TRAF6-IRF5 kinetics, TRIF, and biophysical factors drive synergistic innate responses to particle-mediated MPLA-CpG co-presentation

Innate immune responses to pathogens are driven by co-presentation of multiple pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Combinations of PAMPs can trigger synergistic immune responses, but the underlying molecular mechanisms of synergy are poorly understood. Here, we used synthetic particulate carriers co-loaded with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) and CpG as pathogen-like particles (PLPs) to dissect the signaling pathways responsible for dual adjuvant immune responses. PLP-based co-delivery of MPLA and CpG to GM-CSF-driven mouse bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells (BM-APCs) elicited synergistic interferon-β (IFN-β) and interleukin-12p70 (IL-12p70) responses, which were strongly influenced by the biophysical properties of PLPs. Mechanistically, we found that MyD88 and interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) were necessary for IFN-β and IL-12p70 production, while TRIF signaling was required for the synergistic response. Both the kinetics and magnitude of downstream TRAF6 and IRF5 signaling drove the synergy. These results identify the key mechanisms of synergistic Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-TLR9 co-signaling in mouse BM-APCs and underscore the critical role of signaling kinetics and biophysical properties on the integrated response to combination adjuvants.

Retinal transduction profiles by high-capacity viral vectors

Retinal gene therapy with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors is safe and effective in humans. However, the limited cargo capacity of AAV prevents their use for therapy of those inherited retinopathies (IRs) due to mutations in large (>5kb) genes. Viral vectors derived from Adenovirus (Ad), Lentivirus (LV) and Herpesvirus (HV) can package large DNA sequences but do not target efficiently retinal photoreceptors (PRs) where the majority of genes responsible for IRs are expressed.

Here, we have evaluated the mouse retinal transduction profiles of vectors derived from 16 different Ad serotypes, 7 LV pseudotypes, and from a bovine HV. Most of the vectors tested transduced efficiently the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). We found that LV-GP64 tends to transduce more PRs than the canonical LV-VSVG albeit this was restricted to a narrow region. We observed more extensive PR transduction with HdAd1, 2 and 5/F35++ than with LV, although none of them outperformed the canonical HdAd5 or matched the extension of PR transduction achieved with AAV2/8.

A capsid-modified adenovirus vector devoid of all viral genes: assessment of transduction and toxicity in human hematopoietic cells

Inefficient gene transfer has limited the success of gene therapy in the hematopoietic system. Here we develop a novel chimeric adenovirus (Ad) vector containing Ad serotype 11 fiber-modified capsids and E1/E3 deleted viral genomes (Ad5/11) or genomes devoid of all viral genes (DeltaAd5/11). The capsid-modified vectors transduced human hematopoietic cells more efficiently than the unmodified Ad5-based vector. The absence of viral genes from the DeltaAd5/11 vector allowed for transduction without the associated toxicity seen with the first-generation E1/E3 deleted vector. Chimeric vectors were used for transient expression of the ecotropic retrovirus receptor (ecoR) in Mo7e cells (a CD34-positive, c-Kit-positive, growth-factor-dependent human cell line) as a model for human hematopoietic progenitor cells. Expression of ecoR conferred susceptibility to subsequent retroviral transduction. The DeltaAd5/11 vector used to express ecoR allowed for expansion of retrovirally transduced cells, whereas transduction with the first-generation Ad5/11 vector resulted in cytotoxicity and, over time, loss of cells expressing the retrovirus-vector-derived transgene.

Dependence of adenovirus infectivity on length of the fiber shaft domain

One of the objectives in adenovirus (Ad) vector development is to target gene delivery to specific cell types. Major attention has been given to modification of the Ad fiber knob, which is thought to determine virus tropism. However, among the human Ad serotypes with different tissue tropisms, not only the knob but also the length of the fiber shaft domain varies significantly. In this study we attempted to delineate the role of fiber length in coxsackievirus-adenovirus receptor (CAR)- and non-CAR-mediated infection. A series of Ad serotype 5 (Ad5) capsid-based vectors containing long or short fibers with knob domains derived from Ad5, Ad9, or Ad35 was constructed and tested in adsorption, internalization, and transduction studies. For Ad5 or Ad9 knob-possessing vectors, a long-shafted fiber was critical for efficient adsorption/internalization and transduction of CAR/alphav integrin-expressing cells. Ad5 capids containing short CAR-recognizing fibers were affected in cell adsorption and infection. In contrast, for the chimeric vectors possessing Ad35 knobs, which enter cells by a CAR/alphav integrin-independent pathway, fiber shaft length had no significant influence on binding or infectibility on tested cells. The weak attachment of short-shafted Ad5 or Ad9 knob-possessing vectors seems to be causally associated with a charge-dependent repulsion between Ad5 capsid and acidic cell surface proteins. The differences between short- and long-shafted vectors in attachment or infection were abrogated by preincubation of cells with polycations. This study demonstrates that the fiber-CAR interaction is not the sole determinant for tropism of Ad vectors containing chimeric fibers. CAR- and alphav integrin-mediated infections are influenced by other factors, including the length of the fiber shaft.

Efficient gene transfer into human CD34(+) cells by a retargeted adenovirus vector

Efficient infection with adenovirus (Ad) vectors based on serotype 5 (Ad5) requires the presence of coxsackievirus-adenovirus receptors (CAR) and alpha(v) integrins on cells. The paucity of these cellular receptors is thought to be a limiting factor for Ad gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells. In a systematic approach, we screened different Ad serotypes for interaction with noncycling human CD34(+) cells and K562 cells on the level of virus attachment, internalization, and replication. From these studies, serotype 35 emerged as the variant with the highest tropism for CD34(+) cells. A chimeric vector (Ad5GFP/F35) was generated which contained the short-shafted Ad35 fiber incorporated into an Ad5 capsid. This substitution was sufficient to transplant all infection properties from Ad35 to the chimeric vector. The retargeted, chimeric vector attached to a receptor different from CAR and entered cells by an alpha(v) integrin-independent pathway. In transduction studies, Ad5GFP/F35 expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) in 54% of CD34(+) cells. In comparison, the standard Ad5GFP vector conferred GFP expression to only 25% of CD34(+) cells. Importantly, Ad5GFP transduction, but not Ad5GFP/F35, was restricted to a specific subset of CD34(+) cells expressing alpha(v) integrins. The actual transduction efficiency was even higher than 50% because Ad5GFP/F35 viral genomes were found in GFP-negative CD34(+) cell fractions, indicating that the cytomegalovirus promoter used for transgene expression was not active in all transduced cells. The chimeric vector allowed for gene transfer into a broader spectrum of CD34(+) cells, including subsets with potential stem cell capacity. Fifty-five percent of CD34(+) c-Kit(+) cells expressed GFP after infection with Ad5GFP/F35, whereas only 13% of CD34(+) c-Kit(+) cells were GFP positive after infection with Ad5GFP. These findings represent the basis for studies aimed toward stable gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells.