Polyethylenimine-mediated suicide gene transfer induces a therapeutic effect for hepatocellular carcinoma in vivo by using an Epstein-Barr virus-based plasmid vector

The present study aimed to establish a novel efficient nonviral strategy for suicide gene transfer in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vivo. We employed branched polyethylenimine (PEI) and combined it with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-based plasmid vectors. The HCC cells transfected with an EBV-based plasmid carrying the herpes simplex virus-1 thymidine kinase (HSV-1 Tk) gene (pSES.Tk) showed up to 30-fold higher susceptibilities to ganciclovir (GCV) than those transfected with a conventional plasmid vector carrying the HSV-1 Tk gene (pS.Tk). The therapeutic effect in vivo was tested by intratumoral injection of the plasmids into HuH-7 hepatomas transplanted into C.B-17 scid/scid mutant (SCID) mice and subsequent GCV administrations. Treatment with pSES.Tk, but not pS.Tk, markedly suppressed growth of hepatomas in vivo, resulting in a significantly prolonged survival period of the mice. These findings suggest that PEI-mediated gene transfer system can confer efficient expression of the suicide gene in HCC cells in vivo by using EBV-based plasmid vectors.     

Interleukin-12 genetic administration suppressed metastatic liver tumor unsusceptible to CTL

A cytokine gene therapy approach was conducted against metastatic lesions of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-unsusceptible tumor in mice. The EBV-based and conventional plasmid vectors that encode murine interleukin-12 (IL-12) gene (pGEG.mIL-12 and pG.mIL-12, respectively) were intravenously transfected into the mice that had received a subcutaneous inoculation of M5076 sarcoma cells. The pGEG.mIL-12 transfection drastically suppressed the subcutaneous as well as hepatic metastatic tumors, resulting in significant prolongation of survival period of the animals. Although single administration with pG.mIL-12 was not effective, repetitive transfection with the plasmid significantly prolonged the longevity of the mice-bearing the metastatic liver tumors. Multiple transfection with either pGEG.mIL-12 or pG.mIL-12 also suppressed peritoneal carcinomatosis in mice that had been injected with M5076 cells into the peritoneal cavity. It was suggested that a high level IL-12 production elicited by the intravenous delivery of the cytokine gene may be quite effective in inhibiting metastatic and CTL-unsusceptible neoplasms.     

High reliability transformation of the basal fungus Mucor circinelloides by electroporation

Molecular approaches to study the biology of the zygomycete Mucor circinelloides depend mainly on the existence of a polyethylene glycol-based transformation method, which is one of the most efficient in zygomycete fungi. However, the poor reliability and low transformation rates of this method are major obstacles in the molecular study of a number of biological processes. This paper describes an easy and reliable method to transform M. circinelloides protoplasts by electroporation. A high-voltage pulse of 25 μF capacitance, 400 Ω resistance, and 4 kV/cm field strength were seen to be the optimal electrical conditions for delivering DNA into M. circinelloides protoplasts. Under these electrical conditions, successful transformations were carried out with several self-replicative plasmid and strain combinations, producing up to more than 500 transformants per μg DNA. Targeted DNA integration of a transgene (atfA gene of Acinetobacter baylyi) in a particular locus (carRP) was also achieved. This transformation method will considerably facilitate in-depth molecular genetic studies of the biology of this fungus.     

Functional in vivo gene transfer into the myofibers of adult skeletal muscle

The postmitotic nature and longevity of skeletal muscle fibers permit stable expression of any transfected gene. Direct in vivo injection of plasmid DNA, in both adult and regenerating muscles, is a safe, inexpensive, and easy approach. Here we present an optimized electroporation protocol based on the use of spatula electrodes to transfer cDNA in vivo into the adult myofibers of an anatomically defined muscle, which could be functionally characterized. In our hands, about 80% of adult myofibers were transfected in vivo by different plasmids for GFP fusion proteins or for beta-galactosidase. The luciferase activity increased several orders of magnitude when compared to standard DNA delivery. In an anatomical defined muscle, the wide gene transfer was comparable to or better than that of retrovirus delivery, that recently has been shown to be prone to severe side-effects in human clinical studies. Furthermore, with our method the tissue damage was greatly decreased. Thus, the present work describes in vivo functional electrotransfer of genes in adult skeletal muscle fibers by a protocol that is of great potential for gene therapy, as well as for basic research.     

