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Journal of Virology, January 2000, p. 505-512, Vol. 74, No. 1
Programme Thérapie Génique,
Généthon III and CNRS URA 1923, 91002 Evry, France
Received 18 June 1999/Accepted 24 September 1999
Preclinical studies have shown that gene transfer following
readministration of viral vectors is often inefficient due to the
presence of neutralizing antibodies. Vectors derived from ubiquitous
human adenoviruses may have limited clinical use because preexisting
humoral and cellular immunity is found in 90% of the population.
Furthermore, risks associated with the use of human adenovirus vectors,
such as the need to immunosuppress or tolerize patients to a
potentially debilitating virus, are avoidable if efficient nonhuman
adenovirus vectors are feasible. Plasmids containing recombinant canine
adenovirus (CAV) vectors from which the E1 region had been deleted were
generated and transfected into a CAV E1-transcomplementing cell line.
Vector stocks, with titers greater than or equal to those obtained with
human adenovirus vectors, were free of detectable levels of
replication-competent CAV and had a low particle-to-transduction unit
ratio. CAV vectors were replication defective in all cell lines tested,
transduced human-derived cells at an efficiency similar to that of a
comparable human adenovirus type 5 vector, and are amenable to in vivo
use. Importantly, 49 of 50 serum samples from healthy individuals did not contain detectable levels of neutralizing CAV antibodies.
Human adenovirus types 2 and 5 were
chosen as potential gene transfer vectors because of the significant
amount of research performed on these serotypes. However, vectors
derived from viruses that naturally infect and replicate in humans may
not be the optimal candidates for therapeutic applications.
Adenoviruses are ubiquitous in all populations and can be lethal in
infants and immunocompromised patients (5, 18, 24). More
than 90% of the adult population has detectable levels of circulating
antibodies directed against antigens from human serotypes (9, 32,
33). Phase I trials using human adenovirus vectors have yielded
conflicting results (8, 21, 41). A difference in humoral
immunity that is directed against the vector capsid might explain, in
addition to other factors, the variability between and within these
studies. Furthermore, when repeat administrations were attempted
(7, 42), transgene activity was not detected. Studies aimed
at immunotolerization of mice, for the primary or repeat delivery of
human adenovirus vectors, are interesting from the immunological
standpoint but may have limited practical use in the clinic. Will
immunotolerization of patients to adenovirus vectors activate latent,
more virulent serotypes? Concomitantly, there are other drawbacks
associated with human-derived adenovirus vectors. More than 95% of a
healthy cohort had a long-lived CD4+ T-cell response
directed against multiple human adenovirus serotypes (14).
These data imply that adenovirus serotype switching (27) may
have limited advantages. Furthermore, replication-competent adenoviruses (RCAs) (26) can potentially contaminate human
adenovirus-derived vector stocks, including gutless adenovirus vectors
(16, 22), while E1 region-positive vectors are a potential
contaminant in vectors from which E1 and E4 have been deleted
( In order to address these issues, we previously tried to generate
nonhuman adenovirus vectors from the Manhattan strain of canine
adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) (20). However, we were unable to
generate a recombinant CAV vector derived from this serotype that was
not significantly (>99%) contaminated with replication-competent CAV-2 particles. Replication-competent bovine, ovine, and avian adenovirus vectors have been described previously (28, 29, 37,
39) and currently appear useful as nonhuman vaccines. In order to
generate vectors for gene transfer in the clinic, the potentially
oncogenic CAV-2 E1 region must be deleted from the vector stock, and a
CAV-2 E1-transcomplementing cell line must be generated in order to
propagate the vectors. Here, we have generated nonhuman adenovirus
vectors derived from the Toronto strain of CAV-2 using
E1-transcomplementing cell lines derived from canine cells. These CAV
vectors can be grown to high titers and are replication defective in
canine cells, as well as in human cells that can transcomplement
E1-deleted human adenovirus vectors. CAV vectors gave encouraging
results after having been tested (i) in vitro in order to determine
their ability and efficacy to transduce human-derived cell lines
compared to a human adenovirus vector, (ii) for the absence of
replication-competent CAV-2 contaminating the stocks, and (iii) for the
particle-to-transduction unit ratio. In addition, in vivo tests show
that CAV vectors can effectively transduce mouse airway epithelia when
delivered intranasally. However, these CAV vectors and future
derivatives will be useful only if there is no preexisting humoral
immunity that can neutralize transduction. Here we show that sera from
a majority of a random healthy cohort contain significant amounts of
neutralizing adenovirus type 5 antibodies but not neutralizing CAV-2 antibodies.
