Construction of adenoviral vectors

Recombinant adenovirus vectors have proven to be useful tools in facilitating gene transfer. Construction of such vectors requires a knowledge of the adenovirus genome structure and its life cycle. A commonly used recombinant adenovirus involves deletion of the E1 region; such a recombinant is traditionally produced by overlap recombination after contransfection of 293 cells with a plasmid shuttle vector and a large right-end restriction fragment of viral DNA. The shuttle vector contains a cassette for a transgene placed in region E1 and flanking sequences from adenovirus for recombination. Normally, a high background of parental virus results because of the difficulty in separating right-end restriction fragment length DNA from uncut DNA. This paper describes a negative selection based on the traditional cotransfection method using viral DNA from an E1-deleted adenoviral recombinant that expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP). In situ fluorescent microscopy is used to distinguish the recombinant plaques (white or nonfluorescent) from the parental virus plaques (green or fluorescent). In addition, this system allows for the detection of contaminating parental virus at later stages when production lots of the recombinant vector are being made.     

Generation of recombinant adenovirus vectors with modified fibers for altering viral tropism.

To expand the utility of recombinant adenovirus vectors for gene therapy applications, methods to alter native viral tropism to achieve cell-specific transduction would be beneficial. To this end, we are pursuing genetic methods to alter the cell recognition domain of the adenovirus fiber. To incorporate these modified fibers into mature virions, we have developed a method based on homologous DNA recombination between two plasmids. A fiber-deleted, propagation-defective rescue plasmid has been designed for recombination with a shuttle plasmid encoding a variant fiber gene. Recombination between the two plasmids results in the derivation of recombinant viruses containing the variant fiber gene. To establish the utility of this method, we constructed a recombinant adenovirus containing a fiber gene with a silent mutation. In addition, we generated an adenovirus vector containing chimeric fibers composed of the tail and shaft domains of adenovirus serotype 5 and the knob domain of serotype 3. This modification was shown to alter the receptor recognition profile of the virus containing the fiber chimera. Thus, this two-plasmid system allows for the generation of adenovirus vectors containing variant fibers. This method provides a rapid and facile means of generating fiber-modified recombinant adenoviruses. In addition, it should be possible to use this system in the development of adenovirus vectors with modified tropism to allow cell-specific targeting.     

Adeno-associated virus: a vector system for efficient introduction and integration of DNA into a variety of mammalian cell types.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a single-stranded DNA parvovirus that is dependent on adenovirus or herpesvirus for reproductive functions. We describe the construction of recombinant AAV vectors containing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene or the neomycin phosphotransferase gene. These vectors carried their respective genes into a wide variety of cell types, including primary skin fibroblasts and hematopoietic cells. Infection efficiencies varied with cell type and ranged up to 3.0%. Coinfection of two different recombinant viruses was also used to introduce two different sequences simultaneously into a given cell. Finally, methods for obtaining recombinant AAV vectors with minimal contamination of wild-type virus are described. These various attributes of AAV vectors make them a viable DNA transduction system.     

Methods for construction of adenovirus vectors

Adenoviruses are attracting increasing attention as general purpose mammalian cell expression vectors, as recombinant vaccines, and potentially as vectors for gene therapy. Not only is the adenovirus genome relatively easy to manipulate by recombinant DNA techniques, but adenovirus vectors are relatively stable, grow to high titers, and can transduce a variety of cell types in cell culture and in vivo. Vectors can be designed that are either replication competent or replication defective and, in the latter case, are highly efficient at delivering and expressing genes in mammalian cells without resulting in cell killing. Methods are described for growing, titrating, and purifying adenoviruses, for extracting viral DNA from purified virions and from infected cells, for rescuing inserts of foreign DNA into the viral genome, and for assessing expression of inserted genes in adenovirus vectors.     

The admid system: generation of recombinant adenoviruses by Tn7-mediated transposition in E. coli

A new system has been developed for generating recombinant adenoviruses by Tn7-mediated transposition in E. coli. Low copy number E. coli plasmids containing a full-length adenoviral genome with lacZattTn7 replacing E1 have been constructed. The adenovirus plasmid or admid, as well as high copy number progenitors, were stably maintained in E. coli strain DH10B. Several transfer vectors containing a mammalian expression cassette flanked by Tn7R and Tn7L were used as donors to transpose the mini-Tn7 into the E1 region of the adenoviral genome. Transposed recombinant admids are readily identified by their beta-galactosidase phenotype. Transfection of admid DNA into producer cells resulted in the efficient production of infectious adenovirus. This easy-to-use, efficient system generates pure, clonal stocks of recombinant adenovirus without successive rounds of plaque purification.     

