宜采用经典疫苗的方式进行疫苗研发,以腺病毒为载体的重组腺病毒疫苗为诺如病毒疫苗的研发提供另一种路线选择。构建表达人GⅡ.4型诺如病毒VP1蛋白的重组腺病毒为该技术路线的疫苗研发奠定基础。首先使用PCR扩增诺如病毒VP1片段,通过酶切、连接、转化,克隆含VP1基因的pshuttle-CMV-VP1穿梭质粒,再与腺病毒骨架质粒进行同源重组,重组质粒鉴定正确后使用PacⅠ酶切线性化,转染至HEK293细胞进行病毒包装,包装成复制缺陷型的完整腺病毒颗粒命名为rAd-VP1,病毒传代后进行滴度测定,并感染HEK293细胞,通过Western Blot方法鉴定重组腺病毒外源蛋白VP1的表达情况。结果表明,包装传代后的重组腺病毒浓缩后滴度达到CCID_(50)=5×10^(9)/mL,并且能在HEK293细胞成功表达VP1蛋白。研究为rAd-VP1的动物免疫评价和诺如病毒的疫苗研发提供基础。

Molecular and cellular changes in the post-traumatic spinal cord remodeling after autoinfusion of a genetically-enriched leucoconcentrate in a mini-pig model

Post-traumatic spinal cord remodeling includes both degenerating and regenerating processes,which affect the potency of the functional recovery after spinal cord injury(SCI).Gene therapy for spinal cord injury is proposed as a promising therapeutic strategy to induce positive changes in remodeling of the affected neural tissue.In our previous studies for delivering the therapeutic genes at the site of spinal cord injury,we developed a new approach using an autologous leucoconcentrate transduced ex vivo with chimeric adenoviruses(Ad5/35)carrying recombinant cDNA.In the present study,the efficacy of the intravenous infusion of an autologous genetically-enriched leucoconcentrate simultaneously producing recombinant vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF),and neural cell adhesion molecule(NCAM)was evaluated with regard to the molecular and cellular changes in remodeling of the spinal cord tissue at the site of damage in a model of mini-pigs with moderate spinal cord injury.Experimental animals were randomly divided into two groups of 4 pigs each:the therapeutic(infused with the leucoconcentrate simultaneously transduced with a combination of the three chimeric adenoviral vectors Ad5/35‐VEGF165,Ad5/35‐GDNF,and Ad5/35‐NCAM1)and control groups(infused with intact leucoconcentrate).The morphometric and immunofluorescence analysis of the spinal cord regeneration in the rostral and caudal segments according to the epicenter of the injury in the treated animals compared to the control mini-pigs showed:(1)higher sparing of the grey matter and increased survivability of the spinal cord cells(lower number of Caspase-3-positive cells and decreased expression of Hsp27);(2)recovery of synaptophysin expression;(3)prevention of astrogliosis(lower area of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1-positive microglial cells);(4)higher growth rates of regeneratingβIII-tubulin-positive axons accompanied by a higher number of oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2-positive oligodendroglial cells in the lateral corticospinal tract region.These results revealed the efficacy of intravenous infusion of the autologous genetically-enriched leucoconcentrate producing recombinant VEGF,GDNF,and NCAM in the acute phase of spinal cord injury on the positive changes in the post-traumatic remodeling nervous tissue at the site of direct injury.Our data provide a solid platform for a new ex vivo gene therapy for spinal cord injury and will facilitate further translation of regenerative therapies in clinical neurology.