Cells.
DK (canine kidney cells; ATCC CRL6247), DK/E1-1
(20), DK/E1-28 (20), DK28Cre (a subclone of
DK/E1-28), 911 (10), HT 1080 (ATCC CCL121), HeLa (ATCC
CCL2), and A172 (ATCC CRL 1620) cells were grown in Dulbecco's
modified Eagle medium (GIBCO)-10% fetal calf serum (BioWhittaker)-2
mM glutamine (GIBCO). DK/E1-1, DK/E1-28, and DK28Cre contain the CAV-2
E1 region stably integrated in the genome with the E1A region under the
control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and the E1B region under
the control of its own promoter. In an effort to increase vector
production, we tested two DK/E1-28 subclones for the ability to amplify
the CAV vectors. One of the two, DK28Cre cells, gave a homogeneous
infection pattern and a higher yield. DK/E1-1, DK/E1-28, and DK28Cre
are derived from DK cells, an immortalized line.
Plasmids and viruses.
DNA preparations, restriction enzyme
digests, and Southern blot analysis were performed under standard
conditions (2). Details of the construction of the
pretransfer and transfer plasmids, pCAVGFP and ptGFP, are available
on request. Briefly, pCAVGFP contains the first 411 bp of the left end
of CAV-2 and a green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression cassette
containing a CMV early region enhancer/promoter, a simian virus 40 (SV40) intron with splice donor and acceptor sites, the humanized
red-shifted version of the Aequorea victoria GFP (EGFP;
Clontech), and an SV40 polyadenylation site followed by bp 2898 to bp
5298 of CAV-2 cloned into pSP73 (Promega). The expression cassette is
transcribed from right to left in plasmids and GFP-expressing CAV
vectors. pCAV
0022-538X/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Canine Adenovirus Vectors: an Alternative for
Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer
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ABSTRACT
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
![]()
INTRODUCTION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
E1
E4 vectors) (40). In addition, recombination of the
vector with a wild-type adenovirus, producing an RCA harboring a
transgene, still remains a theoretical risk with early-generation vectors.
![]()
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
gal has been described elsewhere (20) and
contains the Rous sarcoma virus promoter driving expression of
lacZ. pTG5412, a generous gift from Transgene SA, contains
the CAV-2 genome (strain Toronto A 26/61; GenBank accession no. J04368)
flanked by NotI sites cloned in pPolyII. pTG5412 was
generated by the same strategy used to generate pTG3602 (6)
except that NotI linkers were used instead of
PacI.
E1A has a deletion in the
CAV-2 genome from bp 411 to bp 1024. ptGFP, and therefore the virus
CAVGFP, has a deletion in the CAV-2 genome from bp 411 to bp 2898. CAV
vectors were partially sequenced directly from low-molecular-weight DNA
preparations from infected DK/E1-28 cells to verify their integrity.
AdGFP is a first-generation
E1
E3 human adenovirus type 5 vector
containing a GFP expression cassette similar to the one in the CAV
vectors except that the transcription unit is oriented left to right
and contains NotI sites flanking the transgene.
