Use of bone morphogenetic protein—9 gene therapy to induce spinal arthrodesis in the rodent

2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Helm ◽  
Tord D. Alden ◽  
Elisa J. Beres ◽  
Sarah B. Hudson ◽  
Subinoy Das ◽  
...  

Object. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been shown to have significant osteoinductive activity in numerous in vitro and in vivo assay systems, and BMP-2 and BMP-7 are currently being evaluated in human clinical studies. In the spinal region, BMPs have been shown to promote spinal arthrodesis at a higher rate than autologous bone alone. The delivery of BMPs via direct or ex vivo gene therapy techniques is also currently being evaluated and has shown promise in several mammalian models. The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of the use of direct, percutaneous BMP-9 adenoviral gene therapy to promote spinal fusion in the rodent. Methods. Each animal was injected with 7.5 × 108 pfu of a BMP-9 adenoviral vector in the lumbar paraspinal musculature and allowed to survive 16 weeks. Computerized tomography studies and histological analysis demonstrated massive bone induction at the injection sites, clearly leading to solid spinal arthrodesis, without evidence of pseudarthroses, nerve root compression, or systemic side effects. Conclusions. The results of this study strongly support the advancement of BMP gene therapy techniques toward clinical use.

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 328-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Hadaczek ◽  
Hanna Mirek ◽  
Mitchel S. Berger ◽  
Krystof Bankiewicz

Object. Low efficacy of gene transfer, transient gene expression, and toxicity of viral vectors are the major hurdles in successful anticancer gene therapy. The authors conducted in vitro (U87MG cell line) and in vivo (xenograft, tumor-bearing rodent model) studies to address the stability of transduction by using the adenoassociated virus serotype-2 (AAV2)—thymidine kinase (TK) vector over time. Methods. Standard methods for cell growth and a ganciclovir (GCV) cytotoxicity assay were applied. The AAV2-TK was infused into implanted tumors in athymic rats via convection-enhanced delivery (CED). Thymidine kinase expression was evaluated through immunohistochemical analysis, and the distribution volumes of the transduced tumors were calculated. Twenty-four hours following the viral infusions, animals were treated with GCV (50 mg/kg intraperitoneally every day for 10 days; six rats) or phosphate-buffered saline (six rats). A rapid decrease in TK expression over time was observed both in vitro and in vivo. A large volume of the tumor (up to 39%) was transduced with AAV2-TK following CED. Administration of GCV resulted in limited therapeutic effects (survival of 25.8 compared with 21.3 days). Conclusions. Rapid elimination of TK expression from dividing tumor cells and focal transduction of the brain tumor were most likely responsible for the limited bystander effect in this approach. Immediate administration of GCV is crucial to assure maximal efficacy in the elimination of cancer cells. In addition, the complete or diffused transduction of a brain tumor with TK may be required for its total eradication.


1994 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Matsuda ◽  
Keiichi Kawamoto ◽  
Katsuzo Kiya ◽  
Kaoru Kurisu ◽  
Kazuhiko Sugiyama ◽  
...  

✓ The presence of the progesterone receptor (PR) in meningioma tissue has been confirmed by previous investigations. Studies have shown that the antiprogesterone drug, mifepristone, is a potent agent that inhibits the growth of cultured meningioma cells and reduces the size of meningiomas in experimental animal models and humans. However, these studies have not fully examined the relationship between the antitumor effects of an antiprogesterone agent and the expression of the PR. The present study examined the antitumor effects of mifepristone and a new potent antiprogesterone agent, onapristone; a correlation between the antitumor effects of these antiprogesterones and the presence of PR's in meningiomas in vitro and in vivo was also investigated. Meningioma tissue surgically removed from 13 patients was used in this study. In the in vitro arm of the study, mifepristone and onapristone exhibited cytostatic and cytocidal effects against cultured meningioma cells, regardless of the presence or absence of PR's; however, three PR-negative meningiomas showed no response to any dose of mifepristone and/or onapristone. In the in vivo arm, meningioma cells, embedded in a collagen gel, were implanted into the renal capsules of nude mice. Antiprogesterone treatment resulted in a marked reduction of the tumor volume regardless of the presence or absence of PR's. No histological changes in the meningioma cells suggestive of necrosis or apoptosis were detected in any of the mice treated with antiprogesterones. These findings suggest that mifepristone and onapristone have an antitumor effect against meningioma cells via the PR's and/or another receptor, such as the glucocorticoid receptor.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 6859-6866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zi Wei Chang ◽  
Benoit Malleret ◽  
Bruce Russell ◽  
Laurent Rénia ◽  
Carla Claser

