Circumvention of Immunity to the Adenovirus Major Coat Protein Hexon

Immunity to adenoviruses is an important hurdle to be overcome for successful gene therapy. The presence of antibodies to the capsid proteins prevents efficacious adenovirus vector administration in vivo. We tested whether immunity to a particular serotype of adenovirus (Ad5) may be overcome with a vector that encodes the hexon sequences from a different adenovirus serotype (Ad12). We successfully constructed an adenovirus vector with a chimeric Ad5-Ad12 hexon which was not neutralized by plasma from C57BL/6 mice immunized with Ad5. The vector was also capable of transducing the livers of C57BL/6 mice previously immunized with Ad5.     

The Role of Stem and Pluripotent Cells in Differentiation and the Neoplastic Transformation of Pancreatic Cells

Certain differentiation-specific antigenic determinants are characteristic of pancreatic cells at each stage of embryonic development. Using immunohistochemical markers, we have demonstrated that the cells of several pancreatic tumors express some fetal proteins characteristic of embryonic cells of the pancreas. We propose that the presence of fetal antigens and proteins in the tumor is a sign of a lower tumor differentiation and a less favorable prognosis.     

Combined Therapy with Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells and Oncolytic Adenovirus Expressing IL-12 Induce Enhanced Antitumor Activity in Liver Tumor Model

Both adoptive immunotherapy and gene therapy hold a great promise for treatment of malignancies. However, these strategies exhibit limited anti-tumor activity, when they are used alone. In this study, we explore whether combination of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) adoptive immunotherapy with oncolytic adenovirus-mediated transfer of human interleukin-12 (hIL-12) gene induce the enhanced antitumor potency. Our results showed that oncolytic adenovirus carrying hIL-12 (AdCN205-IL12) could produce high levels of hIL-12 in liver cancer cells, as compared with replication-defective adenovirus expressing hIL-12 (Ad-IL12). AdCN205-IL12 could specifically induce cytotoxocity to liver cancer cells. Combination of CIK cells with AdCN205-IL12 could induce higher antitumor activity to liver cancer cells in vitro than that induced by either CIK or AdCN205-IL12 alone, or combination of CIK and control vector AdCN205-GFP. Furthermore, treatment of the established liver tumors with the combined therapy of CIK cells and AdCN205-IL12 resulted in tumor regression and long-term survival. High level expression of hIL-12 in tumor tissues could increase traffic of CIK cells to tumor tissues and enhance their antitumor activities. Our study provides a novel strategy for the therapy of cancer by the combination of CIK adoptive immunotherapy with oncolytic adenovirus-mediated transfer of immune stimulatory molecule hIL-12.     

Activities of Various FLP Recombinases Expressed by Adenovirus Vectors in Mammalian Cells

FLP, like Cre, is a frequently employed site-specific recombinase. Because wild-type FLP (wtFLP) is thermolabile, a thermostable FLP mutant (FLPe) has been developed for efficient recombination of FLP in studies using mammalian cells and animals. FLPe and wtFLP have been compared in multiple assays in vitro and in vivo, and in mouse genetics, FLPe has been shown to be very effective like Cre. Here we show an adenovirus vector (AdV) system to be valuable for quantitative measurements of the enzyme activity in mammalian cells and, using this system, precisely compare activities of wtFLP and FLPe. Unexpectedly, we found that the recombination efficiency of FLPe enzyme was lower on a molar basis than that of wtFLP even at 37 °C and, consequently, that the higher recombination yield per transduced AdV genome expressing FLPe compared to wtFLP was due not to inherently higher enzyme activity, but rather to higher steady-state levels of FLPe by its thermostability. Therefore, trying to increase FLPe levels further, we generated a “humanized” FLPe (hFLPe) gene with codon usage optimized for mammals. hFLPe produced about 10-fold more FLPe enzyme in transfection experiments than FLPe, as expected. However, hFLPe-expressing AdV was unstable and could not be prepared without deletion, suggesting that a subtle deleterious effect of FLP on 293 cells may exist. With hFLPe-expressing AdV thus unavailable, of the AdV constructs tested, AdV-expressing FLPe yielded the most recombined targets, despite the lower recombination efficiency of FLPe per enzyme molecule compared with that of wtFLP. We found hFLPe to be valuable for plasmid transfection, and its properties are probably suitable for experiments involving cell lines and transgenic mice.     

