腺病毒载体的应用及进展

腺病毒载体是近年来继逆转录病毒载体之后被广泛应用的一个基因运载系统。它具有宿主细胞广泛、繁殖滴度高、不整合及相对安全等特点,在基因治疗中发挥越来越大的作用。本介绍了Ｅ１区缺失为特征的第一代腺病毒载体应用的有效性、安全性等方面的研究情况,和旨在克服第一代腺病毒载体不足的第二代载体构建方面的进展。     

腺病毒载体在疫苗研究中的应用

以病毒为载体的活疫苗为疾病预防和治疗研究提供了新手段。目前用于疫苗研究的病毒载体主要包括痘苗病毒载体、腺病毒载体、腺相关病毒载体、单纯疱疹病毒载体及逆转录病毒载体等。其中,重组腺病毒载体因其基因组大小适中,易于基因重组操作,繁殖滴度高,易于大量制备和保存,宿主范围广,转导效率高,安全性好,能刺激机体产生强烈的体液和细胞免疫反应等特点,而被广泛应用于重要感染性疾病及恶性肿瘤的疫苗研究。腺病毒载体在人免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)疫苗研究和临床试验中的成败更是备受关注。然而,与其他载体疫苗一样,机体对载体的免疫反应仍是阻碍腺病毒载体疫苗在临床中广泛应用的主要问题。那么,腺病毒载体解决这类问题的优势何在?我们简要综述腺病毒载体的特点及其在疫苗研究中的应用和存在的问题,为进一步优化和利用腺病毒载体在疫苗方面的研究提供参考。     

人类腺病毒受体的研究进展

腺病毒受体的研究近十几年来得到迅速发展,人们对腺病毒受体的研究兴趣主要源于使用腺病毒载体所进行的基因治疗.随着多个腺病毒受体相继被发现和鉴定(表1),对腺病毒感染细胞的过程有了进一步的认识和理解.例如,腺病毒5型(Ad5)已被用作基因治疗的载体,但不能有效地感染受体低表达的细胞[1].人们通过修饰腺病毒载体中与受体结合的相应部位,提高基因传递的效率,使腺病毒载体在基因治疗中的作用不断完善.本文就已经鉴定的腺病毒受体和相应配体在腺病毒进入细胞时所发挥的作用加以综述.     

溶瘤腺病毒治疗肿瘤的研究进展

溶瘤腺病毒是一种改造过的能够选择性地在肿瘤细胞中复制,并能够杀死肿瘤细胞的腺病毒,目前已经应用于肿瘤治疗中。但是因为肿瘤的复杂性以及高突变性,所以提高溶瘤腺病毒对肿瘤的有效性,选择性和安全性成为了主要的研究方向。能够在体内正常表达shRNA、细胞因子、自杀基因、基质修饰蛋白等治疗性基因的溶瘤腺病毒具有比单纯的溶瘤腺病毒更强的抗肿瘤活性。而具有肿瘤特异性启动子,尤其是双调控启动子的溶瘤腺病毒对肿瘤细胞具有更强的选择性杀伤作用。另外用脂质体、PEG聚合物、纳米颗粒、多肽等包裹的溶瘤腺病毒能够减少病毒的免疫原性以及对肝脏的毒性,增强了全身给药途径的抗肿瘤活性。特别是用PEG连上抗体、小肽、细胞因子和配体,能显著提高溶瘤腺病毒的选择性。因此,整合病毒载体与非病毒载体的优点并与免疫治疗相结合,是一个很有希望的提高病毒靶向治疗效果的策略。     

动物腺病毒用作基因治疗载体的研究进展

动物腺病毒具有与人腺病毒类似的基因组结构,近年来,通过缺失部分病毒基因并建立相应的互补细胞系,已构建成功大,绵羊及牛腺病毒栽体,这些新型动物腺病毒载体即可将外源基因转移到人体细胞内表达,本身又不能在其中复制繁殖,具有较高的安全性,人体内地们的免疫应答,因此可望替代人腺痍和为基因治疗及基因免疫的载体。     