NIPSNAP3A短发夹RNA腺病毒载体的构建及病毒包装

目的:构建靶向NIPSNAP3A的短发夹RNA(shRNA)腺病毒载体,干扰HEK293A细胞中NIPSNAP3A的表达。方法:设计靶向NIPSNAP3A的shRNA,插入穿梭质粒pENTRY,通过Gateway法获得腺病毒颗粒pAd-NIPSNAP3A-shRNA,转染HEK293A细胞,在细胞内包装获得腺病毒。结果:重组腺病毒载体经酶切鉴定正确,制备的病毒感染效率高,能显著抑制NIPSNP3A蛋白的表达。结论:干扰HEK293A细胞NIPSNAP3A表达的shRNA重组腺病毒载体构建成功。     

Yeast recombinase FLP functions effectively in human cells for construction of adenovirus vectors

We have recently developed a high-efficiency method of constructing adenovirus vectors based on Cre-mediated recombination between two plasmids co-transfected into 293 cells. The simplicity and efficiency of this method should greatly expedite the construction of most recombinant vectors. However, this system would not be suitable for constructing vectors bearing loxP sites elsewhere in the genome because of undesirable Cre-mediated vector rearrangements. To address this, we have developed a similar system using FLP-mediated site-specific recombination for the construction of adenovirus vectors.     

Size distribution analysis of recombinant adenovirus using disc centrifugation

Recombinant adenovirus is one of the primary vectors for human gene therapy. However, the aggregation of unstable virus has been a recurring problem during the production of purified virus for human therapeutics. To facilitate the development of a robust manufacturing process for recombinant adenovirus vectors, a convenient and reliable size distribution analytical assay is necessary and we demonstrate here that disc centrifuge sedimentation is applicable to this purpose. Using the disc centrifuge system and the line start method, the assay can provide particle size distribution of adenovirus samples within 30 min. The assay can detect virus concentrations down to 0.01% (w/v) or 3 × 10¹¹ particles per ml. The apparent hydrodynamic diameter of recombinant adenovirus was determined to be about 0.063 μm. Furthermore, the disc centrifuge analysis was able to detect adenovirus dimers, trimers, and tetramers, consistent with a rigid sphere approximation for adenovirus, as well as a large aggregate of 0.35 μm. The appearance of viral aggregates is confirmed by increased light scattering based on A₃₂₀/A₂₆₀ ratios. The technique could be useful for monitoring the kinetics of aggregation for adenovirus and other DNA and RNA viruses in the submicron region. Therefore, this novel assay provides a critical tool for purification development of viral vectors for meeting therapeutic and research needs. Received 18 September 1997/ Accepted in revised form 15 May 1998     

MEK5基因siRNA重组腺病毒表达载体的构建及其对MEK5的表达抑制

目的 构建人MEK5基因的小干扰RNA（siRNA）重组腺病毒表达载体,观察其在胃腺癌SGC7901细胞中对MEK5的表达抑制.方法 设计并合成针对人MEK5基因3个不同部位siRNA靶点的模板DNA序列,以MluⅠ及XhoⅠ克隆入pRNAT-H1.1/Adeno穿梭载体中,将得到的重组穿梭质粒用PmeⅠ线性化后在大肠埃希菌BJ5183中与腺病毒骨架质粒pAdEasy-1进行同源重组.将PacⅠ酶切鉴定正确的重组腺病毒质粒经乙醇沉淀后转染293A细胞,包装得到具有感染能力的pAd-MEK5-siRNA重组腺病毒.病毒体外转导人胃腺癌SGC7901细胞,Western印迹法检测其对MEK5表达的抑制.结果 经酶切和测序鉴定均证实pAd-MEK5-siRNA重组腺病毒载体构建成功,其插入序列正确无误.Western印迹检测结果显示pAd-MEK5-siRNA2可抑制MEK5基因的表达,其有效抑制率达75.5 %.结论本研究成功地构建了针对人MEK5基因的siRNA重组腺病毒载体,为进一步深入研究MEK5基因在人胃腺癌细胞中的作用和功能奠定了基础.     