溶瘤腺病毒转染内皮祖细胞抑制肺腺癌的研究

目的:利用溶瘤腺病毒CNHK500体外转染内皮祖细胞,评估其在体外对肺腺癌细胞的特异性杀伤作用。方法:通过溶瘤腺病毒CNHK500转染内皮祖细胞,构建携带CNHK500的内皮祖细胞,并将内皮祖细胞和CNHK500分为三组,即CNHK500组,转染CNHK500的内皮祖细胞组和内皮祖细胞组,分别感染肺腺腺癌细胞A549,用MTT法检测不同肺腺癌细胞A549的生长抑制情况。结果:成功的分离并培养、鉴定内皮祖细胞,并完成CNHK500对内皮祖细胞的转染,CNHK500滴度为2.0×107 pfu/m L,其中CNHK500组肺腺癌细胞A549的存活率为(75.54±5.46)%,转染CNHK500的EPCs组肺腺癌细胞A549的存活率为(80.81±3.69)%,EPCs组肺腺癌细胞A549的存活率为(98.13±2.98)%。结论:本实验首次成功的将CNHK500转染内皮祖细胞,并应用于肺腺癌细胞的生长抑制中,这将有助于为肺腺癌的生物治疗提供一个崭新的策略。     

纤维顶球改造增强了人5型腺病毒载体对造血细胞的感染

基于人5型腺病毒(Human adenovirus type 5,HAdV-5)的腺病毒载体对造血细胞的基因转导效率低,将病毒fiber基因替换为HAdV-11p的同源基因F11p后,载体对造血细胞的感染效率增强.本研究拟在F11p纤维顶球(knob)结构域添加RGD4C多肽或HIV包膜糖蛋白(gp120)的V3结构域,观察重组HAdV-5对造血细胞感染效率的变化.在前期构建的pKAd5f11p153R-EPG腺病毒质粒基础上,结合限制性酶切和DNA组装技术,在F11p 153 aa后(knob AB loop,153位)、228位(FG loop)以及300位(IJ loop)插入 RGD4C 肽或者 gp120的 V3肽,构建了共6种重组腺病毒载体(F153RGD-EG、F228RGD-EG、F300RGD-EG、F153CV-EG、F228CV-EG和 F300CV-EG),以fiber未改造的HAdV5-EG和改造为F11p的F11p-EG病毒作对照,观察了其对4种造血细胞系U937、K562、Jurkat和HL60以及人原代T细胞的感染效率.结果显示,对于U937细胞,当感染复数(MOI,vp/cell)为100时,HAdV5-EG感染效率最低,为2％;其次为F228CV-EG,感染率为45％;F300RGD-EG、F153CV-EG和F300CV-EG感染率为85％～90％;F153RGD-EG、F228RGD-EG高于阳性对照病毒F11p-EG,三者分别为99％、99％、95％.各病毒对于Jurkat细胞的感染率均较高,但HAdV5-EG明显低于F11p-EG、F153RGD-EG和F228RGD-EG,当MOI为100时分别为75％、93％、93％和96％.感染K562细胞的情况与U937细胞类似.各病毒对于HL60细胞感染效率最低,MOI为500时,F300RGD-EG和F300CV-EG的转导效率为28％和33％,是F11p-EG的10倍.对于人原代T细胞,F153RGD-EG和F228RGD-EG优于F11p-EG,当MOI为1000时,感染率分别为87％、90％和84％.研究结果表明,F11p knob插入RGD4C比单独F11p替换的HAdV-5对造血细胞的感染效率高,同时,本研究还发现HAdV-11p fiber knob的AB、FG或IJ loop可插入外源多肽,为腺病毒嗜向性改造增加了新靶点.     

Chitosan Modification of Adenovirus to Modify Transfection Efficiency in Bovine Corneal Epithelial Cells

Background

The purpose of this study is to modulate the transfection efficiency of adenovirus (Ad) on the cornea by the covalent attachment of chitosan on adenoviral capsids via a thioether linkage between chitosan modified with 2-iminothiolane and Ad cross-linked with N-[γ-maleimidobutyryloxy]succinimide ester (GMBS).

Methodology/Principal Findings

Modified Ad was obtained by reaction with the heterobifunctional crosslinking reagent, GMBS, producing maleimide-modified Ad (Ad-GMBS). Then, the chitosan-SH was conjugated to Ad-GMBS via a thioether bond at different ratios of Ad to GMBS to chitosan-SH. The sizes and zeta potentials of unmodified Ad and chitosan-modified Ads were measured, and the morphologies of the virus particles were observed under transmission electron microscope. Primary cultures of bovine corneal epithelial cells were transfected with Ads and chitosan-modified Ads in the absence or presence of anti-adenovirus antibodies. Chitosan modification did not significantly change the particle size of Ad, but the surface charge of Ad increased significantly from −24.3 mV to nearly neutral. Furthermore, primary cultures of bovine corneal epithelial cells were transfected with Ad or chitosan-modified Ad in the absence or presence of anti-Ad antibodies. The transfection efficiency was attenuated gradually with increasing amounts of GMBS. However, incorporation of chitosan partly restored transfection activity and rendered the modified antibody resistant to antibody neutralization.

Conclusions/Significance

Chitosan can provide a platform for chemical modification of Ad, which offers potential for further in vivo applications.     