CAV vector preparation. The preparation of CAVGFP is described here; other CAV vectors were prepared similarly. Transfections in DK/E1-1 cells were carried out with 5 µg of NotI-digested ptGFP and 20 µl of Lipofectamine (GIBCO) in 6-well plates containing approximately 106 cells. DK/E1-1 cells were collected when a cytopathic effect was detected 1 to 2 weeks posttransfection, and the vector was freed from the cells by four freeze-thaw cycles and centrifugation to remove cellular debris. The cleared lysate was incubated with a fresh monolayer of DK/E1-28 cells and collected 48 h postinfection. This was repeated four to five times until a prestock of 10 10-cm-diameter dishes showed a complete cytopathic effect 48 h postinfection. This "prestock" was used to infect 50 15-cm-diameter plates of DK/E1-28 cells. Forty hours postinfection the cells were collected, and the vector was freed by four freeze-thaw cycles. Approximately 7 ml of cleared lysate was layered on a CsCl step gradient of 1.4 and 1.25 g/ml (2.5 ml each layer) and centrifuged for 90 min with a Beckman SW41 rotor at 35,000 rpm. The CAVGFP band was removed and further purified on a CsCl isopycnic gradient at a density of 1.32 g/ml (versus the 1.34 g/ml used for human adenovirus vectors) for 18 h by using the same speed and rotor. Both centrifuge runs were carried out at 18°C. CAV vectors banded at a density of ~1.22 g/ml. CsCl was removed by using PD-10 columns (Pharmacia), and the virus was stored in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 10% glycerol.
Titration of CAV-2, AdGFP, and CAV vectors.
Vector
concentrations were determined by the optical density at 260 nm by
using two dilutions of two aliquots of each virus or vector stock as
described previously (30). We have assayed the
particle-to-transduction unit ratio in the most sensitive assay we
could develop. DK28Cre cells are the largest of the three cell types
tested (DK, DK/E1-28, and DK28Cre), are the most sensitive to CAVGFP
infection, and give a homogeneous infection pattern. For the
transduction unit titration of CAVGFP
E1A and CAVGFP, DK/E1-28 or
DK28Cre cells were seeded in 12-well plates and infected overnight with
gentle rocking with twofold dilutions beginning with 1.25 × 106 viral particles/well. Twenty-four hours postinfection,
the cells were analyzed by flow cytometry (FACSCalibur; Becton
Dickinson), and the percentage of GFP-positive cells was determined and
used to calculate the particle-to-transduction unit ratio [(input
viral particles) (GFP-positive cells)
1]. Mock-infected
cells and cells infected with CAV
E1 were used as negative controls,
and no background fluorescence was detected. AdGFP was similarly
titrated on 911 cells, which were used because they are threefold more
sensitive to human adenovirus vectors than 293 cells (10).
PFU titration of AdGFP and CAV-2 was determined as follows: 0.5 ml of
10-fold dilutions of virus or vector was incubated with a confluent
monolayer of 911 or DK cells in a 30-mm-diameter well overnight before
a layer of agarose was used to cover the cells. The titer was
determined 6 or 14 days postinfection, respectively.
RCA assays.
A total of 2.5 × 1010
particles of CAV
gal (divided equally into nine 15-cm dishes) and
5 × 1010 particles of CAVGFP (17 dishes), from two
separate stocks, were assayed. Each dish, containing 1.3 × 108 DK cells/plate, was incubated overnight with 2.7 × 109 to 3.0 × 109 particles of CAVGFP
or CAV
gal/plate (maximum of 23 particles/cell) with gentle rocking
in a humidified chamber at 37°C. The plates were removed from the
shaker and placed in an incubator (6% CO2 at 37°C) for 5 to 6 days before the cells were collected, and the cleared lysate was
used to inoculate a second plate containing 5 × 107
DK cells. The cleared lysate was removed from the cells 1 to 2 days
later, fresh medium was added, and the cells were collected 3 to 4 days
later. This was repeated until the positive controls (two 15-cm plates
containing DK cells infected with 3.0 × 109 particles
of CAVGFP, spiked with 102 particles of CAV-2, and
amplified as above) showed an extensive CAV-2-induced cytopathic effect
(3 passages). The cultures transduced with CAVGFP and CAV
gal were
passed an additional time and still showed no sign of cytopathic effect.
Transduction of human cells: CAVGFP versus AdGFP. To compare infection efficiencies on human cell lines, identical 24-well plates containing monolayers of HeLa, HT 1080, or A172 cells (approximately 106 cells/well) were infected with fivefold dilutions of CAVGFP or AdGFP starting with 4.3 × 108 or 1 × 109 particles/well, respectively. The cells were collected 48 h posttransduction and assayed for GFP expression by flow cytometry. The number of particles needed to generate 10% GFP-positive cells was calculated. Ten percent was in the range of 1 transduction unit/GFP-positive cell.