Recombinant adenoviruses with large deletions generated by Cre-mediated excision exhibit different biological properties compared with first-generation vectors in vitro and in vivo.

In vivo gene transfer of recombinant E1-deficient adenoviruses results in early and late viral gene expression that elicits a host immune response, limiting the duration of transgene expression and the use of adenoviruses for gene therapy. The prokaryotic Cre-lox P recombination system was adapted to generate recombinant adenoviruses with extended deletions in the viral genome (referred to here as deleted viruses) in order to minimize expression of immunogenic and/or cytotoxic viral proteins. As an example, an adenovirus with a 25-kb deletion that lacked E1, E2, E3, and late gene expression with viral titers similar to those achieved with first-generation vectors and less than 0.5% contamination with E1-deficient virus was produced. Gene transfer was similar in HeLa cells, mouse hepatoma cells, and primary mouse hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo as determined by measuring reporter gene expression and DNA transfer. However, transgene expression and deleted viral DNA concentrations were not stable and declined to undetectable levels much more rapidly than those found for first-generation vectors. Intravenous administration of deleted vectors in mice resulted in no hepatocellular injury relative to that seen with first-generation vectors. The mechanism for stability of first-generation adenovirus vectors (E1a deleted) appeared to be linked in part to their ability to replicate in transduced cells in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the deleted vectors were stabilized in the presence of undeleted first-generation adenovirus vectors. These results have important consequences for the development of these and other nonintegrating vectors for gene therapy.     

Expression of beta-galactosidase and pig leptin gene in vitro by recombinant adenovirus

Adenovirus has been used in vivo and in vitro as a vector to carry a foreign gene for gene transfer. Two kinds of replication defective human recombinant adenovirus vectors were used in this study, the first containing beta-galactosidase reporter gene (AdCMVLac-Z) and the second carrying a gene for porcine leptin gene (AdCMVpLeptin). AdCMVLac-Z was tested for its ability to transfer DNA into pig kidney and pituitary cells. These cells expressed Lac-Z transiently 48 hours after the infection. In addition, when the pig kidney cells expressing the Lac-Z were replated with low density for the formation of colonies from each cell, colonies of blue cells expressing Lac-Z were observed. These results demonstrate that human recombinant adenovirus can be used as a transducing viral vector for inducing long-term expression in pig kidney cells. We also constructed a recombinant adenovirus (AdCMVpLeptin) which contained a pig leptin gene for the expression of pig leptin in vitro in the 293 human kidney cell line. 293 cells transfected with AdCMVpLeptin produced both a 15 KDa of a secretory form of porcine leptin and an 18 KDa long form containing signal peptide. Our study demonstrated that the recombinant adenovirus system offers a method for gene transfer and expression in pig cells.     

Preparation of isotopically labelled recombinant β-defensin for NMR studies

Apoptosis is a major problem in animal cell cultures during production of biopharmaceuticals, such as recombinant proteins or viral vectors. A 293 cell line constitutively expressing vMIA (viral mitochondria-localized inhibitor of apoptosis) was constructed and examined on production of a model recombinant protein, green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the adenovirus-293 expression system, and on production of a model infectious adenoviral vector. vMIA-293 cells were more resistant than the parental 293 cells to apoptosis induced by either oxidative stress, or by adenovirus infection. The yield of GFP produced in vMIA-293 cell cultures was consistently higher (140%) compared to that in the parental cells. vMIA reduced production of adenovirus infectious particles, which was not due to a decline of adenovirus replication, since adenoviral DNA replication rate in vMIA-293 cells was higher than that in the parental cells.In conclusion, introduction of the vMIA gene into the 293 cell line is a promising strategy to improve recombinant protein production in the adenovirus-293 expression system.     