Construction of a bicistronic recombinant adenoviral vector for human interleukin-10 and enhanced green fluorescent protein expression in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Background Human interleukin-10 （hlL-10） is a cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor,which is involved in various immune responses.The purpose of this study was to construct an adenoviral vector carrying the hlL-10 gene for expression of biologically active hlL-10 in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （rMSCs）.Methods A pSNAV2.0-hlL10 plasmid was used as a template to obtain a hlL-10 cDNA fragment that was subcloned by restriction enzyme digestion and ligation into a pDC316-IRES-EGFP-lacZ alpha plasmid carrying an enhanced green fluorescent protein （EGFP） marker gene.The pDC316-hlL-10-IRES-EGFP plasmid was linearized by Pmel digestion and used to transfect HEK293 packaging cells using the adenovirus packaging system AdMax.Virus particles were amplified by repeatedly infecting HEK293 cells with the seed virus and then purified by ion exchange.After the number of virus particles and titer was determined,rMSCs were infected with the adenoviral vector.The infection rate was determined by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry,and hlL-10 protein expression in rMSCs was measured by Western blotting.Results The virus particle concentration,OD260/280 value and virus titer of the amplified and purified recombinant adenovirus were 3.2×1011 VP/ml,approximately 2.0,and 1.1×1010 TCID50/ml,respectively.Bright green fluorescence was observed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in the recombinant adenovirus-infected rMSCs.GFP expression was considered the multiplicity of infection （MOI） and was time-dependent.The infection rate was 92.9% at 100 MOI.Conclusions A bicistrenic recombinant adenoviral vector for hlL-10 and EGFP gene expression were successfully constructed.The infection rate of rMSCs by the adenovirus was high （92.9% at 100 MOI） and the target gene hlL-10 was highly expressed in cells.The present study provides an experimental basis for further research of immunosuppressive therapy using hlL-10.The expression level of hlL-10 protein as detected by Western blotting was also MOI- and time-dependent.

Efficiency of adenoviral vector mediated CTLA4Ig gene delivery into mesenchymal stem cells

Objective To prevent Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in rat model, we evaluated the feasibility of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a gene transfer target and studied the efficiency of recombinant adenovirus mediated gene therapy.Methods We constructed the recombinant adenovirus containing CTLA4lg gene. Rat MSCs of passages 3-5 were infected by the adenovirus, and the transfection efficiency was monitored by GFP markers. We performed flow cytometric analysis, immunohistochemical and Western blotting analysis to identify the CTLA4lg expression. The gene transferred MSCs were tested for their ability to inhibit the allogeneic lymphocyte response in vitro and to prevent GVHD in a rat model.Results Recombinant adenovirus pAd-CTLA4lg was correctly constructed and confirmed. After MSCs were infected by the adenovirus, the CTLA4lg protein was detected not only in transgenic MSCs, but also in the culture medium. In a mixed lymphocytes response (MLR) test, the transgenic MSCs could significantly inhibit the allogeneic lymphocyte response compared with the control groups (P < 0. 05) . A model of GVHD was developed by transplanting bone marrow cells and spleen lymphocytes of F344 rats to lethally irradiated SD rats. The onset of GVHD could be ameliorated or prevented by co-administration of transgenic MSCs. All the rats in the control groups suffered severe acute GVHD. CTLA4lg expression was observed in the liver, intestine, kidney and spleen 30 days post- transplantation.Conclusions Our results indicate that adenoviral vectors could efficiently transfer CTLA4lg gene into MSCs and sustain long-term stable expression in vitro and in vivo.

Highly efficient retinal gene delivery with helper-dependent adenoviral vectors

There have been significant advancements in the field of retinal gene therapy in the past several years.In particular,therapeutic efficacy has been achieved in three separate human clinical trials conducted to assess the ability of adeno-associated viruses(AAV)to treat of a type of Leber’s congenital amaurosis caused by RPE65 mutations.However,despite the success of retinal gene therapy with AAV,challenges remain for delivering large therapeutic genes or genes requiring long DNA regulatory elements for controlling their expression.For example,Stargardt’s disease,a form of juvenile macular degeneration,is caused by defects in ABCA4,a gene that is too large to be packaged in AAV.Therefore,we investigated the ability of helper dependent adenovirus(HD-Ad)to deliver genes to the retina as it has a much larger transgene capacity.Using an EGFP reporter,our results showed that HD-Ad can transduce the entire retinal epithelium of a mouse using a dose of only 1
105 infectious units and maintain transgene expression for at least 4 months.The results demonstrate that HD-Ad has the potential to be an effective vector for the gene therapy of the retina.