In vivo use of CAV
gal, CAVGFP, and AdGFP.
All mice were
treated according to the rules governing animal care for the European
Community. Eight-week-old BALB/c mice (n = 10) were
lightly anesthetized with halothane (Belamont), and 1011
particles diluted in PBS (total volume, 100 µl) were delivered intranasally. Mice were sacrificed on day 3, 4, or 21, and the lungs
were recovered following perfusion with 2% paraformaldehyde and
embedded in OCT (Tissue-Tek). To detect
-galactosidase activity, 10- to 20-µm sections were incubated overnight at room temperature in 66 mg of 5-bromo-3-indolyl-
-D-galactopyranoside/ml-2 mM
MgCl2-4 mM K3Fe(CN)6-4 mM
K4Fe(CN)6 in PBS, counterstained with eosin, and analyzed for
-galactosidase activity. GFP expression was detected by using a Zeiss Axiovert fluorescent microscope with an EGFP
filter (485 to 507 nm) at an original magnification of ×10.
Neutralizing adenovirus antibodies. Fifty samples of whole blood were purchased from the Centre Transfusion de Rungis (Rungis, France). Serum was separated and complement inactivated at 56°C for 30 min. Ten microliters of serum was mixed with 100 µl of medium containing 5 × 107 vector particles (CAVGFP or AdGFP) for 1 h at room temperature prior to incubation with 911 cells. The cells were tested for GFP expression by flow cytometry 24 h postinfection. For each sample, this procedure was carried out in duplicate and repeated. Results similar to those with AdGFP were obtained with an adenovirus type 2 vector expressing GFP (data not shown).
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RESULTS |
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Isolation of CAVGFP.
Four adenovirus vectors derived from
CAV-2 are described here: CAVGFP
E1a and CAVGFP, which harbor the
gene encoding GFP; CAV
gal, encoding nuclear localized
-galactosidase; and CAV
E1, which contains a null expression
cassette (see Materials and Methods and Table
1). Figure
1 shows a diagram of the plasmid used to generate CAVGFP. NotI-digested ptGFP, which places the
inverted terminal repeats at the extremities of the DNA fragment and
allows vector replication, was transfected into DK/E1-1 cells. In order to further characterize DK/E1-1 and DK/E1-28 cells, the CAV-2 E1
expression cassette was amplified by PCR from total genomic DNA and the
PCR product was sequenced. The sequence was identical to that of the
transfected plasmid and to the published CAV-2 sequence (data not
shown).
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E1a DNAs were extracted from CsCl-purified
vector stocks and digested with EcoRI (Fig.
2a). All digests gave the anticipated
pattern for each vector compared to the respective transfer plasmid. No
contaminating bands were detectable by ethidium bromide staining in any
restriction enzyme digests (n = 6). These results
demonstrated that these CAV vectors are free of gross rearrangements,
deletions, or insertions. CAV
gal DNA was also analyzed by
restriction enzyme digests (n = 5), and no extraneous
bands were detected (data not shown). In order to further verify the
integrity of CAVGFP, the digestions were assayed by Southern blot
analysis using PCR-generated fragments from the CAV-2 E1 region (bp 458 to 936) (Fig. 2b) or the GFP cDNA (Fig. 2c) as the radiolabelled probe.
No signal was found in pTG5412 for the GFP-derived probe, as expected,
while fragments of the predicted sizes, 2.89 and 4.75 kb (Fig. 2d),
were detected in the CAV vectors. The E1 region probe hybridized to the
3.6-kb band in pTG5412, as expected, but failed to hybridize
specifically to CAV vector sequences. Southern blot analyses confirmed
that the vectors did not acquire E1A-derived sequences during isolation or amplification.
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Vector preparation, titration, and purity.
