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Guo S, Israel AL, Basu G, Donate A, Heller R. Topical gene electrotransfer to the epidermis of hairless guinea pig by non-invasive multielectrode array. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73423. [PMID: 24015305 PMCID: PMC3756005 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 07/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Topical gene delivery to the epidermis has the potential to be an effective therapy for skin disorders, cutaneous cancers, vaccinations and systemic metabolic diseases. Previously, we reported on a non-invasive multielectrode array (MEA) that efficiently delivered plasmid DNA and enhanced expression to the skin of several animal models by in vivo gene electrotransfer. Here, we characterized plasmid DNA delivery with the MEA in a hairless guinea pig model, which has a similar histology and structure to human skin. Significant elevation of gene expression up to 4 logs was achieved with intradermal DNA administration followed by topical non-invasive skin gene electrotransfer. This delivery produced gene expression in the skin of hairless guinea pig up to 12 to 15 days. Gene expression was observed exclusively in the epidermis. Skin gene electrotransfer with the MEA resulted in only minimal and mild skin changes. A low level of human Factor IX was detected in the plasma of hairless guinea pig after gene electrotransfer with the MEA, although a significant increase of Factor IX was obtained in the skin of animals. These results suggest gene electrotransfer with the MEA can be a safe, efficient, non-invasive skin delivery method for skin disorders, vaccinations and potential systemic diseases where low levels of gene products are sufficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Guo
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Annelise L. Israel
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Gaurav Basu
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Amy Donate
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Richard Heller
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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A study of the expression of functional human coagulation factor IX in keratinocytes using a nonviral vector regulated by K14 promoter. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2010; 162:1599-611. [PMID: 20397061 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-010-8941-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2009] [Accepted: 02/23/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Ex vivo gene therapy requires a suitable bioreactor for production and delivery of the gene products into a target tissue, and keratinocyte is suitable model in this regard because of its potential for systemic release of proteins. To establish a keratinocyte-specific expression system, a mammalian-based expression plasmid equipped with a 2,240-bp fragment from the human keratin 14 (k14) gene enhancer/promoter region was constructed and used for the insertion of the human coagulation factor IX (hFIX)-cDNA downstream the K14-derived regulatory elements. The human epidermal keratinocytes isolated from neonatal foreskin were cultivated in keratinocyte serum-free media and transfected with the recombinant plasmid. The K14-promoter-driven expression of recombinant hFIX (rhFIX) was evaluated by performing coagulation test as well as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on the cultured media collected from the transfected cells at various stages. The rhFIX corresponding transcript and protein were confirmed by performing reverse transcription PCR as well as immunoblotting experiments, respectively. Based on the coagulation activities obtained from the conditioned media of nine isolated clones, the hFIX expression levels vary from 5% to 39% of normal human plasma. Expression levels of the hFIX obtained in this study are comparable to those reported for viral systems. The obtained data supported the potential of keratinocyte for the expression and secretion of biologically active rhFIX and underscore the importance of the examined cis sequences for enhancing gene expression in a mammalian expression system. Besides, it has provided means for further bioengineering strategies to improve the expression efficiency of the hFIX in keratinocytes and other mammalian host cells.