反义c-myc重组腺病毒载体的构建及其对大鼠胸腺淋巴细胞的增殖抑制作用

目的:观察反义c-myc重组腺病毒载体对大鼠胸腺淋巴细胞的增殖抑制作用.方法:构建大鼠反义及正义c-myc细菌质粒,并将所得细菌质粒与E1缺失腺病毒质粒导入293细胞系,经共转染得到正义及反义重组腺病毒载体.MTS法检测重组腺病毒载体对大鼠淋巴细胞增殖的抑制作用,RT-PCR检测重组腺病毒载体对c-myc mR-NA表达的影响.结果:反义c-myc重组腺病毒载体可抑制大鼠淋巴细胞增殖,降低淋巴细胞c-myc mRNA的表达.结论:反义c-myc重组腺病毒载体可抑制大鼠淋巴细胞增殖.     

腺病毒载体疫苗的临床研究进展

腺病毒载体是目前最有应用前景的疫苗载体之一,具有高表达、可同时诱导特异性体液免疫和细胞免疫反应、安全性好、易于制备、无需添加佐剂等优点,被广泛应用于各种预防性或治疗性疫苗的研发。本文就进入临床试验的重要腺病毒载体疫苗作一综述。     

E1/E3缺失型腺病毒载体引起细胞周期G_2/M阻滞

腺病毒载体广泛应用于基因治疗和转基因研究 ,目前常用的E1 E3缺失型复制缺陷腺病毒载体虽然失去了病毒复制必需的E1基因 ,但载体上的其它病毒基因仍能在宿主细胞内表达 .为研究这些基因对细胞的毒性作用 ,选择了 3种携带没有明显细胞毒性外源基因的腺病毒载体 ,观察感染 2种肿瘤细胞后细胞核形态改变 ,并用流式细胞仪检测细胞周期及凋亡情况 .发现大剂量重组缺陷型腺病毒感染细胞后引起细胞变圆 ,核增大 ,细胞周期阻滞于G2 M期 ,继而染色质凝聚 ,细胞发生坏死或凋亡 ;各种腺病毒载体造成G2 M阻滞所需感染量不同 ,但都随时间延长和感染量增加而加重 .这些结果提示腺病毒基因对细胞的影响是多方面的 ,在以此类病毒载体进行基因转移和基因治疗的研究中 ,精确滴定病毒滴度和转导效率非常重要 ,腺病毒基因表达造成的毒副作用给此类研究增加了变数     

猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒GP5蛋白重组腺病毒的构建与免疫原性测定

应用RT-PCR方法扩增出猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒国内分离株S1毒株的GP5基因序列,然后通过KpnI和XhoI酶切位点把该基因克隆入经过同样双酶切的穿梭载体pShuttle-CMV中.重组穿梭载体经过酶切和PCR鉴定后进行测序,证明所克隆入的基因以正确的阅读框插入.获得的重组穿梭载体经线性化后与腺病毒骨架载体共转化大肠杆菌BJ5183菌株.纯化的重组腺病毒质粒经酶切线性化后转染293细胞获得重组腺病毒.重组腺病毒经纯化后进行RT-PCR和间接免疫荧光鉴定,证明了用PRRSVGP5蛋白基因所构建的重组腺病毒成功的表达了GP5蛋白.猪体免疫试验后收集血清进行中和实验证明所构建的重组腺病毒在猪体内能够诱导产生中和抗体,因此我们所构建的重组腺病毒可以作为PRRSV基因工程疫苗研究候选病毒株.     