Stocks of CAVGFP
containing 2.3 × 1012 particles/ml, with a
particle-to-transduction unit ratio of less than 3:1, were generated. The CAVGFP vector yield was ~104 particles/cell, similar
to the ratio found when PERC.6 cells were used to produce
first-generation human adenovirus vectors (11). Due to the
exceptionally low particle-to-transduction unit ratio in CAVGFP, we
asked if the capsid contained GFP and therefore we were detecting
protein transfer instead of gene transfer. In order to assay this,
purified CAVGFP was incubated with DK28Cre cells at 4°C to allow
attachment of the vector to the cellular receptor. The cells were
placed at 37°C to induce internalization of the vector and were
analyzed by flow cytometry. Subsequently, the cells were returned to
the incubator and were assayed by flow cytometry 24 h
postinfection. No GFP-positive cells were detected following the
attachment-internalization step, while 34% of the cells were GFP
positive 24 h postinfection, demonstrating that this assay was
detecting gene transfer and not protein transfer. CAVGFP is 97.7% of
the size of the wild-type CAV-2 genome (31,322 bp), CAV
E1 (not
shown) is 95.2%, and CAV
gal is 105.7%. Stocks of CAV
gal were
generated at a concentration of 5.2 × 1012
particles/ml and a particle-to-transduction unit ratio of approximately 10:1.
gal stocks were tested for the presence of replication-competent
CAV-2 by serial amplification on permissive cells (DK cells). The
sensitivity of this assay was 1 to 2 PFU/5 × 1010
particles, as 100 particles of CAV-2 (1 PFU/66 particles) were used to
spike 3 × 109 CAVGFP particles/plate as a positive
control. We were unable to detect a CAV-2-induced cytopathic effect,
demonstrating the lack of replication-competent CAV-2 in 5 × 1010 particles of CAVGFP (2.5 × 1010
particles of each stock) and 2.5 × 1010 particles of
CAV
gal.
Transduction of human-derived cells: CAVGFP versus AdGFP. We demonstrated previously, using a qualitative assay, that a CAV vector derived from the Manhattan strain of CAV-2 could transduce human-derived cells (20). However, it was impossible to determine the efficacy of transduction because the "vector stock" contained significant amounts of CAV-2 (the virus/vector ratio was >10,000:1). In order to determine the quantitative transduction efficiency with the CAV vector described here (Toronto strain), three human cell lines, HT 1080, HeLa, and A172 cells, which are derived from different cell lineages (osteosarcoma, cervical carcinoma, and glioblastoma), were quantitatively assayed for transducibility. Multiwell plates, containing equal numbers of each cell type, were incubated with a serial dilution of CAVGFP and AdGFP. Forty-eight hours posttransduction the cells were assayed for transgene expression by flow cytometry. Figure 3 shows the particle-to-cell ratio needed to generate 10% GFP-positive cells/well. In each cell line, CAVGFP was 5- to 10-fold more efficient (lower number of particles needed) than AdGFP when the particle/cell ratios were compared. However, we have found that the quality of adenovirus vector preparations can vary significantly. If the comparison between CAVGFP and AdGFP is plotted as transduction units per cell versus percent GFP-positive cells per well, the transduction efficiency of AdGFP in HeLa cells is slightly greater than that of CAVGFP (Fig. 3b).
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In vivo use of CAV vectors and comparison to AdGFP.
An in vivo
study was used to assay the utility of CAV vectors. We delivered
1011 particles of CAV
gal and CAVGFP intranasally in 8 week-old BALB/c mice. Figure 4a through c
demonstrate lacZ expression in the airway epithelia 4 days
postinoculation. We detected nuclear-localized
-galactosidase
activity throughout the proximal and distal airways and in the
alveoli. In several cases more than 50% of the cells in a given
bronchiole were
-galactosidase positive. In some instances where
expression was detected in the alveoli, thickening of the cell walls
was visible (data not shown), suggesting cellular infiltration, and at
21 days posttransduction we were unable to detect
-galactosidase activity (n = 3). CAVGFP was able to transduce a
slightly higher proportion of airway cells, and in several cases more
than 65% of a given distal airway was GFP positive (Fig. 4d and e).
