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Dhungel BP, Winburn I, Pereira CDF, Huang K, Chhabra A, Rasko JEJ. Understanding AAV vector immunogenicity: from particle to patient. Theranostics 2024; 14:1260-1288. [PMID: 38323309 PMCID: PMC10845199 DOI: 10.7150/thno.89380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene therapy holds promise for patients with inherited monogenic disorders, cancer, and rare genetic diseases. Naturally occurring adeno-associated virus (AAV) offers a well-suited vehicle for clinical gene transfer due to its lack of significant clinical pathogenicity and amenability to be engineered to deliver therapeutic transgenes in a variety of cell types for long-term sustained expression. AAV has been bioengineered to produce recombinant AAV (rAAV) vectors for many gene therapies that are approved or in late-stage development. However, ongoing challenges hamper wider use of rAAV vector-mediated therapies. These include immunity against rAAV vectors, limited transgene packaging capacity, sub-optimal tissue transduction, potential risks of insertional mutagenesis and vector shedding. This review focuses on aspects of immunity against rAAV, mediated by anti-AAV neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) arising after natural exposure to AAVs or after rAAV vector administration. We provide an in-depth analysis of factors determining AAV seroprevalence and examine clinical approaches to managing anti-AAV NAbs pre- and post-vector administration. Methodologies used to quantify anti-AAV NAb levels and strategies to overcome pre-existing AAV immunity are also discussed. The broad adoption of rAAV vector-mediated gene therapies will require wider clinical appreciation of their current limitations and further research to mitigate their impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijay P. Dhungel
- Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - John E. J. Rasko
- Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Cell and Molecular Therapies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Sell MC, Ramlogan-Steel CA, Steel JC, Dhungel BP. MicroRNAs in cancer metastasis: biological and therapeutic implications. Expert Rev Mol Med 2023; 25:e14. [PMID: 36927814 PMCID: PMC10407223 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2023.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Cancer metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths. The seeding of primary tumours at a secondary site is a highly inefficient process requiring substantial alterations in the genetic architecture of cancer cells. These alterations include significant changes in global gene expression patterns. MicroRNAs are small, non-protein coding RNAs which play a central role in regulating gene expression. Here, we focus on microRNA determinants of cancer metastasis and examine microRNA dysregulation in metastatic cancer cells. We dissect the metastatic process in a step-wise manner and summarise the involvement of microRNAs at each step. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of different microRNA-based strategies that have been used to target metastasis in pre-clinical models. Finally, we highlight current clinical trials that use microRNA-based therapies to target advanced or metastatic tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie C. Sell
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia
| | - Charmaine A. Ramlogan-Steel
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia
| | - Jason C. Steel
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia
| | - Bijay P. Dhungel
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
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Dorney R, Dhungel BP, Rasko JEJ, Hebbard L, Schmitz U. Recent advances in cancer fusion transcript detection. Brief Bioinform 2022; 24:6918739. [PMID: 36527429 PMCID: PMC9851307 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensive investigation of gene fusions in cancer has led to the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. To date, most studies have neglected chromosomal rearrangement-independent fusion transcripts and complex fusion structures such as double or triple-hop fusions, and fusion-circRNAs. In this review, we untangle fusion-related terminology and propose a classification system involving both gene and transcript fusions. We highlight the importance of RNA-level fusions and how long-read sequencing approaches can improve detection and characterization. Moreover, we discuss novel bioinformatic tools to identify fusions in long-read sequencing data and strategies to experimentally validate and functionally characterize fusion transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryley Dorney
- epartment of Molecular & Cell Biology, College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia,Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns 4878, Australia
| | - Bijay P Dhungel
- Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia,Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia,Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns 4878, Australia
| | - John E J Rasko
- Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia,Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Lionel Hebbard
- epartment of Molecular & Cell Biology, College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia,Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ulf Schmitz
- Corresponding author. Ulf Schmitz, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, College of Public Health, Medical and Vet Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia. E-mail:
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Chalada M, Ramlogan-Steel CA, Dhungel BP, Goh AY, Gardiner S, Layton CJ, Steel JC. Differences in Uveal Melanoma Age-Standardized Incidence Rates in Two Eastern States of Australia Are Driven by Differences in Rurality and Ultraviolet Radiation. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5894. [PMID: 34885004 PMCID: PMC8657208 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13235894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the second-most-common melanoma in humans and has a high age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) in Australia. Regional patterns of UM ASRs in Australia are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine and compare UM ASRs in two geographically disparate eastern states, Queensland (QLD) and Victoria (VIC), by using cancer registry data that was obtained from 2001 to 2013. World-standardized UM ASRs and incidence-rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated. Higher UM ASR was also observed in anterior UM compared to posterior UM ASR. UM ASR remained unchanged from 2001 to 2013 in QLD but decreased in VIC. A south-to-north latitude trend in UM ASR along the east of Australia is weakly evident, and rural populations have higher UM ASRs than major city populations in both states. Differences in ultraviolent radiation (UVR) susceptibility, indigenous populations, social behaviours, chemical exposure, and socioeconomic status could all be contributing to differences in UM rates between QLD and VIC and between rural compared to major city areas. It is possible that a minority of cases in QLD and VIC might be prevented by sun-protective behaviours. This is important, because these findings suggest that QLD, which is already known to have one of the highest cutaneous melanoma (CM) ASRs in the world, also has one of the highest UM ASRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Chalada
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia; (M.C.); (C.A.R.-S.)