荷载金黄色葡萄球菌肠毒素A 基因的双调控溶瘤腺病毒载体 的构建、鉴定及其抗膀胱肿瘤作用

目的:构建表达超抗原金黄色葡萄球菌肠毒素A基因的双调控选择增殖型溶瘤腺病毒SG502-SEA及对照组携带超抗原SEA基因的非增殖溶瘤腺病毒DC318-SEA,并探讨其潜在的抗膀胱肿瘤作用.方法:将超抗原SEA基因片段经SpeⅠ和SalⅠ双酶切后,克隆入非增殖溶瘤腺病毒载体pSG218中,将鉴定正确的腺病毒载体命名为pDC318-SEA.同样方法将超抗原SEA基因片段克隆入双调控特异性增殖溶瘤腺病毒载体pSG502中,将鉴定正确的腺病毒载体命名为pSG502-SEA.将以上两种携带SEA基因的病毒载体与病毒骨架质粒PPE3-ccdB共转染293细胞,9～14d出现病毒空斑,经过3次病毒空斑纯化,提取腺病毒DNA,应用PCR进行鉴定,经鉴定正确的腺病毒分别命名为DC318 - SEA和SG502-SEA.大量扩增后,氯化铯梯度离心纯化腺病毒,测病毒滴度.结果:经PCR及酶切鉴定,SEA基因成功克隆到两病毒载体中,可以表达SEA基因,且病毒滴度为2.5×101pfu/ml.结论:成功构建表达超抗原SEA基因的双调控增殖型溶瘤腺病毒SG502-SEA及对照组携带超抗原SEA基因的非增殖溶瘤腺病毒DC318-SEA,为下一步抗膀胱肿瘤体内外实验奠定基础.     

A Systematic Comparison of the Anti-Tumoural Activity and Toxicity of the Three Adv-TKs

Adenovirus 5 vectors, known respectively as, the first generation, second generation and oncolytic adenovirus, have been studied extensively in preclinical and clinical trials. However, hitherto few systemic evaluations of the efficacy and toxicity of these adenoviral vectors that have reflected the vertical history of adenovirus based cancer gene therapy strategies have been undertaken. This study has chosen Adv-TK, the well-established adjuvant treatment in cancer, and compared its efficacy and safety with those of the two newly synthesized oncolytic adenovirus vectors encoding the HSV-TK gene, namely M7 and M8. The results obtained showed that systemic administration of 1×10⁸ pfu M7 had an anti-tumour efficacy similar to that of 3×10¹⁰ pfu Adv-TK whilst M8 performed even better. Furthermore, compared to Adv-TK, M7 and M8 reduced the incidence of metastases and substantially prolonged the survival time of the mice xenografted with human orthotopic gastric carcinomas with disseminated metastasis. Even more exciting, however, were the similar toxic and immune safety results obtained from the administration of high doses of M7 or M8 in comparison with Adv-TK in immunocompetent and permissive syrian hamster. The data here exhibit a comprehensive display of the efficacy and safety of the three mutants and provide evidence for the future preclinical use of the M7 and M8 viruses.     

Targeted adenoviral vectors

Replication-defective vectors based on human adenovirus serotypes 2 and 5 (Ad2 and Ad5) possess a number of attributes which favor their use as gene delivery vehicles in gene therapy applications. However, the widespread distribution of the primary cellular receptor for Ad, the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), allows Ad vectors to infect a broad range of cells in the host. Conversely, a number of tissues which represent important targets for gene therapy, such as the airway epithelium and cancer cells, are refractory to Ad infection due a paucity of CAR. Thus, there is a strong rationale for the development of CAR-independent Ad vectors capable of enhanced specificity and efficiency of gene transfer to target cells. In this article we review the approaches which have been employed to generate tropism-modified Ad vectors. These targeting strategies have led to improvements in the safety and efficacy of Ad vectors and have the potential to yield an increased therapeutic benefit in the human clinical context.     

Gene therapy for Parkinson's disease

Gene therapy is a potentially powerful approach to the treatment of neurological diseases. The discovery of neurotrophic factors inhibiting neurodegenerative processes and neurotransmitter-synthesizing enzymes provides the basis for current gene therapy strategies for Parkinson's disease. Genes can be transferred by viral or nonviral vectors. Of the various possible vectors, recombinant retroviruses are the most efficient for genetic modification of cells in vitro that can thereafter be used for transplantation (ex vivo gene therapy approach). Recently, in vivo gene transfer to the brain has been developed using adenovirus vectors. One of the advantages of recombinant adenovirus is that it can transduced both quiescent and actively dividing cells, thereby allowing both direct in vivo gene transfer and ex vivo gene transfer to neural cells. Probably because the brain is partially protected from the immune system, the expression of adenoviral vectors persists for several months with little inflammation. Novel therapeutic tools, such as vectors for gene therapy have to be evaluated in terms of efficacy and safety for future clinical trials. These vectors still need to be improved to allow long-term and possibly regulatable expression of the transgene.     