ABSTRACTEx vivoassay systems provide a powerful approach to studying human malaria parasite biology and to testing antimalarials. For rodent malaria parasites, short-termin vitroculture andex vivoantimalarial susceptibility assays are relatively cumbersome, relying onin vivopassage for synchronization, since ring-stage parasites are an essential starting material. Here, we describe a new approach based on the enrichment of ring-stagePlasmodium berghei,P. yoelii, andP. vinckei vinckeiusing a single-step Percoll gradient. Importantly, we demonstrate that the enriched ring-stage parasites develop synchronously regardless of the parasite strain or species used. Using a flow cytometry assay with Hoechst and ethidium or MitoTracker dye, we show that parasite development is easily and rapidly monitored. Finally, we demonstrate that this approach can be used to screen antimalarial drugs.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Payal Joglekar ◽  
Hua Ding ◽  
Pablo Canales-Herrerias ◽  
Pankaj Jay Pasricha ◽  
Justin L. Sonnenburg ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Gut-derived immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the most abundant antibody secreted in the gut that shapes gut microbiota composition and functionality. However, most of the microbial antigens targeted by gut IgA remain unknown, and the functional effects of IgA targeting these antigens are currently understudied. This study provides a framework for identifying and characterizing gut microbiota antigens targeted by gut IgA. We developed a small intestinal ex vivo culture assay to harvest lamina propria IgA from gnotobiotic mice, with the aim of identifying antigenic targets in a model human gut commensal, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI-5482. Colonization by B. thetaiotaomicron induced a microbe-specific IgA response that was reactive against diverse antigens, including capsular polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, and proteins. IgA against microbial protein antigens targeted membrane and secreted proteins with diverse functionalities, including an IgA specific against proteins of the polysaccharide utilization locus (PUL) that are necessary for utilization of fructan, which is an important dietary polysaccharide. Further analyses demonstrated that the presence of dietary fructan increased the production of fructan PUL-specific IgA, which then downregulated the expression of fructan PUL in B. thetaiotaomicron, both in vivo and in vitro. Since the expression of fructan PUL has been associated with the ability of B. thetaiotaomicron to colonize the gut in the presence of dietary fructans, our work suggests a novel role for gut IgA in regulating microbial colonization by modulating their metabolism. IMPORTANCE Given the significant impact that gut microbes have on our health, it is essential to identify key host and environmental factors that shape this diverse community. While many studies have highlighted the impact of diet on gut microbiota, little is known about how the host regulates this critical diet-microbiota interaction. In our present study, we discovered that gut IgA targeted a protein complex involved in the utilization of an important dietary polysaccharide: fructan. While the presence of dietary fructans was previously thought to allow unrestricted growth of fructan-utilizing bacteria, our work shows that gut IgA, by targeting proteins responsible for fructan utilization, provides the host with tools that can restrict the microbial utilization of such polysaccharides, thereby controlling their growth.


Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (12) ◽  
pp. 5095-5103 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Hortelano ◽  
A Al-Hendy ◽  
FA Ofosu ◽  
PL Chang

