E4ORF3 Requirement for Achieving Long-Term Transgene Expression from the Cytomegalovirus Promoter in Adenovirus Vectors

Analysis of transgene expression under the control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter from adenovirus vectors in which the E4 region was modified indicated that E4ORF3 is required for long-term expression in the murine lung. CMV promoter truncation led to the persistence of expression in the absence of E4, thus eliminating the ORF3 requirement.     

Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Expression In Vivo Is Enhanced by the Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 Gene

An adenovirus vector encoding the human Bcl-2 gene (hBcl-2) was derived. In vivo expression of hBcl-2 in murine livers enhanced and prolonged adenovirus-mediated gene expression. Furthermore, in the hBcl-2-treated group a significant reduction in the apoptosis induced by the adenovirus vector was observed. Thus, the cytoprotection of the vector-infected cells with antiapoptotic genes appears promising for successful in vivo gene therapy.     

Formation of Adeno-Associated Virus Circular Genomes Is Differentially Regulated by Adenovirus E4 ORF6 and E2a Gene Expression

A central feature of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) latent life cycle is persistence in the form of both integrated and episomal genomes. However, the molecular processes associated with episomal long-term persistence of AAV genomes are only poorly understood. To investigate these mechanisms, we have utilized a recombinant AAV (rAAV) shuttle vector to identify circular AAV intermediates from transduced HeLa cells and primary fibroblasts. The unique structural features exhibited by these transduction intermediates included circularized monomer and dimer virus genomes in a head-to-tail array, with associated specific base pair alterations in the 5′ viral D sequence. In HeLa cells, the abundance and stability of AAV circular intermediates were augmented by adenovirus expressing the E2a gene product. In the absence of E2a, adenovirus expressing the E4 open reading frame 6 gene product decreased the abundance of AAV circular intermediates, favoring instead the linear replication form monomer (Rf_m) and dimer (Rf_d) structures. In summary, the formation of AAV circular intermediates appears to represent a new pathway for AAV genome conversion, which is consistent with the head-to-tail concatemerization associated with latent-phase persistence of rAAV. A better understanding of this pathway may increase the utility of rAAV vectors for gene therapy.     

截短的猪戊型肝炎病毒ORF2基因克隆与重组蛋白的原核表达

用巢式PCR从阳性猪戊型肝炎粪便悬液中克隆了截短的猪戊型肝炎病毒ORF2基因(SORF2)片段,并将克隆基因亚克隆到原核表达载体pTO-13上构建表达质粒pTO-T7-SORF2,然后转化大肠杆菌.SDS-PAGE检测发现在大肠杆菌中以包涵体形式获得了高效表达,Western-blot证明表达蛋白具有良好的特异性和反应原性,包涵体纯化时发现该重组蛋白在4 mmol/L的尿素-Tris溶液(pH 7.2)中的溶解度较大,有利于重组蛋白的复性,为开发家畜用诊断试剂,预防猪戊型肝炎的流行与人畜交叉感染奠定了一定的基础.     

Adenovirus E4 ORF3 protein inhibits the interferon-mediated antiviral response

The PML oncogenic domain (POD/ND10/PML body) is a common target of DNA viruses, which replicate their genomes in proximity to this nuclear structure. The adenovirus early protein E4 ORF3 is both necessary and sufficient to rearrange PODs from punctate bodies into track-like structures. Although multiple hypotheses exist, the precise reason for this activity has not yet been elucidated. PML, the protein responsible for nucleating PODs, is an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene, implicating the participation of this nuclear body in an innate antiviral response. Here, we demonstrate that E4 ORF3 is critical to the replicative success of adenovirus during the IFN-induced antiviral state. When cells are pretreated with either IFN-alpha or IFN-gamma, a mutant virus that does not express E4 ORF3 is severely compromised for replication. This result suggests the functional significance of ORF3 track formation is the inhibition of a POD-mediated, antiviral mechanism. Replication of the E4 ORF3 mutant virus can be rescued following the introduction of E4 ORF3 from evolutionarily divergent adenoviruses, suggesting a conserved function for E4 ORF3 inhibition of the IFN-induced antiviral state. Furthermore, E4 ORF3 inhibition of an IFN-induced response is unrelated to the inhibition of adenovirus replication by the Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 DNA repair complex. We propose that the evolutionarily conserved function of the adenovirus E4 ORF3 protein is the inhibition of a host interferon response to viral infection via disruption of the PML oncogenic domain.     