可诱导肿瘤靶向性IFN-α2a重组腺病毒的构建及其表达

腺病毒载体广泛应用于恶性肿瘤的靶向性基因治疗的研究,但这些肿瘤靶向载体缺乏可控性,其疗效和安全性受到很大的影响,因此开发新型可诱导的生物肿瘤靶向载体是当今抗肿瘤靶向药物研究的当务之急。该研究构建了可诱导肿瘤靶向性IFN-α2a重组腺病毒。重组腺病毒能够有效感染人肝癌细胞株HepG2等多种肿瘤细胞株,RT-PCR和Western blot结果表明肿瘤细胞能高效表达IFN-α2a,而其非肿瘤细胞株L02几乎没有表达。诱导试验表明重组腺病毒Ad MT-Ⅱ-hTERT/IFN-α2a能被ZnSO4诱导表达。可诱导肿瘤靶向性重组腺病毒Ad MT-Ⅱ-hTERT/IFN-α2a成功构建为下一步体内外抑癌实验研究打下了基础。     

Helper virus-free gutless adenovirus (HF-GLAd): a new platform for gene therapy

Gene therapy is emerging as a treatment option for inherited genetic diseases. The success of this treatment approach greatly depends upon gene delivery vectors. Researchers have attempted to harness the potential of viral vectors for gene therapy applications over many decades. Among the viral vectors available, gutless adenovirus (GLAd) has been recognized as one of the most promising vectors for in vivo gene delivery. GLAd is constructed by deleting all the viral genes from an adenovirus. Owing to this structural feature, the production of GLAd requires a helper that supplies viral proteins in trans. Conventionally, the helper is an adenovirus. Although the helper adenovirus efficiently provides helper functions, it remains as an unavoidable contaminant and also generates replication-competent adenovirus (RCA) during the production of GLAd. These two undesirable contaminants have raised safety concerns and hindered the clinical applications of GLAd. Recently, we developed helper virus-free gutless adenovirus (HF-GLAd), a new version of GLAd, which is produced by a helper plasmid instead of a helper adenovirus. Utilization of this helper plasmid eliminated the helper adenovirus and RCA contamination in the production of GLAd. HF-GLAd, devoid of helper adenovirus and RCA contaminants, will facilitate its clinical applications. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of adenoviruses, the evolution and production of adenoviral vectors, and the unique features of HF-GLAd as a new platform for gene therapy. Furthermore, we highlight the potential applications of HF-GLAd as a gene delivery vector for the treatment of various inherited genetic diseases.     

Gene therapy: the first two decades and the current state-of-the-art

The concept of gene therapy was envisioned soon after the emergence of restriction endonucleases and subcloning of mammalian genes in phage and plasmids. Over the ensuing decades, vectors were developed, including nonviral methods, integrating virus vectors (gammaretrovirus and lentivirus), and non-integrating virus vectors (adenovirus, adeno-associated virus, and herpes simplex virus vectors). Preclinical data demonstrated potential efficacy in a broad range of animal models of human diseases, but clinical efficacy in humans remained elusive in most cases, even after decades of experience in over 1000 trials. Adverse effects from gene therapy have been observed in some cases, often because of viral vectors retaining some of the pathogenic potential of the viruses upon which they are based. Later generation vectors have been developed in which the safety and/or the efficiency of gene transfer has been improved. Most recently this work has involved alterations of vector envelope or capsid proteins either by insertion of ligands to target specific receptors or by directed evolution. The disease targets for gene therapy are multiple, but the most promising data have come from monogenic disorders. As the number of potential targets for gene therapy continues to increase, and a substantial number of trials continue with both the standard and the later generation vector systems, it is hoped that a therapeutic niche for gene therapy will emerge in the coming decades.     