Introduction of plasmids into whole cells of Clostridium acetobutylicum by electroporation

Abstract A method is presented for the introduction of plasmids into Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 8052 by electroporation. A plasmid shuttle vector, pMTL500E, which contains the erythromycin resistance gene and replication machinery of plasmid pAMβ1, was constructed and introduced into C. acetobutylicum by electroporation. The vector was then used to introduce a 2.2 kb Cla I/ Sph I chromosomal fragment from C. pasteurianum into a leucine requiring mutant of C. acetobutylicum , SBA9, where complementation of auxotrophy was observed. Plasmid DNA indistinguishable from that introduced, on the basis of agarose gel electrophoresis, was observed in transformants containing either plasmid.     

Site-targeted non-viral gene delivery by direct DNA injection into the pancreatic parenchyma and subsequent in vivo electroporation in mice

The pancreas is considered an important gene therapy target because the organ is the site of several high burden diseases, including diabetes mellitus, cystic fibrosis, and pancreatic cancer. We aimed to develop an efficient in vivo gene delivery system using non-viral DNA. Direct intra-parenchymal injection of a solution containing circular plasmid pmaxGFP DNA was performed on adult anesthetized ICR female mice. The injection site was sandwiched with a pair of tweezer-type electrode disks, and electroporated using a square-pulse generator. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression within the injected pancreatic portion was observed one day after gene delivery. GFP expression reduced to baseline within a week of transfection. Application of voltages over 40 V resulted in tissue damage during electroporation. We demonstrate that electroporation is effective for safe and efficient transfection of pancreatic cells. This novel gene delivery method to the pancreatic parenchyma may find application in gene therapy strategies for pancreatic diseases and in investigation of specific gene function in situ.     

Transformation of Staphylococcus epidermidis and other staphylococcal species with plasmid DNA by electroporation

In this paper, the influence of various parameters on plasmid transformation by electroporation of Staphylococcus epidermidis Tü3298 was investigated. Cell growth conditions, various concentrations and forms of plasmid DNA, field strength, pulse duration and media for electroporation and regeneration were tested. In order to obtain optimal transformation efficiency, the cells were incubated for 30 min with DNA before pulsing. With the optimized procedure, other staphylococcal species such as S. aureus, S. staphylolyticus and S. carnosus were transformed with an efficiency up to 3 X 10(5) transformants per micrograms pC194 plasmid DNA.     

In vivo electroporation of morpholinos into the adult zebrafish retina

Many devastating inherited eye diseases result in progressive and irreversible blindness because humans cannot regenerate dying or diseased retinal neurons. In contrast, the adult zebrafish retina possesses the robust ability to spontaneously regenerate any neuronal class that is lost in a variety of different retinal damage models, including retinal puncture, chemical ablation, concentrated high temperature, and intense light treatment. Our lab extensively characterized regeneration of photoreceptors following constant intense light treatment and inner retinal neurons after intravitreal ouabain injection. In all cases, resident Müller glia re-enter the cell cycle to produce neuronal progenitors, which continue to proliferate and migrate to the proper retinal layer, where they differentiate into the deficient neurons. We characterized five different stages during regeneration of the light-damaged retina that were highlighted by specific cellular responses. We identified several differentially expressed genes at each stage of retinal regeneration by mRNA microarray analysis. Many of these genes are also critical for ocular development. To test the role of each candidate gene/protein during retinal regeneration, we needed to develop a method to conditionally limit the expression of a candidate protein only at times during regeneration of the adult retina. Morpholino oligos are widely used to study loss of function of specific proteins during the development of zebrafish, Xenopus, chick, mouse, and tumors in human xenografts. These modified oligos basepair with complementary RNA sequence to either block the splicing or translation of the target RNA. Morpholinos are stable in the cell and can eliminate or "knockdown" protein expression for three to five days. Here, we describe a method to efficiently knockdown target protein expression in the adult zebrafish retina. This method employs lissamine-tagged antisense morpholinos that are injected into the vitreous of the adult zebrafish eye. Using electrode forceps, the morpholino is then electroporated into all the cell types of the dorsal and central retina. Lissamine provides the charge on the morpholino for electroporation and can be visualized to assess the presence of the morpholino in the retinal cells. Conditional knockdown in the retina can be used to examine the role of specific proteins at different times during regeneration. Additionally, this approach can be used to study the role of specific proteins in the undamaged retina, in such processes as visual transduction and visual processing in second order neurons.     

