核骨架基质结合区(S/MAR)提高逆转录病毒载体介导egfp在NIH3T3细胞中的表达

为减轻逆转录病毒介导的外源基因的沉默 ,进一步提高逆转录病毒MFG载体介导的转移基因的表达 ,将人 β INF基因上游 80 0bp的核骨架基质结合区 (S MAR)分别反向和正向克隆至MFG载体 3′LTR上游 ,以egfp为报告基因观察S MAR对egfp基因表达水平以及对病毒滴度的影响 .结果显示 :反向和正向的S MAR在瞬时表达的情况都不能提高egfp的表达 ,但在稳定整合的情况下反向S MAR可明显提高egfp在NIH3T3细胞内的表达 ,而正向的S MAR作用不明显 ,另外反向S MAR可明显提高MFG逆转录病毒载体的滴度约 5倍 ;因此改造后的MFG逆转录病毒载体将能更好地用来介导外源治疗基因的表达 .同时还观察到 ,同一个载体骨架在稳定表达的情况下 ,磷酸钙介导较逆转录病毒载体介导的表达水平高 .提示逆转录病毒的生活史可能参与其介导的外源基因的沉默     

Q vectors, bicistronic retroviral vectors for gene transfer

We have developed a retroviral vector that incorporates unique features of some previously described vectors. This vector includes: 3' long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the self-inactivating class; a 5' LTR that is a hybrid of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) enhancer and the mouse sarcoma virus promoter; an internal CMV immediate early region promoter to drive expression of the transduced gene and the neomycin phosphotransferase selectable marker; an expanded multiple cloning site and an internal ribosome entry site. An SV40 ori was introduced into the vector backbone to promote high copy number replication in packaging cell lines that express the SV40 large T antigen. We demonstrate that these retroviral constructs, designated Q vectors, can be used in applications where high viral titers and high level stable or transient gene expression are desirable.     

A new generation of pPRIG-based retroviral vectors

Background  

Retroviral vectors are valuable tools for gene transfer. Particularly convenient are IRES-containing retroviral vectors expressing both the protein of interest and a marker protein from a single bicistronic mRNA. This coupled expression increases the relevance of tracking and/or selection of transduced cells based on the detection of a marker protein. pAP2 is a retroviral vector containing eGFP downstream of a modified IRES element of EMCV origin, and a CMV enhancer-promoter instead of the U3 region of the 5'LTR, which increases its efficiency in transient transfection. However, pAP2 contains a limited multicloning site (MCS) and shows weak eGFP expression, which previously led us to engineer an improved version, termed pPRIG, harboring: i) the wild-type ECMV IRES sequence, thereby restoring its full activity; ii) an optimized MCS flanked by T7 and SP6 sequences; and iii) a HA tag encoding sequence 5' of the MCS (pPRIG HAa/b/c).     

Generation of RCAS vectors useful for functional genomic analyses.

Avian leukosis type A virus-derived retroviral vectors have been used to introduce genes into cells expressing the corresponding avian receptor tv-a. This includes the use of Replication-Competent Avian sarcoma-leukosis virus (ASLV) long terminal repeat (LTR) with Splice acceptor (RCAS) vectors in the analysis of avian development, human and murine cell cultures, murine cell lineage studies and cancer biology. Previously, cloning of genes into this virus was difficult due to the large size of the vector and sparse cloning sites. To overcome some of the disadvantages of traditional cloning using the RCASBP-Y vector, we have modified the RCASBP-Y to incorporate "Gateway" site-specific recombination cloning of genes into the construct, either with or without HA epitope tags. We have found the repetitive "att" sequences, which are the targets for site-specific recombination, do not impair the production of infectious viral particles or the expression of the gene of interest. This is the first instance of site-specific recombination being used to generate retroviral gene constructs. These viral constructs will allow for the efficient transfer and expression of cDNAs needed for functional genomic analyses.     

Adaptation of chimeric retroviruses in vitro and in vivo: isolation of avian retroviral vectors with extended host range

We have designed and characterized two new replication-competent avian sarcoma/leukosis virus-based retroviral vectors with amphotropic and ecotropic host ranges. The amphotropic vector RCASBP-M2C(797-8), was obtained by passaging the chimeric retroviral vector RCASBP-M2C(4070A) (6) in chicken embryos. The ecotropic vector, RCASBP(Eco), was created by replacing the env-coding region in the retroviral vector RCASBP(A) with the env region from an ecotropic murine leukemia virus. It replicates efficiently in avian DFJ8 cells that express murine ecotropic receptor. For both vectors, permanent cell lines that produce viral stocks with titers of about 5 x 10(6) CFU/ml on mammalian cells can be easily established by passaging transfected avian cells. Some chimeric viruses, for example, RCASBP(Eco), replicate efficiently without modifications. For those chimeric viruses that do require modification, adaptation by passage in vitro or in vivo is a general strategy. This strategy has been used to prepare vectors with altered host range and could potentially be used to develop vectors that would be useful for targeted gene delivery.     

