Early, sustained efficacy of adeno-associated virus vector-mediated gene therapy in glycogen storage disease type Ia

The deficiency of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) underlies life-threatening hypoglycemia and growth retardation in glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD-Ia). An adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector encoding G6Pase was pseudotyped as AAV8 and administered to 2-week-old GSD-Ia mice (n = 9). Median survival was prolonged to 7 months following vector administration, in contrast to untreated GSD-Ia mice that survived for only 2 weeks. Although GSD-Ia mice were initially growth-retarded, treated mice increased fourfold in weight to normal size. Blood glucose was partially corrected by 2 weeks following treatment, whereas blood cholesterol normalized. Glucose-6-phosphatase activity was partially corrected to 25% of the normal level at 7 months of age in treated mice, and blood glucose during fasting remained lower in treated, affected mice than in normal mice. Glycogen storage was partially corrected in the liver by 2 weeks following treatment, but reaccumulated to pre-treatment levels by 7 months old (m.o.). Vector genome DNA decreased between 3 days and 3 weeks in the liver following vector administration, mainly through the loss of single-stranded genomes; however, double-stranded vector genomes were more stable. Although CD8+ lymphocytic infiltrates were present in the liver, partial biochemical correction was sustained at 7 m.o. The development of efficacious AAV vector-mediated gene therapy could significantly reduce the impact of long-term complications in GSD-Ia, including hypoglycemia, hyperlipidemia and growth failure.

Delivery of glucose-6-phosphatase in a canine model for glycogen storage disease, type Ia, with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors

Therapy in glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD Ia), an inherited disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, relies on nutritional support that postpones but fails to prevent long-term complications of GSD Ia. In the canine model for GSD Ia, we evaluated the potential of intravenously delivered adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for gene therapy. In three affected canines, liver glycogen was reduced following hepatic expression of canine glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase). Two months after AAV vector administration, one affected dog had normalization of fasting glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and lactic acid. Concatamerized AAV vector DNA was confirmed by Southern blot analysis of liver DNA isolated from treated dogs, as head-to-tail, head-to-head, and tail-to-tail concatamers. Six weeks after vector administration, the level of vector DNA signal in each dog varied from one to five copies per cell, consistent with variation in the efficiency of transduction within the liver. AAV vector administration in the canine model for GSD Ia resulted in sustained G6Pase expression and improvement in liver histology and in biochemical parameters.

High levels of IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA and low levels of IL-2, IL-9 and IFN-gamma mRNA in MuLV-induced lymphomas

The expression of cytokines may influence the development of lymphoma in retrovirally infected animals in at least two ways: (1) cytokines in the tumor environment may stimulate the proliferation of tumor cells and/or (2) cytokines in the tumor environment may diminish the cell-mediated antitumor immune response. To evaluate these possibilities, a semiquantitative RT-PCR approach was utilized to permit a broad screening of cytokine mRNAs in a large number of tissue samples. Examination of MuLV-induced end-stage lymphomas revealed the absence of mRNA for cytokines known to stimulate the proliferation of T cells (i.e., IL-2, IL-9), the absence of mRNA for cytokines known to enhance cell-mediated antitumor immune responses (i.e., IL-2, IFNgamma), and the presence of mRNA for cytokines known to diminish such responses (i.e., IL-4, IL-10). Similar patterns of cytokine mRNA expression were detected in tumor-derived cell lines. Spleen and thymus from animals collected longitudinally during infection and from age-matched uninfected mice also demonstrated a similar pattern, except that IFNgamma mRNA was readily detectable. These findings do not support the hypothesis that the developing tumor depends on cytokines to provide proliferative signals. The findings suggest that cytokines in the immediate environment of the lymphoma support tumor development by acting to diminish an effective antitumor immune response.

The feline leukemia virus long terminal repeat contains a potent genetic determinant of T-cell lymphomagenicity

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is an important pathogen of domestic cats. The most common type of malignancy associated with FeLV is T-cell lymphoma. SL3-3 (SL3) is a potent T-cell lymphomagenic murine leukemia virus. Transcriptional enhancer sequences within the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of SL3 and other murine retroviruses are crucial genetic determinants of the pathogenicities of these viruses. The LTR enhancer sequences of FeLV contain identical binding sites for some of the transcription factors that are known to affect the lymphomagenicity of SL3. To test whether the FeLV LTR contains a genetic determinant of lymphomagenicity, a recombinant virus that contained the U3 region of a naturally occurring FeLV isolate, LC-FeLV, linked to the remainder of the genome of SL3 was generated. When inoculated into mice, the recombinant virus induced T-cell lymphomas nearly as quickly as SL3. Moreover, the U3 sequences of LC-FeLV were found to have about half as much transcriptional activity in T lymphocytes as the corresponding sequences of SL3. This level of activity was severalfold higher than that of the LTR of weakly leukemogenic Akv virus. Thus, the FeLV LTR contains a potent genetic determinant of T-cell lymphomagenicity. Presumably, it is adapted to be recognized by transcription factors present in T cells of cats, and this yields a relatively high level of transcription that allows the enhancer to drive the requisite steps in the process of lymphomagenesis.

Somatic embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration in Cornus florida

Somatic embryos were initiated from 12 to 15 weeks postanthesis (WPA) zygotic embryos of Cornus florida L. (flowering dogwood) cultured on Murashige-Skoog (MS) or Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) medium amended with either 3 mg/L 2,4-D or 5 mg/L 2,4-D and 1 mg/L kinetin. White, opaque globular and early cotyledonary stage embryos were formed directly on detached cotyledons from 2 of the 5 trees sampled after 7 weeks of culture. Morphologically mature embryos developed after an additional 4 weeks incubation on medium without growth regulators; however, many of the embryos were fused in pairs along the entire length of the hypocotyl-radicle axis. Indirect embryogenesis was observed from callus cultures initiated from 9 to 15 WPA zygotic embryos. These cultures have continued to produce embryos for 16 months. Many of the embryos formed roots on germination medium, but only 12% formed plantlets and none developed past the first true leaf stage.

Plantlet regeneration from mature zygotic embryos of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.)

Plants were regenerated from whole embryo explants obtained from eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) seeds. Embryos were surgically removed and axenically cultured to induce buds in vitro on a modified Murashige and Skoog medium containing various concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine. Embryos remained on bud induction medium for 21 days and then were transferred to the same basal medium without 6-benzylaminopurine to promote bud development and subsequent shoot elongation. The medium containing 10 μM 6-benzylaminopurine induced the greatest number of shoots per embryo. Rooting was achieved by direct transfer of the shoots to a non-sterile artificial soil mixture followed by multiple treatments with 15 nM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid. Regenerated seedlings are currently growing under greenhouse conditions.

Somatic embryogenesis from immature embryos of redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Somatic embryos developed directly from 96 and 110 day post-anthesis Cercis canadensis L. (redbud) zygotic embryos from one of two trees sampled that were explanted onto modified Schenk and Hildebrandt medium amended with either 1, 2, 3 or 5 mg/1 2,4-D in combination with either 7.6 or 12. 6 mM ammonium ion. Although somatic embryogenesis was expressed on most media, the number of explants that produced somatic embryos and the mean number of embryos formed per explant were greatest on media that contained either 2 or 3 mg/1 2,4-D; 12.6 mM ammonium ion inhibited embryogenesis from 96 day post-anthesis explants. Zygotic embryos explanted 117 days after anthesis produced only callus and roots. Somatic embryos that were bottle-shaped or had distinct cotyledons organized roots on germination media, but only one embryo formed a shoot. No additional development occurred. Histological examination of somatic embryos showed that shoot apical meristems were poorly developed.