In vivo plasmid DNA electroporation resulted in transfection of satellite cells and lasting transgene expression in regenerated muscle fibers

In vivo plasmid DNA electroporation resulted in elevated and lasting transgene expression in skeletal muscles. But the nature of the cells that contributed to sustained gene expression remains unknown. We followed the fate of plasmid DNA delivered with electroporation and systematically investigated the time course and location of transgene expression in muscle tissues both with GFP and luciferase. Furthermore, satellite cell activation after electroporation was confirmed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry analysis. The activated satellite cells were shown to be able to uptake the injected plasmid DNA and express transgene products as regenerated myocytes. We found that cells with longer gene expression durations were mostly regenerated muscle fibers. In contrast, expression in pre-existing muscle fibers was rather transient. We also presented in this study that immune response to transgene products might hamper the lasting gene expression. Based on these observations, we proposed that the underlying mechanism for prolonged transgene expression in the muscles after electroporation is related to the activation and transfection of myogenic satellite cells which subsequently developed into regenerated muscle fibers.     

Introduction of impermeable molecules into pollen grains by electroporation

Summary Electroporation was used to introduce plasma membrane impermeable molecules into the cytoplasm of pollen grains ofLilium longiflorum. Ungerminated pollen grains were exposed to the fluorescent dye quin2 or FITC-labelled dextrans and electroporated with exponentially decaying voltage pulses of 250 to 2000 V/cm and time constants of 0.01 to 10 s. The number of electroporated pollen grains increased with the strength and duration of the voltage pulses, and with the osmolarity of the external medium. Optimal results were obtained with pulses of 1000 V/cm and 10 s time constant, and with 900 mM mannitol in the electroporation buffer. The size of the pores produced in the plasma membrane by electroporation allowed uptake of 40 kDa dextran but not 70 kDa dextran. The rate of germination of pollen grains was low immediately after electroporation, but increased with time in pollen growth medium. The conditions of electroporation reported here may be used to load genetic material into pollen grains for the production of transgenic plants.Abbreviations PGM pollen growth medium - FDA fluorescein diacetate - FITC fluorescein isothiocyanate     

Delivery of plasmid DNA into intact plant cells by electroporation of plasmolyzed cells

This report describes the delivery of plasmid DNA containing either the β-glucuronidase (GUS) or the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene into intact plant cells of bamboo callus, lilium scales, and Nicotiana benthamiana suspension culture cells. By first plasmolyzing the tissues or cells with 0.4 m sucrose in the presence of plasmid DNA, electroporation effectively delivers plasmid DNA into the intact plant cells. Transient expression of the GUS gene, as revealed by histochemical assays, showed the presence of blue-staining areas in the electroporated tissues. A short exposure of cells to 2% DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) prior to plasmolysis elevated the level of transient GUS activity. When plasmid DNA containing a synthetic GFP gene was used, a strong green fluorescence was observed in N. benthamiana suspension culture cells that were subjected to plasmolysis and electroporation. These results suggest that plasmolysis brings the plasmid DNA into the void space that is in close vicinity to the plasmalemma, allowing electroporation to efficiently deliver the plasmid DNA into intact plant cells. Received: 15 June 1998 / Revision received: 18 August 1998 / Accepted: 28 August 1998     

Plasmid transformation of Ruminococcus albus by means of high-voltage electroporation

To apply recombinant DNA techniques to the genetic manipulation of cellulolytic ruminal bacteria, a plasmid vector transformation system must be available. The objective of this work was to develop a system for plasmid transformation of Ruminococcus albus. Using high voltage electrotransformation, pSC22 and pCK17 plasmid vectors, derived from lactic acid bacteria plasmids and replicating via single-stranded DNA intermediate, were successfully introduced into three freshly isolated R. albus strains and into R. albus type strain ATCC 27210. The optimization of the electrotransformation condition raised the electroporation efficiency up to 3 x 10(5) transformants per microgram of pSC22 plasmid.     

Electroporation in combination with a plasmid vector containing SV40 enhancer elements results in increased and persistent gene expression in mouse muscle

Gene transfer into muscle upon injection of plasmid DNA is feasible but occurs with low frequency. However, by using electroporation after injection of plasmid DNA into mouse muscle it has been demonstrated that gene expression can be increased more than 150-fold. In this communication, we have used this technique in combination with plasmids containing a tandem repeat of three 72-bp DNA elements from the SV40 enhancer to study gene expression. Our results show that the combination of electroporation and a plasmid vector carrying these DNA elements results in increased and more persistent gene expression of the luciferase reporter gene in BALB/c mouse muscle. At 14 days after gene delivery, the gene expression was 16-fold higher in muscles injected and electroporated with the plasmid carrying the SV40 enhancers than with control plasmid. We have also studied the effects of the vehicle in which the plasmid was delivered, and the DNase inhibitor aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA), on gene expression. By combining ATA with 150 mM sodium phosphate buffer we were able to obtain a 2-fold increase in gene expression compared to delivery of the plasmid in physiological saline. These results are of importance for the development of efficient delivery techniques for naked DNA.     

New insights into stability of recombinant adenovirus vector genomes in mammalian cells

Recombinant adenoviruses are widely used in basic virology research, therapeutic applications, vaccination studies or simply as a tool for genetic manipulation of eukaryotic cells. Dependent on the application, transient or stable maintenance of the adenoviral genome and transgene expression are required. The newest generation of recombinant adenoviral vectors is represented by high-capacity adenoviral vectors (HC-AdVs) which lack all viral coding sequences. HC-AdVs were shown to result in long-term persistence of transgene expression and phenotypic correction in small and large animal models with negligible toxicity.Although there is evidence that adenoviral vectors predominantly persist as episomal DNA molecules with a low integration frequency into the host genome, detailed information about the nuclear fate and the molecular status of the HC-AdV genome once inside the nucleus is lacking. In recent years we have focused on analyzing and modifying the nuclear fate of HC-AdVs after infection of mammalian cells. We have focused on investigating the molecular DNA forms of HC-AdV genomes and we have designed strategies to excise and stably integrate a transgene from an episomal adenovirus vector genome into the host chromosomes by recombinases. This review article provides a state-of-the art overview of the current knowledge of episomal HC-AdV persistence and it discusses strategies for changing the nuclear fate of a transgene inserted into the HC-AdV genome by somatic integration into host chromosomes.     

Optimization of gene transfer into barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mature embryos by tissue electroporation

 This study was conducted to detect the optimum conditions for DNA transfer into mature embryos of barley via electroporation. Cultured mature embryos of barley were directly electroporated in the presence of the pBI 121 vector carrying both the β-glucuronidase (GUS) and neomycin phosphotransferase II (npt II) genes. It was found that 500 v/cm and 500 μFd capacitance was the optimum combination for healthy germination of the transformed plants from mature electroporated embryos. Effects of culture duration before electroporation and selection antibiotic concentrations on germination were also examined. Gene transfer performed on 3-day-old cultures resulted in the highest germination frequencies. GUS expression was observed on transversal sections of embryos and mature leaves from 3 month-old regenerants. PCR and Southern blot analyses show the presence of the npt II transgene in the genome of a plant. Received: 15 June 1999 / Revision received: 27 September 1999 / Accepted: 26 October 1999