Development of hybrid viral vectors for gene therapy

Adenoviral, retroviral/lentiviral, adeno-associated viral, and herpesviral vectors are the major viral vectors used in gene therapy. Compared with non-viral methods, viruses are highly-evolved, natural delivery agents for genetic materials. Despite their remarkable transduction efficiency, both clinical trials and laboratory experiments have suggested that viral vectors have inherent shortcomings for gene therapy, including limited loading capacity, immunogenicity, genotoxicity, and failure to support long-term adequate transgenic expression. One of the key issues in viral gene therapy is the state of the delivered genetic material in transduced cells. To address genotoxicity and improve the therapeutic transgene expression profile, construction of hybrid vectors have recently been developed. By adding new abilities or replacing certain undesirable elements, novel hybrid viral vectors are expected to outperform their conventional counterparts with improved safety and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. This review provides a comprehensive summary of current achievements in hybrid viral vector development and their impact on the field of gene therapy.     

Development of high-titer retroviral producer cell lines by using Cre-mediated recombination.

Retroviral gene transfer is widely used in experimental and human gene therapy applications. We have devised a novel method of generating high-titer retroviral producer cell lines based on the P1 bacteriophage recombinase system Cre-loxP. Incorporation of loxP sites flanking a Neo(r)-SVTK cassette in the proviral DNA allows excision of these selectable markers through expression of Cre recombinase after production of a high-titer producer cell line. The resultant producer line contains a single loxP site flanked by the viral long terminal repeats. Retransfection of this line with the Cre expression vector and a plasmid containing a gene of interest flanked by loxP sites allows insertional recombination of the gene into the favorable preexisting site in the genome and the generation of a new line with a titer equivalent to that of the parental producer cell line. The efficiency of the process is sufficient to allow the generation of multiple new producer lines without the addition of antibiotic resistance genes. We have successfully generated retroviral vectors carrying different genes by using this approach and discuss the potential applications of this method in gene therapy.     

Improvement of retroviral vectors by coating with poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(L-lysine) block copolymer (PEG-PLL)

BACKGROUND: Although some cationic reagents, such as polybrene, improve gene transduction in vitro, their use in vivo is prohibited due to their toxicity to the exposed cells. This paper demonstrates that a new cationic reagent, poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(L-lysine) block copolymer (PEG-PLL), improves gene transduction with retroviral vectors without increasing cell toxicity. METHODS: A retroviral vector derived from the Moloney leukemia virus, containing the lacZ gene, was modified with PEG-PLL prior to transduction into NIH3T3, Lewis lung carcinoma, and primary cultured mouse brain cells. LacZ transduction efficacy was evaluated by counting the number of X-Gal-positive cells. RESULTS: We have demonstrated that PEG-PLL is able to stably modify the viral particle surface due to the affinity of the PEG moiety to the biomembrane, and neutralizes negative charges by the cationic nature of the poly-lysine residue. Thus, PEG-PLL increased the gene transduction efficiency and minimized cell toxicity because free PEG-PLL was removable by centrifugation. We have shown that PEG-PLL increased the viral gene transduction efficiency 3- to 7-fold with NIH3T3 or Lewis lung carcinoma cell lines without increasing cytotoxicity. It improved retroviral gene transduction efficacy even against labile cells, such as primary cultured brain cells. CONCLUSIONS: PEG-PLL is a novel reagent that improves retroviral gene transduction efficacy without increasing cytotoxicity.     

Stable and strictly controlled expression of LTR-flanked autoregulated expression cassettes upon adenoviral transfer

An autoregulatory bidirectional expression cassette encoding all components necessary for regulated gene expression in a one-step gene transfer was evaluated for use in adenoviral vectors. Adenoviral vectors transducing this cassette provide about 1000-fold regulation. Regulation could be further improved by integrating the cassette as a retroviral vector into the adenoviral backbone. Moreover, with these adeno/retroviral hybrid vectors, the frequency of chromosomal integration is enhanced and about 1% of infected cells show stable chromosomal integration of the autoregulated cassette. In these stably transduced cells high regulation capacity is maintained. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying this unexpected observation we investigated the regulation capacity of these cassettes in a viral and non-viral vector background after stable integration into the host's DNA. While naked cassettes show regulated expression that is strongly influenced by the chromosomal surrounding sequences the regulatory capacity of LTR flanked cassettes is highly comparable amongst different cell clones. This strict regulation with little influence from the flanking sequences is obtained when LTR-flanked cassettes are transduced as DNA, by retroviral or by adenoviral infection.     

Retroviral vectors encoding ADA regulatory locus control region provide enhanced T-cell-specific transgene expression

Background

Murine retroviral vectors have been used in several hundred gene therapy clinical trials, but have fallen out of favor for a number of reasons. One issue is that gene expression from viral or internal promoters is highly variable and essentially unregulated. Moreover, with retroviral vectors, gene expression is usually silenced over time. Mammalian genes, in contrast, are characterized by highly regulated, precise levels of expression in both a temporal and a cell-specific manner. To ascertain if recapitulation of endogenous adenosine deaminase (ADA) expression can be achieved in a vector construct we created a new series of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV) based retroviral vector that carry human regulatory elements including combinations of the ADA promoter, the ADA locus control region (LCR), ADA introns and human polyadenylation sequences in a self-inactivating vector backbone.