Visualization of the Oncolytic Alphavirus M1 Life Cycle in Cancer Cells

Oncolytic alphavirus M1 has been shown to selectively target and kill cancer cells, but cytopathic morphologies induced by M1 virus and the life cycle of the M1 strain in cancer cells remain unclear. Here, we study the key stages of M1 virus infection and replication in the M1 virus-sensitive HepG2 liver cancer cell line by transmission electron microscopy,specifically examining viral entry, assembly, maturation and release. We found that M1 virus induces vacuolization of cancer cells during infection and ultimately nuclear marginalization, a typical indicator of apoptosis. Specifically, our results suggest that the endoplasmic reticulum participates in the assembly of nucleocapsids. In the early and late stage of infection, three kinds of special cytopathic vacuoles are formed and appear to be involved in the replication, maturation and release of the virus. Taken together, our data displayed the process of M1 virus infection of tumor cells and provide the structural basis for the study of M1 virus-host interactions.     

细胞外基质金属蛋白酶诱导分子(CD147)在胰腺癌细胞及胰腺星状细胞中的表达(英文)

目的:探讨细胞外基质金属蛋白酶诱导分子(CD147)在胰腺癌细胞(Panc-1)及胰腺星状细胞(PSCs)的表达。方法:应用QRT-PCR,免疫细胞化学和免疫印迹分析方法检测Panc-1和PSCs细胞中EMMRPIN的表达,应用脱糖基化试剂N-glycosidase F及Endoglycosidase H鉴定CD147糖基化形式。结果:CD147在Panc-1和PSCs细胞质膜及细胞质中高表达,通过脱糖基化法首次鉴定出胰腺癌细胞及胰腺星状细胞中CD147不同的糖基化修饰。结论:CD147的糖基化修饰具有细胞特异性,可能与细胞恶性程度相关。     

细胞外基质金属蛋白酶诱导分子（CD147）在胰腺癌细胞及胰腺星状细胞中的表达

目的：探讨细胞外基质金属蛋白酶诱导分子（CD147）在胰腺癌细胞（Panc-1）及胰腺星状细胞（PSCs）的表达。方法：应用QRT—PCR,免疫细胞化学和免疫印迹分析方法检测Panc-1和PSCs细胞中EMMRPIN的表达,应用脱糖基化试剂N—glycosidase F及Endoglycosidase H鉴定CD147糖基化形式。结果：CD147在Panc-1和PSCs细胞质膜及细胞质中高表达,通过脱糖基化法首次鉴定出胰腺癌细胞及胰腺星状细胞中CD147不同的糖基化修饰。结论：CD147的糖基化修饰具有细胞特异性,可能与细胞恶性程度相关。     

双靶向溶瘤腺病毒MD55对肿瘤细胞与正常细胞的杀伤作用比较

应用分子克隆和同源重组技术构建双靶向溶瘤腺病毒MD55.分析MD55病毒在细胞中的复制能力,并用MTT和结晶紫方法检测MD55对肿瘤细胞和正常细胞生长的影响,West-ern印迹检测病毒感染后细胞中E1A蛋白和多聚ADP核糖聚合酶(PARP)片断的表达.结果显示,MD55能在MN/CA9阳性的肿瘤细胞SW620和OSRC-2中特异性表达E1A蛋白.并且在这些细胞中的复制能力和对这些细胞的杀伤性与对照病毒ZD55基本相同,而其在正常细胞中的复制能力很弱,对正常细胞的伤害很小;同时MD55可诱导肿瘤细胞SW620和OSRC-2的凋亡,而对正常细胞的凋亡无影响.实验结果表明双靶向溶瘤腺病毒MD55靶向性和安全性比单靶向病毒ZD55更高,有望成为一种很好的肿瘤靶向基因一病毒治疗载体.     

In Vitro Selective Suppression of Tumor Cells by an Oncolytic Peptide in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a typically violent sort of malignancy and a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most of the radiation as well as chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of PDAC exhibit strong adverse effects with low specificity. Henceforth, a need for an alternative demanded that prompted us to design a novel anticancer peptide (KOR-19) in such a way that it interacts predominantly with cancer cells but exhibits low toxicity with normal mammalian cells. Cell proliferation (XTT) assay and crystal violet assay revealed that the novel designed peptide exhibited vital toxic activities against four different PDAC cell lines (BxPC3, Colo-357, Panc89, and Panc1). On the opposite, this peptide depicted negligible or very low toxicity towards a non-cancerous primary mouse pancreatic stellate cells (MPSC). In the LDH-release assay, we have detected potential membrane damaging properties of KOR-19 as its major mode of action. Further, the hemolytic assay revealed very low or negligible toxic activities towards both mouse- and human RBCs. The flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that the KOR-19 expanded both apoptotic and necrotic cell death in all PDAC cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Morphological assessments also supported the notion of necrosis assassination of cancer cells as there were elevated swollen vesicle-like structure and cell aggregation noticed in a cell type-dependent manner. In summary, KOR-19 exhibits excellent “druggable” properties due to its promising oncolytic and growth inhibitory activities against PDAC cells, making it a promising agent for the future remedy choice for PDAC.