Comparison of the transduction efficiency of CAVGFP versus AdGFP (Fig.
4e versus Fig. 4g) demonstrates that CAV vectors can be as efficient in
vivo as those derived from human adenoviruses.
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Pre-existing humoral immunity. The majority of individuals has been exposed repeatedly to adenoviruses and, not surprisingly, have detectable neutralizing adenovirus antibodies. We tested serum samples from a random healthy cohort (n = 50) for the ability to neutralize AdGFP and CAVGFP transduction. Figure 5 demonstrates that in most cases (26 of 50), as little as 10 µl of human serum contains sufficient amounts of neutralizing adenovirus type 5 (as well as adenovirus type 2 [data not shown]) antibodies to rapidly and completely inactivate 5 × 107 AdGFP particles. These sera rarely (1 of 50) contain detectable neutralizing CAV-2 antibodies. In vivo, airway epithelia transport both immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A to the thin layer of liquid that covers the apical surface of the epithelium and thus can prevent adenovirus infection. These data are particularly significant because if one cannot circumvent this initial barrier for adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, use of human adenovirus vectors becomes limited. These CAV vectors and, importantly, more advanced versions are not inhibited at this stage.
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DISCUSSION |
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We have generated a system to produce CAV vectors for gene
transfer. Several explanations for our ability to generate RCA-free CAV
vectors using this strategy, as opposed to our previous attempts (20), seem plausible. The previous strategy (transfection of two linear fragments of DNA in DK/E1 cells in hopes that homologous recombination would occur and generate a recombinant vector) was similar to that used to generate first-generation human adenovirus vectors (23). Firstly, DK cells and their derivatives are
difficult to transfect; normally, the efficiency is lower than 15%.
Secondly, DK cells may also be less efficient at homologous
recombination than 293 cells. Finally, the Manhattan strain of CAV-2
was unstable
it is able to generate at least 23 repeats of ~120 to
150 bp in the right inverted terminal repeat (unpublished data and
reference 13). All of these factors may have
prevented us from isolating pure vectors. Using the strategy described
here, we have eliminated the need for high transfection efficiency,
homologous recombination in the cell line, and the presence of the
unstable sequence in the inverted terminal repeat.
The stable packaging capacity of the human adenovirus type 5 vectors
was determined to be a minimum of 75% (31) and maximum of
105% of that of the wild-type genome (4). The sizes of the GFP-expressing CAV vectors are within this range, while CAV
gal is
slightly larger (see Table 1) and appears to be stable. Xu et al.
(39) reported the creation of an ovine adenovirus vector that is 114% of the wild-type genome, demonstrating that the cloning capacities of this and other adenoviruses may not mimic that of the
adenovirus type 5 vectors. Stocks of CAVGFP have a
particle-to-transduction unit ratio as low as 3:1, while CAV
gal
stocks have a particle-to-transduction unit ratio of approximately
10:1. Mittereder et al. (30) have carefully detailed the
physical and biological parameters used to titer adenovirus vectors.
Taking their work into account, the particle-to-transduction unit ratio
may be an underestimation of the true titer, due to undetectable
transgene expression from transduction occurring later during the
incubation period. More CAV vectors will need to be generated to
determine if the low particle-to-transduction unit ratio in these
initial stocks is a general trend, an exception in these cases, or due
to a more sensitive quantification assay.
All the CAV vectors, including E1A-deleted vectors, are replication defective in DK, MDCK, and, more significantly, 911 cells. This demonstrates that there is an undetectable level of transcomplementation of the adenovirus type 5 E1-derived proteins in these cells for CAV vector propagation (unpublished data). Although contamination of CAV vector stocks with RCA is certainly undesirable, it is significantly less dangerous than contaminating replication-competent human adenovirus that may be below the level of detection. The E1-transcomplementing cell lines described here do not contain the CAV-2 inverted terminal repeat or the packaging signal found at the left end of the CAV-2 genome but do contain a 55-bp overlap in the E1A promoter with the vectors described here. We are generating CAV vectors that do not contain an overlap in this region, and all subsequent CAV vectors will not be able to generate RCAs via the in vivo mechanism characterized by Hehir et al. (17).