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Scheidemann F, Therrien JP, Vogel J, Pfützner W. In vivosynthesis and secretion of erythropoietin by genetically modified primary human keratinocytes grafted onto immunocompromised mice. Exp Dermatol 2010; 19:289-97. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0625.2009.00984.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Abstract
Skin is an attractive target for gene modification to treat skin diseases, wound healing, or even systemic disorders. Although retroviral transduction results in permanent genetic modification, differentiation and eventually loss of the transduced cells from the epidermis and in temporary transgene expression. Therefore, it is important to develop methods that promote gene transfer to epidermal stem cells, which self-renew and regenerate the epidermis for extended periods of time. Here we describe an efficient protocol that results in high levels of retroviral gene transfer to human epidermal stem cells by immobilizing retrovirus on a recombinant fibronectin (rFN) fragment. In contrast to the traditional method, transduction on rFN promotes gene transfer to epidermal stem cells and prevents loss of clonogenic potential due to exposure of cells to retroviral supernatant. Notably, transduction on rFN does not require addition of toxic polycations such as polybrene. Overall this method provides a simple, fast, and efficient means to modify human epidermal stem cells for cutaneous gene therapy and for biological studies that require stable genetic modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Lei
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
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Alexander MY, Wilkinson FL, Kirton JP, Rock CF, Collett GDM, Jeziorska M, Smyth JV, Heagerty AM, Canfield AE. Identification and characterization of vascular calcification-associated factor, a novel gene upregulated during vascular calcification in vitro and in vivo. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2005; 25:1851-7. [PMID: 15994437 DOI: 10.1161/01.atv.0000175750.94742.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Vascular calcification, with its increasing clinical sequelae, presents an important and unresolved dilemma in cardiac and vascular practice. We aimed to identify molecules involved in this process to develop strategies for treatment or prevention. METHODS AND RESULTS Using subtractive hybridization, a novel cDNA, designated vascular calcification-associated factor (VCAF), has been isolated from a bovine retinal pericyte cDNA library generated during the differentiation and mineralization of these cells in vitro. RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends was used to compile the 740-bp bovine cDNA sequence. Database searching reveals that VCAF has novel nucleotide/amino acid sequences. RNA analysis confirms that VCAF is upregulated in mineralized pericytes and is present in human calcified arteries but not noncalcified arteries. Protein analysis using a VCAF antibody confirms the presence of an 18-kDa protein in calcified nodules but not in confluent pericytes. Adenoviral antisense VCAF gene delivery reduces VCAF protein levels and accelerates pericyte differentiation compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate the isolation of a novel gene, VCAF, which is upregulated during vascular calcification in vitro and in vivo. Antisense VCAF gene delivery accelerates pericyte differentiation, implicating a role for VCAF in this clinically significant pathological process.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yvonne Alexander
- Department of Cardiac and Endocrine Science, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
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Bajaj BG, Lei P, Andreadis ST. Efficient Gene Transfer to Human Epidermal Keratinocytes on Fibronectin: In Vitro Evidence for Transduction of Epidermal Stem Cells. Mol Ther 2005; 11:969-79. [PMID: 15922968 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2004.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2004] [Revised: 10/22/2004] [Accepted: 10/26/2004] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The epidermis is an attractive target for gene therapy because it is easily accessible and has great potential as an ectopic site for protein delivery in vivo. Genetically modified keratinocytes can be expanded in culture and used to generate three-dimensional skin equivalents, which can deliver therapeutic proteins either locally or systemically for the treatment of wounds or systemic diseases. Here we present an optimum protocol that yields consistently high retroviral gene transfer on a substrate of recombinant fibronectin (rFN). Gene transfer on rFN depends strongly on virus concentration and the density of target cells. Interestingly, the kinetics of gene transfer varies depending upon the origin--mouse or human--of virus-producer cells. Most notably, long-term growth and clonogenic assays show that transduction on rFN promotes gene transfer to epidermal stem cells and prevents loss of clonogenic potential due to exposure of cells to retroviral supernatant. In contrast, the traditional protocol transduces mostly differentiated keratinocytes. We also show that skin equivalents prepared from genetically modified keratinocytes display high levels of transgene expression, mainly in the suprabasal layers. Our results are important for cutaneous gene therapy and for biological studies that require efficient and permanent genetic modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bharat G Bajaj
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Bioengineering Laboratory, 908 Furnas Hall, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Amherst, NY 14260, USA
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8