| | - Charmaine A. Ramlogan-Steel
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia; (M.C.); (C.A.R.-S.)
| | - Bijay P. Dhungel
- Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Amanda Y. Goh
- Faculty of Medicine, Greenslopes Clinical School, The University of Queensland, Greenslopes, QLD 4120, Australia;
| | - Samuel Gardiner
- Clinical Research Centre, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
| | - Christopher J. Layton
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia; (M.C.); (C.A.R.-S.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Greenslopes Clinical School, The University of Queensland, Greenslopes, QLD 4120, Australia;
- LVF Ophthalmology Research Centre, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jason C. Steel
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia; (M.C.); (C.A.R.-S.)
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Schmitz U, Shah JS, Dhungel BP, Monteuuis G, Luu PL, Petrova V, Metierre C, Nair SS, Bailey CG, Saunders VA, Turhan AG, White DL, Branford S, Clark SJ, Hughes TP, Wong JJL, Rasko JE. Widespread Aberrant Alternative Splicing despite Molecular Remission in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12123738. [PMID: 33322625 PMCID: PMC7764299 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12123738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary This study provides new insights into the changing transcriptomic and epigenomic landscapes in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients who are receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy (often life-long). Alternative splicing, vital for cellular homeostasis, is dysregulated in human cancers. Remarkably, we found abnormal splicing patterns despite molecular remission in peripheral blood cells of chronic-phase CML patients. This phenomenon is independent of the TKI drug used and in striking contrast to the normalisation of gene expression and DNA methylation patterns. Abstract Vast transcriptomics and epigenomics changes are characteristic of human cancers, including leukaemia. At remission, we assume that these changes normalise so that omics-profiles resemble those of healthy individuals. However, an in-depth transcriptomic and epigenomic analysis of cancer remission has not been undertaken. A striking exemplar of targeted remission induction occurs in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) following tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Using RNA sequencing and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, we profiled samples from chronic-phase CML patients at diagnosis and remission and compared these to healthy donors. Remarkably, our analyses revealed that abnormal splicing distinguishes remission samples from normal controls. This phenomenon is independent of the TKI drug used and in striking contrast to the normalisation of gene expression and DNA methylation patterns. Most remarkable are the high intron retention (IR) levels that even exceed those observed in the diagnosis samples. Increased IR affects cell cycle regulators at diagnosis and splicing regulators at remission. We show that aberrant splicing in CML is associated with reduced expression of specific splicing factors, histone modifications and reduced DNA methylation. Our results provide novel insights into the changing transcriptomic and epigenomic landscapes of CML patients during remission. The conceptually unanticipated observation of widespread aberrant alternative splicing after remission induction warrants further exploration. These results have broad implications for studying CML relapse and treating minimal residual disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf Schmitz
- Computational BioMedicine Laboratory Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (U.S.); (V.P.)
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (J.S.S.); (B.P.D.); (G.M.); (C.M.); (C.G.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
| | - Jaynish S. Shah
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (J.S.S.); (B.P.D.); (G.M.); (C.M.); (C.G.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
| | - Bijay P. Dhungel
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (J.S.S.); (B.P.D.); (G.M.); (C.M.); (C.G.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
| | - Geoffray Monteuuis
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (J.S.S.); (B.P.D.); (G.M.); (C.M.); (C.G.B.)
| | - Phuc-Loi Luu
- Epigenetics Research Laboratory, Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; (P.-L.L.); (S.J.C.)
| | - Veronika Petrova
- Computational BioMedicine Laboratory Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (U.S.); (V.P.)
| | - Cynthia Metierre
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (J.S.S.); (B.P.D.); (G.M.); (C.M.); (C.G.B.)
| | - Shalima S. Nair
- Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics Core Facility, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia;
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Charles G. Bailey
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (J.S.S.); (B.P.D.); (G.M.); (C.M.); (C.G.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
| | - Verity A. Saunders
- Cancer Program, Precision Medicine Theme, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA 50000, Australia; (V.A.S.); (D.L.W.)
| | - Ali G. Turhan
- APHP, Division of Hematology, Paris Sud University Hospitals and Inserm U935 INGESTEM Pluripotent Stem Cell Infrastructure 78 Rue du Général Leclerc, 94275 Le Kremlin Bicetre, France;
| | - Deborah L. White
- Cancer Program, Precision Medicine Theme, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA 50000, Australia; (V.A.S.); (D.L.W.)
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; (S.B.); (T.P.H.)
- Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Susan Branford
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; (S.B.); (T.P.H.)
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Pathology, Centre for Cancer Biology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Susan J. Clark
- Epigenetics Research Laboratory, Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; (P.-L.L.); (S.J.C.)
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Timothy P. Hughes
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; (S.B.); (T.P.H.)
- Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- Department of Haematology, Centre for Cancer Biology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
| | - Justin J.-L. Wong
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
- Epigenetics and RNA Biology Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - John E.J. Rasko
- Gene & Stem Cell Therapy Program Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (J.S.S.); (B.P.D.); (G.M.); (C.M.); (C.G.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia;
- Cell and Molecular Therapies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-2-9565-6160
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