A potentially cost-effective strategy for gene therapy of hemophilia B is to create universal factor IX-secreting cell lines suitable for implantation into different patients. To avoid graft rejection, the implanted cells are enclosed in alginate-polylysine-alginate microcapsules that are permeable to factor IX diffusion, but impermeable to the hosts' immune mediators. This nonautologous approach was assessed by implanting encapsulated mouse myoblasts secreting human factor IX into allogeneic mice. Human factor IX was detected in the mouse plasma for up to 14 days maximally at approximately 4 ng/mL. Antibodies to human factor IX were detected after 3 weeks at escalating levels, which were sustained throughout the entire experiment (213 days). The antibodies accelerated the clearance of human factor IX from the circulation of the implanted mice and inhibited the detection of human factor IX in the mice plasma in vitro. The encapsulated myoblasts retrieved periodically from the implanted mice up to 213 days postimplantation were viable and continued to secrete human factor IX ex vivo at undiminished rates, hence suggesting continued factor IX gene expression in vivo. Thus, this allogeneic gene therapy strategy represents a potentially feasible alternative to autologous approaches for the treatment of hemophilia B.


2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger J. Packer ◽  
Cory Raffel ◽  
Judith G. Villablanca ◽  
Jörg-Christian Tonn ◽  
Stefan E. Burdach ◽  
...  

Object. The outcome for children with recurrent malignant brain tumors is poor. The majority of patients die of progressive disease within months of relapse, and other therapeutic options are needed. The goal of this Phase I study was to evaluate the safety of in vivo suicide gene therapy in 12 children with recurrent, malignant, supratentorial brain tumors.Methods. After optimal repeated tumor resection, multiple injections of murine vector—producing cells shedding murine replication—defective retroviral vectors coding the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase type 1 (HSV-Tk1) gene were made into the rim of the resection cavity. Fourteen days after the vector-producing cells were injected, ganciclovir was administered for 14 days. The retroviral vector that was used only integrated and expressed HSV-Tk1 in proliferating cells, which are killed after a series of metabolic events lead to cell death. The median age of the patients was 11 years (range 2–15 years). Treated brain tumors included seven malignant gliomas, two ependymomas, and three primitive neuroectodermal tumors. The patients were treated with one of three escalating dose concentrations of vector-producer cells. Four transient central nervous system adverse effects were considered possibly related to the vector-producing cells. In no child did permanent neurological worsening or ventricular irritation develop, and tests for replication-competent retroviruses yielded negative findings.Conclusions. This Phase I study demonstrates that in vivo gene therapy in which a replication-defective retroviral vector in murine vector—producing cells is delivered by brain injections can be performed with satisfactory safety in a select group of children with localized supratentorial brain tumors.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 3249-3249
Author(s):  
Barbara Cassani ◽  
Grazia Andolfi ◽  
Massimiliano Mirolo ◽  
Luca Biasco ◽  
Alessandra Recchia ◽  
...  

Abstract Gene transfer into hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC) by gammaretroviral vectors is an effective treatment for patients affected by severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) due to adenosine deaminase (ADA)-deficiency. Recent studied have indicated that gammaretroviral vectors integrate in a non-random fashion in their host genome, but there is still limited information on the distribution of retroviral insertion sites (RIS) in human long-term reconstituting HSC following therapeutic gene transfer. We performed a genome-wide analysis of RIS in transduced bone marrow-derived CD34+ cells before transplantation (in vitro) and in hematopoietic cell subsets (ex vivo) from five ADA-SCID patients treated with gene therapy combined to low-dose busulfan. Vector-genome junctions were cloned by inverse or linker-mediated PCR, sequenced, mapped onto the human genome, and compared to a library of randomly cloned human genome fragments or to the expected distribution for the NCBI annotation. Both in vitro (n=212) and ex vivo (n=496) RIS showed a non-random distribution, with strong preference for a 5-kb window around transcription start sites (23.6% and 28.8%, respectively) and for gene-dense regions. Integrations occurring inside the transcribed portion of a RefSeq genes were more represented in vitro than ex vivo (50.9 vs 41.3%), while RIS <30kb upstream from the start site were more frequent in the ex vivo sample (25.6% vs 19.4%). Among recurrently hit loci (n=50), LMO2 was the most represented, with one integration cloned from pre-infusion CD34+ cells and five from post-gene therapy samples (2 in granulocytes, 3 in T cells). Clone-specific Q-PCR showed no in vivo expansion of LMO2-carrying clones while LMO2 gene overexpression at the bulk level was excluded by RT-PCR. Gene expression profiling revealed a preference for integration into genes transcriptionally active in CD34+ cells at the time of transduction as well as genes expressed in T cells. Functional clustering analysis of genes hit by retroviral vectors in pre- and post-transplant cells showed no in vivo skewing towards genes controlling self-renewal or survival of HSC (i.e. cell cycle, transcription, signal transduction). Clonal analysis of long-term repopulating cells (>=6 months) revealed a high number of distinct RIS (range 42–121) in the T-cell compartment, in agreement with the complexity of the T-cell repertoire, while fewer RIS were retrieved from granulocytes. The presence of shared integrants among multiple lineages confirmed that the gene transfer protocol was adequate to allow stable engraftment of multipotent HSC. Taken together, our data show that transplantation of ADA-transduced HSC does not result in skewing or expansion of malignant clones in vivo, despite the occurrence of insertions near potentially oncogenic genomic sites. These results, combined to the relatively long-term follow-up of patients, indicate that retroviral-mediated gene transfer for ADA-SCID has a favorable safety profile.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 5143-5143
Author(s):  
Liesbeth De Waele ◽  
Kathleen Freson ◽  
Chantal Thys ◽  
Christel Van Geet ◽  
Désiré Collen ◽  
...  