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Papini S, Cecchetti D, Campani D, Fitzgerald W, Grivel JC, Chen S, Margolis L, Revoltella RP. Isolation and clonal analysis of human epidermal keratinocyte stem cells in long-term culture. Stem Cells 2004; 21:481-94. [PMID: 12832701 DOI: 10.1634/stemcells.21-4-481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We developed a procedure for growing normal epidermal keratinocyte stem cells isolated from a single punch biopsy of adult human skin in long-term culture. Primary skin epithelial cells were maintained in collagen-coated plates with irradiated human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts (line HPI.1) as a feeder for more than 120 days, approximately 115 population doublings, without signs of replicative senescence. Clonal analysis revealed the presence of holoclones, meroclones, and paraclones. Only emerging colonies with high proliferative potentials and extensive capacities for division (holoclones and meroclones) were subcultured, favoring the expansion of stem cells and progenitors capable of prolonged self-maintenance when subcloned, thus accounting for the prevailing long-term proliferation of the original culture. We found that meroclones included bipotent progenitors capable of generating both keratinocytes and mucin-producing cells. The numbers of these cells were greater after confluence, suggesting that commitment for their differentiation occurred late in the life of a single clone. On a three-dimensional gelatin matrix and on a collagen layer containing the fibroblast feeder, cells isolated from the expansion of holoclones and meroclones formed stratified cohesive layers of keratinocytes that were able to further differentiate, as in normal skin. These results indicate that our procedure will serve as a valuable tool to study expansion of epidermal stem cells as well as the growth mechanisms and cell products associated with their growth and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Papini
- Immunobiology and Cell Differentiation Unit, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa, Italy
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9
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Cao T, Tsai SY, O'Malley BW, Wang XJ, Roop DR. The epidermis as a bioreactor: topically regulated cutaneous delivery into the circulation. Hum Gene Ther 2002; 13:1075-80. [PMID: 12067440 DOI: 10.1089/104303402753812476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have documented that the skin can be used as a bioreactor to produce proteins for systemic release to treat diseases. A gene-switch system has been developed that allows regulated expression of therapeutic genes. To determine whether this system could be used in the skin, we developed a transgenic mouse model in which expression of a therapeutic gene could be topically induced in epidermal keratinocytes. After a single induction, high levels of the therapeutic protein, human growth hormone (hGH), were released from keratinocytes into the circulation. The serum levels of hGH were dependent on the amount of inducer applied, and repeated induction resulted in increased weight gain by transgenic versus control mice. Furthermore, physiological levels of hGH were detected in the serum of nude mice after topical induction of small transgenic skin grafts. These results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of using the gene-switch system to regulate the delivery of therapeutic proteins into the circulation via genetically modified keratinocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongyu Cao
- Pacific Biomedical Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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Varady P, Li JZ, Alden TD, Kallmes DF, Williams MB, Helm GA. CT and radionuclide study of BMP-2 gene therapy-induced bone formation. Acad Radiol 2002; 9:632-7. [PMID: 12061736 DOI: 10.1016/s1076-6332(03)80307-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Gene therapy techniques have the potential to treat numerous diseases, from cancer to diabetes. One promising application is the use of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) gene transfer to induce bone formation. Previous studies have demonstrated that both direct and ex vivo BMP gene therapy have the capacity to initiate the normal endochondral pathway, leading to rapid mature bone formation. In the present study, computed tomography (CT) and radionuclide imaging was used to assess bone formation induced by BMP gene therapy accurately and noninvasively. MATERIALS AND METHODS Athymic nude rodents were treated with 1.25 x 10(10) particles of adenovirus-BMP-2 (Ad-BMP-2) (treatment group) or adenovirus-beta-gal (control group). At various intervals after treatment, the animals underwent CT, planar digital radiography, and planar radionuclide scintigraphic imaging. RESULTS Radionuclide scintigraphy clearly demonstrated active bone deposition that began as early as 15 days after treatment and peaked at approximately 36 days, only at the Ad-BMP-2 injection sites. CT clearly demonstrated ectopic bone induction over time at the Ad-BMP-2 treatment sites, in perfect correlation with the scintigraphic findings. CONCLUSION This study clearly illustrates that gene therapy-induced osteogenesis can be studied with multimodality imaging and supports the use of these approaches in future preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Varady
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia Health System, Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville 22908, USA