Methods

A MuLV-based retroviral vector with a self-inactivating (SIN) backbone, the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter (PGK) and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), as a reporter gene, was generated. Subsequent vectors were constructed from this basic vector by deletion or addition of certain elements. The added elements that were assessed are the human ADA promoter, human ADA locus control region (LCR), introns 7, 8, and 11 from the human ADA gene, and human growth hormone polyadenylation signal. Retroviral vector particles were produced by transient three-plasmid transfection of 293T cells. Retroviral vectors encoding eGFP were titered by transducing 293A cells, and then the proportion of GFP-positive cells was determined using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Non T-cell and T-cell lines were transduced at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.1 and the yield of eGFP transgene expression was evaluated by FACS analysis using mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) detection.

Results

Vectors that contained the ADA LCR were preferentially expressed in T-cell lines. Further improvements in T-cell specific gene expression were observed with the incorporation of additional cis-regulatory elements, such as a human polyadenylation signal and intron 7 from the human ADA gene.

Conclusion

These studies suggest that the combination of an authentically regulated ADA gene in a murine retroviral vector, together with additional locus-specific regulatory refinements, will yield a vector with a safer profile and greater efficacy in terms of high-level, therapeutic, regulated gene expression for the treatment of ADA-deficient severe combined immunodeficiency.     

Retroviral vectors for human gene delivery

The potential for gene therapy to cure a wide range of diseases has lead to high expectations and a great increase in research efforts in this area. At present, viral vectors are the most efficient means of delivering a corrective gene into human cells. While a number of different viral vectors are under development, retroviral vectors are currently the most common type used in clinical trials today. However, the production of retroviral vectors for gene therapy applications faces a number of challenges. Of primary concern is the low titre of vector stocks produced by packaging cells in culture and the inherent instability of retroviral vector activity. The problems facing large-scale retroviral vector production are outlined in this review and the research efforts by a number of groups who have attempted to optimise production methods are presented.     

Selection of novel vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein variants from a peptide insertion library for enhanced purification of retroviral and lentiviral vectors

The introduction of new features or functions that are not present in an original protein is a significant challenge in protein engineering. For example, modifications to vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G), which is commonly used to pseudotype retroviral and lentiviral vectors for gene delivery, have been hindered by a lack of structural knowledge of the protein. We have developed a transposon-based approach that randomly incorporates designed polypeptides throughout a protein to generate saturated insertion libraries and a subsequent high-throughput selection process in mammalian cells that enables the identification of optimal insertion sites for a novel designed functionality. This method was applied to VSV-G in order to construct a comprehensive library of mutants whose combined members have a His6 tag inserted at likely every site in the original protein sequence. Selecting the library via iterative retroviral infections of mammalian cells led to the identification of several VSV-G-His6 variants that were able to package high-titer viral vectors and could be purified by Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity chromatography. Column purification of vectors reduced protein and DNA impurities more than 5,000-fold and 14,000-fold, respectively, from the viral supernatant. This substantially improved purity elicited a weaker immune response in the brain, without altering the infectivity or tropism from wild-type VSV-G-pseudotyped vectors. This work applies a powerful new tool for protein engineering to construct novel viral envelope variants that can greatly improve the safety and use of retroviral and lentiviral vectors for clinical gene therapy. Furthermore, this approach of library generation and selection can readily be extended to other challenges in protein engineering.     

Targeted retroviral gene delivery using ultrasound

BACKGROUND: Achieving specificity of delivery represents a major problem limiting the clinical application of retroviral vectors for gene therapy, whilst lack of efficiency and longevity of gene expression limit non-viral techniques. Ultrasound and microbubble contrast agents can be used to effect plasmid DNA delivery. We therefore sought to evaluate the potential for ultrasound/microbubble-mediated retroviral gene delivery. METHODS: An envelope-deficient retroviral vector, inherently incapable of target cell entry, was combined with cationic microbubbles and added to target cells. The cells were exposed to pulsed 1 MHz ultrasound for 5 s and subsequently analysed for marker gene expression. The acoustic pressure profile of the ultrasound field, to which transduction efficiency was related, was determined using a needle hydrophone. RESULTS: Ultrasound-targeted gene delivery to a restricted area of cells was achieved using virus-loaded microbubbles. Gene delivery efficiency was up to 2% near the beam focus. Significant transduction was restricted to areas exposed to > or = 0.4 MPa peak-negative acoustic pressure, despite uniform application of the vector. An acoustic pressure-dependence was demonstrated that can be exploited for targeted retroviral transduction. The mechanism of entry likely involves membrane perturbation in the vicinity of oscillating microbubbles, facilitating fusion of the viral and cell membranes. CONCLUSIONS: We have established the basis of a novel retroviral vector technology incorporating favourable aspects of existing viral and non-viral gene delivery vectors. In particular, transduction can be controlled by means of ultrasound exposure. The technology is ideally suited to targeted delivery following systemic vector administration.