The influence of innate and pre‐existing immunity on adenovirus therapy

Recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) vectors have been studied extensively in preclinical gene therapy models and in a range of clinical trials. However, innate immune responses to adenovirus vectors limit effectiveness of Ad5 based therapies. Moreover, extensive pre‐existing Ad5 immunity in human populations will likely limit the clinical utility of adenovirus vectors, unless methods to circumvent neutralizing antibodies that bind virus and block target cell transduction can be developed. Furthermore, memory T cell and humoral responses to Ad5 are associated with increased toxicity, raising safety concerns for therapeutic adenovirus vectors in immunized hosts. Most preclinical studies have been performed in naïve animals; although pre‐existing immunity is among the greatest hurdles for adenovirus therapies, it is also one of the most neglected experimentally. Here we summarize findings using adenovirus vectors in naïve animals, in Ad‐immunized animals and in clinical trials, and review strategies proposed to overcome innate immune responses and pre‐existing immunity. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 778–790, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

A truncated minimal-E1a gene with potency to support adenoviral replication mediates antitumor activity by down-regulating Neu expression and preserving Rb function

Oncolytic adenovirus is capable of infecting, replicating in and lysing cancer cells. In adenovirus infection and replication, the wild type E1a gene (wE1a) mediates various genetic events to facilitate viral replication and exert antitumor effect. To enhance its antitumor efficacy and optimize its safety, we manipulated the wE1a gene and designed a 720-bp truncated minimal-E1a (mE1a) by deletions and mutations of amino acid residues. The mE1a gene was incorporated in an adenovirus under the control of hTERT promoter, giving the vector AdDC315-mE1a. A variety of cancer cell lines infected with the virus expressed the mE1a protein and showed considerable down-regulation in Neu protein expression as compared to normal cell lines. mE1a also had a lower binding affinity to the Rb protein, preserving the Rb tumor suppressive function. The mE1a expression allowed efficient adenovirus replication with high and stable replication ratios in cancer cells (about 125- to 8500-fold higher at 48 h and 180- to 10,900-fold higher at 96 h post-infection). Further, the mE1a-supported oncolytic adenovirus induced higher cancer cell apoptosis, stronger cell cycle arrest and more effective antitumor efficacy in hepatocarcinoma xenografts in nude mice. In conclusion, the truncated minimal mE1a can act as a tumor inhibitor gene, and may be used to construct oncolytic adenovirus vectors for use in gene therapy of a variety of cancers.     

Biology of adenovirus vectors with E1 and E4 deletions for liver-directed gene therapy.

Recombinant adenoviruses with E1 sequences deleted efficiently transfer genes into a wide variety of target cells. Antigen- and nonantigen-specific responses to the therapy lead to toxicity, loss of transgene expression, and difficulties with vector readministration. We have created new cell lines that allowed the isolation of more disabled adenovirus vectors that have both E1 and E4 deletions. Studies with murine models of liver-directed gene therapy indicated that the E1- and E4-deleted vector expresses fewer virus proteins and induces less apoptosis, leading to blunted host responses and an improved safety profile. The impact of the E4 deletion on the stability of vector expression was confounded by immune responses to the transgene product, which in this study was beta-galactosidase. When transgene responses were eliminated, the doubly deleted vector was substantially more stable in mouse liver than was the E1-deleted construct. These studies indicate that adenovirus vectors with both E1 and E4 deletions may have advantages in terms of safety and efficacy over first-generation constructs for liver-directed gene therapy.     

Characterizing clearance of helper adenovirus by a clinical rAAV1 manufacturing process.

Recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAV) are being developed as gene therapy delivery vehicles and as genetic vaccines, and some of the most scaleable manufacturing methods for rAAV use live adenovirus to induce production. One aspect of establishing safety of rAAV products is therefore demonstrating adequate and reliable clearance of this helper virus by the vector purification process. The ICH Q5A regulatory guidance on viral safety provides recommendations for process design and characterization of viral clearance for recombinant proteins, and these principles were adapted to a rAAV serotype 1 purification process for clinical vectors. Specific objectives were to achieve overall adenovirus clearance factors significantly greater than input levels by using orthogonal separation and inactivation methods, and to segregate adenovirus from downstream operations by positioning a robust clearance step early in the process. Analytical tools for process development and characterization addressed problematic in-process samples, and a viral clearance validation study was performed using adenovirus and two non-specific model viruses. Overall clearance factors determined were >23 LRV for adenovirus, 11 LRV for BVDV, and >23 LRV for AMuLV.