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Larcher F, Del Rio M, Serrano F, Segovia JC, Ramírez A, Meana A, Page A, Abad JL, González MA, Bueren J, Bernad A, Jorcano JL. A cutaneous gene therapy approach to human leptin deficiencies: correction of the murine ob/ob phenotype using leptin-targeted keratinocyte grafts. FASEB J 2001; 15:1529-38. [PMID: 11427484 DOI: 10.1096/fj.01-0082com] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Leptin deficiency produces a phenotype of obesity, diabetes, and infertility in the ob/ob mouse. In humans, leptin deficiency occurs in some cases of congenital obesity and in lipodystrophic disorders characterized by reduced adipose tissue and insulin resistance. Cutaneous gene therapy is considered an attractive potential method to correct circulating protein deficiencies, since gene-transferred human keratinocytes can produce and secrete gene products with systemic action. However, no studies showing correction of a systemic defect have been reported. We report the successful correction of leptin deficiency using cutaneous gene therapy in the ob/ob mouse model. As a feasibility approach, skin explants from transgenic mice overexpressing leptin were grafted on immunodeficient ob/ob mice. One month later, recipient mice reached body weight values of lean animals. Other biochemical and clinical parameters were also normalized. In a second human gene therapy approach, a retroviral vector encoding both leptin and EGFP cDNAs was used to transduce HK and, epithelial grafts enriched in high leptin-producing HK were transplanted to immunosuppressed ob/ob mice. HK-derived leptin induced body weight reduction after a drop in blood glucose and food intake. Leptin replacement through genetically engineered HK grafts provides a valuable therapeutic alternative for permanent treatment of human leptin deficiency conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Larcher
- Project of Cell and Molecular Biology and Gene Therapy. CIEMAT. Avenida Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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Wolfe D, Goins WF, Kaplan TJ, Capuano SV, Fradette J, Murphey-Corb M, Robbins PD, Cohen JB, Glorioso JC. Herpesvirus-mediated systemic delivery of nerve growth factor. Mol Ther 2001; 3:61-9. [PMID: 11162312 DOI: 10.1006/mthe.2000.0225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sustained systemic dissemination of therapeutic proteins from peripheral sites is an attractive prospect for gene therapy applications. Replication-defective genomic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) vectors were evaluated for their ability to express nerve growth factor (NGF) as a model gene product both locally and systemically. Intra-articular inoculation of NGF expression vectors in rabbits resulted in significant increases in joint lavage and blood plasma NGF that persisted for 1 year. A rhesus macaque injected intra-articularly displayed a comparable increase in plasma NGF for at least 6 months, at which time the serum NGF levels of this animal were sufficient to cause differentiation of PC12 cells in culture, but not to increase footpad epidermis innervation. Long-term reporter transgene expression was observed primarily in ligaments, a finding confirmed by direct inoculation of patellar ligament. Patellar ligament inoculation with a NGF vector resulted in elevated levels of circulating NGF similar to those observed following intra-articular vector delivery. These results represent the first demonstration of sustained systemic release of a transgene product using HSV vectors, raising the prospect of new applications for HSV-1 vectors in the treatment of systemic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Wolfe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
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Abstract
Epidermal keratinocytes can secrete polypeptides into the bloodstream, and they can be easily expanded in culture and genetically modified. It is thus possible to use epidermal keratinocytes for the systemic delivery of transgene products. Here we review the development of epidermal secretory systems, from cultured keratinocytes to skin grafts and transgenic mouse models. We also discuss a gene-switch approach for regulated cutaneous gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Cao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Hengge UR, Mirmohammadsadegh A. Adeno-associated virus expresses transgenes in hair follicles and epidermis. Mol Ther 2000; 2:188-94. [PMID: 10985948 DOI: 10.1006/mthe.2000.0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are nonpathogenic, integrating DNA vectors capable of transducing dividing and nondividing cells with the potential of long-term expression. Evaluating this interesting vector system in the skin for the first time, we found that an AAV vector containing the lacZ gene (AAVlacZ) led to the expression of beta-galactosidase for more than 6 weeks following in vivo injection. Interestingly, expression was present not only in dividing and postmitotic epidermal keratinocytes but also in hair follicle epithelial cells and eccrine sweat glands. However, expression upon readministration was limited. Functional studies in swine using human erythropoietin were hampered by immunogenicity. Thus, AAV seems to be the only vector to date that efficiently targets hair follicle epithelial cells. It may also be useful when longer term expression in keratinocytes than that achievable by direct injection of plasmid DNA is desired.
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Affiliation(s)
- U R Hengge
- Department of Dermatology, University of Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen, Germany.
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Abstract
To test the hypothesis that factor VIII expressed in the epidermis can correct hemophilia A, we generated transgenic mice in a factor VIII–deficient background that express human factor VIII under control of the involucrin promoter. Mice from 5 transgenic lines had both phenotypic correction and plasma factor VIII activity. In addition to the skin, however, some factor VIII expression was detected in other tissues that have stratified squamous epithelia. To determine whether an exclusively cutaneous source of factor VIII could correct factor VIII deficiency, we grafted skin explants from transgenic mice onto mice that are double knockouts for the factor VIII and RAG-1 genes. Two graft recipients had plasma factor VIII activity of 4% to 20% of normal and improved whole blood clotting compared with factor VIII–deficient mice. Thus, expression of factor VIII from the epidermis can correct hemophilia A mice, thereby supporting the feasibility of cutaneous gene therapy for systemic disease.