人SPRED2 基因重组腺病毒载体的制备及其对K562 细胞

目的:构建携带SPRED2的质粒载体与重组腺病毒载体,并观察其在K562细胞的表达及对ERK信号通路的作用,为Spred2在造血细胞中的作用的研究奠定基础。方法:以HepG2细胞cDNA为模板,RT-PCR克隆SPRED2全长CDS序列,并亚克隆到pCDNA3.0和pshuttle-CMV质粒载体,构建携带SPRED2的真核表达载体pCDNA3.0-Spred2与穿梭载体pshuttle-CMV-Spred2;将线性化pshuttle-CMV-Spred2与腺病毒骨架质粒Adf11p在感受态细胞BJ5183中进行同源重组,产生重组质粒Adf11p-Spred2;后者经线性化后转染至HEK293细胞进行病毒包装;在HEK293细胞扩增病毒颗粒,以CsCl密度梯度离心法进行纯化,TCID50法测定病毒滴度;将病毒颗粒以100MOI感染K562细胞,Western blot检测Spred2过表达情况及Spred2对细胞ERK的影响。结果:经酶切、DNA测序、Western blot检测等方法鉴定,证明pCDNA3.0-Spred2与Adf11p-Spred2携带Spred2序列正确,能够在HEK293细胞、K562细胞正确表达,Spred2过表达能够显著抑制K562细胞ERK活性。结论:成功构建对K562细胞有高感染效率的SPRED2重组腺病毒载体,且Spred2对K562细胞ERK信号通路有显著抑制作用。     

MEKK2基因siRNA重组腺病毒表达载体的构建及其对MEKK2的表达抑制

设计并合成针对人MEKK2基因3个不同部位siRNA靶点的模板DNA序列,将合成的互补片段退火后克隆入pRNAT-H1.1/Adeno穿梭载体中,并使其在大肠杆菌BJ5183中与腺病毒骨架质粒pAdEasy-1进行同源重组。将经鉴定正确的重组腺病毒质粒转染293A细胞,包装得到具有感染能力的pAd-MEKK2-siRNA重组腺病毒。病毒体外转导人胃腺癌AGS细胞,Western blot印迹法检测其对MEKK2表达的抑制。经酶切和测序鉴定均证实pAd-MEKK2-siRNA重组腺病毒载体构建成功,其插入序列正确无误。Western blot印迹检测结果显示,重组腺病毒表达载体可抑制MEKK2基因的表达,以pAd-MEKK2-siRNA2（针对MEKK2 cDNA 992-1 010的片段）抑制效果为最佳,pAd-MEKK2-siRNA1（针对MEKK2 cDNA 1 456-1 474的片段）和pAd-MEKK2-siRNA3（针对MEKK2 cDNA 1 351-1 369的片段）则未见明显的抑制效果。DNA Ladder和细胞存活测定结果表明,敲减MEKK2的表达后,AGS细胞接受H2O2刺激后的凋亡受到较强抑制、细胞存活数增加,明显高于野生型细胞和转导siRNA阴性对照腺病毒细胞接受H2O2刺激后的,差异具有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,而后两者之间差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。该研究成功地构建了针对MEKK2基因的siRNA重组腺病毒载体,为进一步深入研究MEKK2基因在人胃腺癌细胞中的作用和功能奠定了基础。     

Elimination of both E1 and E2 from adenovirus vectors further improves prospects for in vivo human gene therapy.

A novel recombinant adenovirus vector, Av3nBg, was constructed with deletions in adenovirus E1, E2a, and E3 regions and expressing a beta-galactosidase reporter gene. Av3nBg can be propagated at a high titer in a corresponding A549-derived cell line, AE1-2a, which contains the adenovirus E1 and E2a region genes inducibly expressed from separate glucocorticoid-responsive promoters. Av3nBg demonstrated gene transfer and expression comparable to that of Av1nBg, a first-generation adenovirus vector with deletions in E1 and E3. Several lines of evidence suggest that this vector is significantly more attenuated than E1 and E3 deletion vectors. Metabolic DNA labeling studies showed no detectable de novo vector DNA synthesis or accumulation, and metabolic protein labeling demonstrated no detectable de novo hexon protein synthesis for Av3nBg in naive A549 cells even at a multiplicity of infection of up to 3,000 PFU per cell. Additionally, naive A549 cells infected by Av3nBg did not accumulate infectious virions. In contrast, both Av1nBg and Av2Lu vectors showed DNA replication and hexon protein synthesis at multiplicities of infection of 500 PFU per cell. Av2Lu has a deletion in E1 and also carries a temperature-sensitive mutation in E2a. Thus, molecular characterization has demonstrated that the Av3nBg vector is improved with respect to the potential for vector DNA replication and hexon protein expression compared with both first-generation (Av1nBg) and second-generation (Av2Lu) adenoviral vectors. These observations may have important implications for potential use of adenovirus vectors in human gene therapy.     

Second-strand synthesis is a rate-limiting step for efficient transduction by recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors.