人白介素－3基因表达调节的研究

报导了ｈ－ＩＬ－３基因表达调节研究的结果：（１）人静止的外周血淋巴细胞几乎不表达ＩＬ－３ｍＲＮＡ,但受丝裂原ＰＨＡ的刺激后则诱导ＩＬ－３ｍＲＮＡ表达,ＴＰＡ与ＰＨＡ联合处理,使ＩＬ－３ｍＲＮＡ的蓄积进一步增加,但ＴＰＡ单独不足以诱导ＩＬ－３ｍＲＮＡ蓄积;（２）Ａ２３１８７／ＴＰＡ能代替ＰＨＡ／ＴＰＡ的刺激,并直接诱导ＩＬ－３ｍＲＮＡ表达;（３）ＴＲＥＯＤＮ处理则显著抑制ＰＨＡ／ＴＰＡ诱导的ＩＬ－３ｍＲＮＡ表达。这些结果揭示：ｈ－ＩＬ－３基因的表达在转录及转录后水平被调节,而且是可诱导的,诱导ｈ－ＩＬ－３基因表达、需要Ｃａ２＋依赖及ＰＫＣ依赖的两个信息转导系统,Ｆｏｓ蛋白是反式激活ＩＬ－３基因表达的转录因子,ＰＫＣ依赖的转导系统,可能与ＩＬ－３ｍＲＮＡ的稳定性有关。     

戊型肝炎病毒基因 ORF3编码蛋白在大肠杆菌中的表达及鉴定

实验以两种不同的表达策略构建了两个以大肠杆菌DE3为宿主的原核表达载体,由T7启动子启动外源基因的转录,在诱导剂IPTG诱导下成功地进行了戊肝病毒ORF3蛋白的原核表达。并通过SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳、免疫印迹、竞争抑制法酶联免疫等一系列实验对两种表达产物进行了鉴定和分析。综合分析两种表达结果发现,在融合型表达中ORF3蛋白与其融合标签蛋白(谷胱甘肽S一转移酶)之间存在免疫交叉反应,而且这种融合标签蛋白在空间结构上可能对ORF3蛋白中的抗体结合位点有掩盖作用。     

Regulation of Endothelial-Specific Transgene Expression by the LacI Repressor Protein In Vivo

Genetically modified mice have played an important part in elucidating gene function in vivo. However, conclusions from transgenic studies may be compromised by complications arising from the site of transgene integration into the genome and, in inducible systems, the non-innocuous nature of inducer molecules. The aim of the present study was to use the vascular system to validate a technique based on the bacterial lac operon system, in which transgene expression can be repressed and de-repressed by an innocuous lactose analogue, IPTG. We have modified an endothelium specific promoter (TIE2) with synthetic LacO sequences and made transgenic mouse lines with this modified promoter driving expression of mutant forms of connexin40 and an independently translated reporter, EGFP. We show that tissue specificity of this modified promoter is retained in the vasculature of transgenic mice in spite of the presence of LacO sequences, and that transgene expression is uniform throughout the endothelium of a range of adult systemic and cerebral arteries and arterioles. Moreover, transgene expression can be consistently down-regulated by crossing the transgenic mice with mice expressing an inhibitor protein LacI^R, and in one transgenic line, transgene expression could be de-repressed rapidly by the innocuous inducer, IPTG. We conclude that the modified bacterial lac operon system can be used successfully to validate transgenic phenotypes through a simple breeding schedule with mice homozygous for the LacI^R protein.     

Transduction of Dendritic Cells by DNA Viral Vectors Directs the Immune Response to Transgene Products in Muscle Fibers

Immune responses to vector-corrected cells have limited the application of gene therapy for treatment of chronic disorders such as inherited deficiency states. We have found that recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) efficiently transduces muscle fibers in vivo without activation of cellular and humoral immunity to neoantigenic transgene products such as β-galactosidase, which differs from the experience with recombinant adenovirus, where vibrant T-cell responses to the transgene product destroy the targeted muscle fibers. T cells activated following intramuscular administration of adenovirus expressing lacZ (AdlacZ) can destroy AAVlacZ-transduced muscle fibers, indicating a prior state of immunologic nonresponsiveness in the context of AAV gene therapy. Adoptive transfer of dendritic cells infected with AdlacZ leads to immune mediated elimination of AAVlacZ-transduced muscle fibers. AAVlacZ-transduced antigen-presenting cells fail to demonstrate β-galactosidase activity and are unable to elicit transgene immunity in adoptive transfer experiments. These studies indicate that vector-mediated transduction of dendritic cells is necessary for cellular immune responses to muscle gene therapy, a step which AAV avoids, providing a useful biological niche for its use in gene therapy.