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Braddock M, Campbell CJ, Zuder D. Current therapies for wound healing: electrical stimulation, biological therapeutics, and the potential for gene therapy. Int J Dermatol 1999; 38:808-17. [PMID: 10583612 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-4362.1999.00832.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M Braddock
- Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration Programme, Endothelial Gene Expression Group. Vascular Diseases Unit, Glaxo-Wellcome Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
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Schneider H, Adebakin S, Themis M, Cook T, Douar AM, Pavirani A, Coutelle C. Therapeutic plasma concentrations of human factor IX in mice after gene delivery into the amniotic cavity: a model for the prenatal treatment of haemophilia B. J Gene Med 1999; 1:424-32. [PMID: 10753068 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1521-2254(199911/12)1:6<424::aid-jgm70>3.0.co;2-q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several groups including our own have reported gene delivery to fetal organs by vector administration into the amniotic cavity. Based on these studies we hypothesised that the large surface of the fetal skin may be exploitable for high level production of systemically required gene products to be released into the fetal circulation. METHODS We administered E1/E3-deleted adenoviral vectors carrying a bacterial beta-galactosidase gene or the human coagulation factor IX gene into the amniotic cavities of mid- to late-gestation mouse fetuses. The concentrations of human factor IX in the plasma of fetal or new-born mice were determined by ELISA. Reverse transcription PCR was used to identify sites of transgene expression. RESULTS Application of 5 x 10(8) infectious units of the factor IX gene vector in utero resulted in plasma concentrations of human factor IX of up to 1.2 microg/ml without significant decrease in fetal survival. Transgenic protein was found to be produced in the fetal skin, mucosae and amniotic membranes and was shown to be present for several days after birth of healthy pups. CONCLUSION As ultrasound-guided amniocentesis in humans is a well-established diagnostic procedure, delivery of the factor IX gene into the amniotic cavity appears to be a safe route for prenatal treatment of haemophilia B and may prevent haemorrhagic complications such as intracranial bleeding during delivery. Our study allowed for the first time a quantification of the expression of a potentially therapeutic transgene in rodents after prenatal gene delivery. It thus provides a model for the prenatal treatment of haemophilia B, but may also serve as a pathfinder to gene therapy of inheritable skin disorders such as epidermolysis bullosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Schneider
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK.
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Taichman LB. Systemic replacement therapy from genetically modified epidermal keratinocytes. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PHYSICIANS 1999; 111:206-10. [PMID: 10354360 DOI: 10.1046/j.1525-1381.1999.99226.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Epidermal keratinocytes are a potential vehicle for gene transfer and systemic delivery. We review data showing that epidermis-secreted protein does indeed reach the circulation, and we discuss factors that bear upon the issue of how much protein epidermal keratinocytes can deliver to the circulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L B Taichman
- Department of Dermatology and Oral Biology and Pathology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY 11794-8702, USA
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Abstract
We topically applied naked plasmid DNA containing the luciferase or chloramphenicol acetyltransferase cDNA directly to mouse skin. Gene expression was detected in skin samples as early as 4 h after DNA application, plateaued from 16 to 72 h post-application, and had decreased significantly by 7 d post-application. Reporter gene activity following topical DNA delivery was comparable with that produced by intradermal injection of DNA. Plasmid DNA at concentrations > or =0.25 microg per microl were required to achieve maximal expression levels. Reporter gene expression following topical administration was largely confined to the superficial layers of the epidermis and to hair follicles. Surprisingly, certain cationic liposomes inhibited the efficiency of cutaneous gene transfer. This technique provides a simple, clinically relevant approach to deliver genes to the skin, with potential application in treating a variety of cutaneous disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- W H Yu
- California Pacific Medical Research Institute, San Francisco, USA
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White SJ, Page SM, Margaritis P, Brownlee GG. Long-term expression of human clotting factor IX from retrovirally transduced primary human keratinocytes in vivo. Hum Gene Ther 1998; 9:1187-95. [PMID: 9625258 DOI: 10.1089/hum.1998.9.8-1187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A persistent obstacle that has hampered gene transfer experiments is the short-term nature of transgene expression in vivo. In this article we present evidence for sustained expression from primary human keratinocytes, using the retroviral vector MFG. Primary keratinocytes were transduced in culture with the MFG retroviral vector containing the coding region from factor IX cDNA. Transduced keratinocytes, which secreted on average 830 ng of factor IX/10(6) cells/24 hr in tissue culture, were used to form a bilayered skin equivalent and grafted onto nude mice under a silicone transplantation chamber. Between 0.1 and 2.75 ng of human factor IX per milliliter was found in mouse plasma for more than 1 year, suggesting that keratinocyte stem cells were both transduced and grafted. The results show, for the first time, that long-term expression is obtainable in retrovirally transduced keratinocytes after transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J White