Abstract The prevalence of congenital platelet disorders has not been established but for some life-threatening bleeding disorders the current therapies are not adequate, justifying the development of alternative strategies as gene therapy. In the case of platelet dysfunction and thrombocytopenia as described for GATA1 deficiency, potentially lethal internal bleedings can occur. The objective of the study is to develop improved lentiviral vectors for megakaryocyte(MK)-specific long term gene expression by ex vivo transduction of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) to ultimately use for congenital thrombopathies as GATA1 deficiency. Self-inactivating lentiviral vectors were constructed expressing GFP driven by the murine (m) or human (h) GPIIb promoter. These promoters contain multiple Ets and GATA binding sites directing MK-specificity. To evaluate the cell lineage-specificity and transgene expression potential of the vectors, murine Sca1+ and human CD34+ HSC were transduced in vitro with Lenti-hGPIIb-GFP and Lenti-mGPIIb-GFP vectors. After transduction the HSC were induced to differentiate in vitro along the MK and non-MK lineages. The mGPIIb and hGPIIb promoters drove GFP expression at overall higher levels (20% in murine cells and 25% in human cells) than the ubiquitous CMV (cytomegalovirus) or PGK (phosphoglycerate kinase) promoters, and this exclusively in the MK lineage. Interestingly, in both human and murine HSC the hGPIIb promoter with an extra RUNX and GATA binding site, was more potent in the MK lineage compared to the mGPIIb promoter. Since FLI1 and GATA1 are the main transcription factors regulating GPIIb expression, we tested the Lenti-hGPIIb-GFP construct in GATA1 deficient HSC and obtained comparable transduction efficiencies as for wild-type HSC. To assess the MK-specificity of the lentiviral vectors in vivo, we transplanted irradiated wild-type C57Bl/6 mice with Sca1+ HSC transduced with the Lenti-hGPIIb-GFP constructs. Six months after transplantation we could detect 6% GFP positive platelets without a GFP signal in other cell lineages. Conclusion: In vitro and in vivo MK-specific transgene expression driven by the hGPIIb and mGPIIb promoters could be obtained after ex vivo genetic engineering of HSC by improved lentiviral vectors. Studies are ongoing to study whether this approach can induce phenotypic correction of GATA1 deficient mice by transplantation of ex vivo Lenti-hGPIIb-GATA1 transduced HSC.


1992 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth P. Madden ◽  
Wayne M. Clark ◽  
Abha Kochhar ◽  
Justin A. Zivin

✓ Antagonists of excitatory amino acids appear to serve a neuroprotective role during ischemic conditions in a variety of in vivo and in vitro models. The usefulness of such agents in the clinical setting, however, may be limited by poor central nervous system (CNS) entry and intolerable side effects. The authors report high efficacy in reducing neurological damage and relatively limited side effects of LY233053, a novel competitive glutamate antagonist, in two models of experimental CNS ischemia in the rabbit.


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