The ability of recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) to transduce cells with a marker gene in vitro was found to be substantially increased by the presence of adenovirus. Transfection experiments with adenovirus genomic DNA suggest that this increase is not facilitated by adenovirus-mediated viral uptake but is instead dependent on adenovirus gene expression. Using various adenovirus mutants, we were able to map this function to early-region E4 open reading frame 6. Plasmid expression of open reading frame 6 protein in cells infected with recombinant AAV increased transduction between 100- and 1,000-fold. The increase in transduction was not dependent on the recombinant AAV gene cassette but instead appeared to involve an immediate early step of the AAV life cycle. Chemical and physical agents that have been shown to induce helper-free replication of wild-type AAV were also able to stimulate recombinant AAV transduction, suggesting that the phenomenon might affect AAV DNA replication. Further experiments showed that viral uncoating was not affected and that the rate-limiting step involved synthesis of a second strand on the single-stranded genomic AAV DNA. These data suggest that the adenovirus E4 region, as well as chemical and physical agents, can play an essential role in an immediate-early step of the AAV life cycle, specifically in second-strand synthesis, and have important implications for the use of AAV vectors in gene therapy protocols.     

A Novel and Simple Method for Rapid Generation of Recombinant Porcine Adenoviral Vectors for Transgene Expression

Many human (different serotypes) and nonhuman adenovirus vectors are being used for gene delivery. However, the current system for isolating recombinant adenoviral vectors is either time-consuming or expensive, especially for the generation of recombinant non-human adenoviral vectors. We herein report a new and simple cloning approach for the rapid generation of a porcine adenovirus (PAdV-3) vector which shows promise for gene transfer to human cells and evasion of human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV-5) immunity. Based on the final cloning plasmid, pFPAV3-CcdB-Cm, and our modified SLiCE strategy (SLiCE cloning and lethal CcdB screening), the process for generating recombinant PAdV-3 plasmids required only one step in 3 days, with a cloning efficiency as high as 620±49.56 clones/ng and zero background (100% accuracy). The recombinant PAdV-3 plasmids could be successfully rescued in porcine retinal pigment epithelium cells (VR1BL), which constitutively express the HAdV-5 E1 and PAdV-3 E1B 55k genes, and the foreign genes were highly expressed at 24 h after transduction into swine testicle (ST) cells. In conclusion, this strategy for generating recombinant PAdV-3 vectors based on our modified SLiCE cloning system was rapid and cost-efficient, which could be used as universal cloning method for modification the other regions of PAdV-3 genome as well as other adenoviral genomes.     

Sandwich hybridization as a convenient method for the detection of nucleic acids in crude samples

A method based on three-DNA-component, sandwich hybridization has been designed for the detection and quantitation of nucleic acids in crude samples using adenovirus DNA as a model. Two non-overlapping restriction fragments of adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) DNA were cloned into two vectors, the pBR322 plasmid and M13 phage. The recombinant plasmid DNA was immobilized onto nitrocellulose filters and the single-stranded recombinant phage DNA was labeled with 125I and used as a probe. When these two reagents were incubated under annealing conditions no radioactivity became filter-bound; only if denatured adenovirus DNA was added as the third reagent, it mediated the attachment of the radioactive probe to the filters. Hybridization efficiency was shown to be dependent on both the filter and probe DNA concentrations and on the hybridization conditions. When standardized, the assay is quantitative, and under the conditions used 0.2 ng of adenovirus DNA (8 X 10(-6) pmol) could be detected by an overnight incubation. The test is suitable for crude samples, e.g., solubilized cell extracts, without any purification steps. Less than 100 cells infected with Ad2 can be detected, implying that the assay could be applicable to virus diagnostics.     

MKK6重组腺病毒的构建与制备

构建腺病毒穿梭载体pAd RSV ,并将p3 8MAPK (mitogen activatedproteinkinase)的上游激酶MKK6(mitogen activatedproteinkinasekinase 6)及其持续激活和无活性的突变体基因亚克隆到该穿梭载体 .通过与腺病毒DNA(pJM17)在能够表达E1的HEK 2 93细胞同源重组生成了能够表达MKK6信号分子的重组腺病毒 .PCR结果表明 ,这些重组腺病毒DNA的插入片段大小是正确的 .而且 ,通过感染COS 7细胞 ,用免疫激酶活性测定证实这些重组的腺病毒能够表达具有功能的蛋白质 .