- Chemical Pathology Unit, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, UK
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21
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Abstract
We are investigating whether skin-targeted gene therapy may be used to treat hemophilia B by transplanting keratinocytes transduced by factor IX-expressing retroviral vectors. No pre-clinical animal model for keratinocyte-mediated gene therapy has shown long-term efficacy in vivo. It remains unclear whether this short-term expression is due to promoter shut-off or a reduced survival of grafted genetically modified cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the fate of primary human keratinocytes superficially grafted to nude mice in a silicone transplantation chamber. In addition, vectors containing keratinocyte-specific enhancers from the human papilloma virus-16 (HPV-16) and human keratin 5 and 14 genes were used upstream of the cytomegaloviral (CMV) immediate-early promoter/enhancer to control factor IX cDNA expression to avoid promoter shut-off. Factor IX was secreted by cultured keratinocytes after transduction by each of these chimeric promoter/enhancer vectors, although the levels varied according to the particular construct used. Keratinocytes transduced by the vector containing the HPV-16 enhancer were grafted into nude mice, and human factor IX was detected in plasma at 0.02-9 ng per ml for 4-5 wk for the duration of graft survival. The HPV-16 enhancer may be a useful addition to expression vectors for keratinocyte gene therapy. The transplantation chamber can be adapted to grafting retrovirally transduced keratinocytes for gene transfer studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Page
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, U.K
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Miller N, Whelan J. Progress in transcriptionally targeted and regulatable vectors for genetic therapy. Hum Gene Ther 1997; 8:803-15. [PMID: 9143906 DOI: 10.1089/hum.1997.8.7-803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Safety is an important consideration in the development of genetic therapy protocols; for example, proteins that are therapeutic in the context of one tissue may be harmful in another. This is particularly relevant to suicide gene strategies for cancer, which require in vivo delivery of DNA and which, in general, demand that the therapeutic product be limited as far as possible to malignant cells. This has led to a requirement for "transcriptionally targeted" vectors that can restrict the expression of the therapeutic sequence to appropriate cells. Furthermore, there may be a therapeutic window for certain proteins such that levels of expression below and above certain thresholds may be ineffective or toxic, respectively. Therefore, it would also be desirable to create vectors that allow exogenous control of expression, so that levels of the therapeutic protein can be raised or lowered according to therapeutic need. In the context of transcriptional targeting, one may sometimes use cis-acting sequences to limit transgene expression to the target cell type. In genetic therapy for cancer, for example, it may be possible to identify and use transcriptional control elements that drive expression of proteins unique to, or over-expressed in, malignant cells. These controls would greatly reduce collateral expression of the transgene, and hence reduce toxicity to healthy cells. With regard to exogenous control of expression subsequent to transduction, several synthetic gene regulation systems have now been produced. In these systems, an inducer or repressor acts on a synthetic transcription factor that recognizes motifs unique to the promoter of the transgene; this allows regulated expression of the therapeutic protein without nonspecific effects on cellular promoters. It is likely that a vector will soon be produced in which tissue-restricted expression of the synthetic transcription factor is combined with regulatable transgene expression thereby allowing precise control of therapeutic protein production in specific tissues via administration of an inducing or repressing agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Miller
- Gene Regulation Group, Glaxo Institute for Molecular Biology, Geneva, Switzerland
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Abstract
Despite the overwhelming number of articles on gene therapy that have been published in the last few years, there is a paucity of trials that have successfully demonstrated the clinical usefulness of this modality. The enthusiasm characterizing some of the earlier studies has given way to a more realistic approach. The next step is to develop more efficient vectors for effective targeting and persistent gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Yaron
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hutzel Hospital, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