As mentioned previously, adenovirus infections can be dangerous in infants and immunocompromised patients. RCAs have been found in patients' tonsils, adenoids, and intestines, and patients can continue to shed adenovirus intermittently for many months after a successful humoral response (18). Immunotolerization against a ubiquitous, potentially lethal virus may expose patients to unacceptable risks. If immunotolerization is an unavoidable requirement for adenovirus-mediated therapy, our data demonstrate that it may be contemplated when CAV-2-derived vectors are used. Furthermore, reducing the viral input load due to a lower particle-to-transduction unit ratio (Table 1) will diminish the induced immune response to the virus capsid.
The population as a whole is continually being exposed to wild-type adenoviruses, and the clinically relevant data presented here demonstrate that a significant proportion (98%) of this cohort has not generated neutralizing CAV-2 (Toronto strain) antibodies. Using inbred rodent strains to assay induced humoral or cellular immunity to a human adenovirus vector, followed by a challenge with CAV vectors, may also allow one to detect anti-human adenovirus antibodies that opsonize rather than neutralize CAV vectors. Cross-species barriers to adenovirus infections exist not because of a lack of infectibility, but, at least in part, due to the incompatibility of viral and cellular factors. For example, human adenoviruses grow poorly in monkey cells due to the inefficient transport or processing of the E4 and late region primary transcripts (34, 35).
We demonstrated that CAV vectors could efficiently transduce human cells and that the transduction efficiency was at least equal to that of an adenovirus type 5 vector carrying the same expression cassette. Analysis of the efficacies of various human adenovirus serotypes suggests that adenovirus types 2 and 5 may not be the optimal adenovirus serotypes for gene transfer in many tissues, and therefore our comparison using CAV vectors is useful but not all-encompassing. It will be interesting to determine if the receptors used by CAV-2 are the same as those used by adenovirus type 5 (3). However, the future of viral vectors will be with tissue-specific transduction and, in the case of adenovirus vectors, the fiber knob may be modified accordingly (38). Alternatively, efficient in vivo fiber-independent transduction using adenovirus vector-calcium phosphate precipitates (12) or polycations (19), which increase the transduction efficiency 10- to 100-fold, may be applicable.
The CAV-2 fiber appears to be a trimer, as determined by protein
sequence analysis (1) and comparison to human adenovirus types 2, 40, and 41. The Toronto strain of CAV-2 has been shown to
preferentially infect the upper respiratory tract of dogs but has also
been found in the feces of infected animals (15). This tropism has been suggested to be due not only to the expression of the
receptor but potentially to the role of the E3 region (25). We tested CAV vectors via intranasal delivery in BALB/c mice and detected effective transduction in proximal- and distal-airway cells,
as well as in the alveoli. We did not detect a site preference in the
lung, and the disappearance of
-galactosidase activity and GFP
expression suggested that there would be little difference between
E1-deleted CAV and human adenovirus vectors with respect to the
inevitable immune response. It would be useful to know if viral
backbone genes are expressed in human cells treated with CAV vectors,
and an analysis of CAV gene expression may help determine the future
course of vector development, specifically, if some or all of the
backbone needs to be deleted. Improved CAV vectors are being developed
to address these issues. In summary, if adenovirus vectors are to be
used, CAV-derived vectors and other nonhuman adenovirus vectors could
be a safe and effective alternative.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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We thank U. Rasmussen and M. Mehtali from Transgene SA for pTG5412 and E. coli BJ5183, Introgene for the 911 cells, J. M. Heard for access to the animal care facility, and members of the laboratory for critical reading of the manuscript.
Financial support was provided by INSERM (E.J.K.), EMBO (M.C.), and the Association Française contre les Myopathies.
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FOOTNOTES |
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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Généthon III/CNRS URA 1923, 1 bis, rue de l'Internationale, 91002 Evry, France. Phone: 33 (0) 1 69 47 10 30. Fax: 33 (0) 1 60 77 86 98. E-mail: ekremer{at}genethon.fr.
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