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Wang X, Zinkel S, Polonsky K, Fuchs E. Transgenic studies with a keratin promoter-driven growth hormone transgene: prospects for gene therapy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1997; 94:219-26. [PMID: 8990189 PMCID: PMC19291 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.94.1.219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/1996] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Keratinocytes are potentially appealing vehicles for the delivery of secreted gene products because they can be transferred to human skin by the relatively simple procedure of grafting. Adult human keratinocytes can be efficiently propagated in culture with sufficient proliferative capacity to produce enough epidermis to cover the body surface of an average adult. However, the feasibility of delivering secreted proteins through skin grafting rests upon (i) the strength of the promoter in keratinocytes and (ii) the efficiency of protein transport through the basement membrane of the stratified epithelium and into the bloodstream. In this paper, we use transgenic technology to demonstrate that the activity of the human keratin 14 promoter remains high in adult skin and that keratinocyte-derived human growth hormone (hGH) can be produced, secreted, and transported to the bloodstream of mice with efficiency that is sufficient to exceed by an order of magnitude the circulating hGH concentration in growing children. Transgenic skin grafts from these adults continue to produce and secrete hGH stably, at approximately 1/10 physiological levels in the bloodstream of nontransgenic recipient mice. These studies underscore the utility of the keratin 14 promoter for expressing foreign transgenes in keratinocytes and demonstrate that keratinocytes can be used as effective vehicles for transporting factors to the bloodstream and for eliciting metabolic changes. These findings have important implications for considering the keratinocyte as a possible vehicle for gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Wang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Takahashi K, Coulombe PA. A transgenic mouse model with an inducible skin blistering disease phenotype. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1996; 93:14776-81. [PMID: 8962131 PMCID: PMC26212 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.93.25.14776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the current limitations of gene transfer protocols involving mammalian genomes is the lack of spatial and temporal control over the desired gene manipulation. Starting from a human keratin gene showing a complex regulation as a template, we identified regulatory sequences that confer inducible gene expression in a subpopulation of keratinocytes in stratified epithelia of adult transgenic mice. We used this cassette to produce transgenic mice with an inducible skin blistering phenotype mimicking a form of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, a keratin gene disorder. Upon induction by topical application of a phorbol ester, the mutant keratin transgene product accumulates in the differentiating layers of epidermis, leading to keratinocyte lysis after application of mechanical trauma. This mouse model will allow for a better understanding of the complex relationship between keratin mutation, keratinocyte cytoarchitecture, and hypersensitivity to trauma. The development of an inducible expression vector showing an exquisite cellular specificity has important implications for manipulating genes in a spatially and temporally controlled fashion in transgenic mice, and for the design of gene therapy strategies using skin as a tissue source for the controlled delivery of foreign substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Takahashi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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26
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Mathor MB, Ferrari G, Dellambra E, Cilli M, Mavilio F, Cancedda R, De Luca M. Clonal analysis of stably transduced human epidermal stem cells in culture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1996; 93:10371-6. [PMID: 8816807 PMCID: PMC38391 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.93.19.10371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We have transduced normal human keratinocytes with retroviral constructs expressing a bacterial beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene or a human interleukin-6 (hIL-6) cDNA under control of a long terminal repeat. Efficiency of gene transfer averaged approximately 50% and 95% of clonogenic keratinocytes for beta-gal and hIL-6, respectively. Both genes were stably integrated and expressed for more than 150 generations. Clonal analysis showed that both holoclones and their transient amplifying progeny expressed the transgene permanently. Southern blot analysis on isolated clones showed that many keratinocyte stem cells integrated multiple proviral copies in their genome and that the synthesis of the exogenous gene product in vitro was proportional to the number of proviral integrations. When cohesive epidermal sheets prepared from stem cells transduced with hIL-6 were grafted on athymic animals, the serum levels of hIL-6 were strictly proportional to the rate of secretion in vitro and therefore to the number of proviral integrations. The possibility of specifying the level of transgene expression and its permanence in a homogeneous clone of stem cell origin opens new perspectives in the long-term treatment of genetic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B Mathor
- Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
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