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Journal of Virology, January 2009, p. 479-483, Vol. 83, No. 1
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.01878-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Effect of Neutralizing Sera on Factor X-Mediated Adenovirus Serotype 5 Gene Transfer
Alan L. Parker,1
Simon N. Waddington,2
Suzanne M. K. Buckley,2
Jerome Custers,3
Menzo J. E. Havenga,4
Nico van Rooijen,5
Jaap Goudsmit,3
John H. McVey,6
Stuart A. Nicklin,1 and
Andrew H. Baker1*
British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 126 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom,1
Department of Haematology, Haemophilia Centre and Thrombosis Unit, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom,2
Crucell Holland BV, P.O. Box 2048, 2301 CA Leiden, The Netherlands,3
TNO Biosciences, P.O. Box 2215, 2301CE Leiden, The Netherlands,4
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center (VUMC), 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands,5
Thrombosis Research Institute, Manresa Road, London SW3 6LR, United Kingdom6
Received 7 September 2008/
Accepted 10 October 2008

ABSTRACT
The deployment of adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-based vectors
is hampered by preexisting immunity. When such vectors are delivered
intravenously, hepatocyte transduction is mediated by the hexon-coagulation
factor X (FX) interaction. Here, we demonstrate that human sera
efficiently block FX-mediated cellular binding and transduction
of Ad5-based vectors in vitro. Neutralizing activity correlated
well with the ability to inhibit Ad5-mediated liver transduction,
suggesting that prescreening patient sera in this manner accurately
predicts the efficacy of Ad5-based gene therapies. Neutralization
in vitro can be partially bypassed by pseudotyping with Ad45
fiber protein, indicating that a proportion of neutralizing
antibodies are directed against the Ad5 fiber.

TEXT
Adenoviruses, particularly those based on adenovirus serotype
5 (Ad5), are used for a variety of gene delivery applications
both in vitro and in vivo, since they efficiently transduce
a wide range of cell types. In vitro, primary cell tethering
involves the Ad5 fiber knob domain engaging coxsackievirus and
adenovirus receptors (CAR) (
3). Once bound, the flexible fiber
protein bends, allowing a secondary, uptake-stimulating interaction
to occur between recruited
vβ
3/
vβ
5 integrins and RGD
motifs in the penton base (
28). When introduced systemically,
the transduction profile of Ad5, characterized by extensive
hepatocyte transduction, does not correlate with expression
of CAR, which is limited to the tight junctions (
5). Furthermore,
the introduction of mutations within the fiber knob domain that
abrogate CAR binding and infectivity in vitro has no discernible
effect on Ad5 biodistribution and transduction profiles in vivo
following intravenous delivery (
1,
10). Together, these observations
suggested that Ad5-mediated transduction of hepatocytes operate
via a CAR-independent pathway. Recently, several studies (
7,
11,
12,
16,
17,
24,
26,
27) have suggested a fundamental involvement
of host proteins, notably coagulation factors, in dictating
adenoviral infectivity in vivo. Pivotal to hepatic transduction
is the interaction between the Ad5 hexon protein and the coagulation
factor X (FX) (
7,
24,
26), which serves to "bridge" the Ad5-FX
complex to alternative receptors, which are expressed abundantly
within the liver. Hepatocyte transduction can be abolished by
using warfarin (
7,
12,
16,
27) to prevent the gamma carboxylation
of glutamic acid residues in the N-terminal

-carboxyglutamic
acid (Gla) domain of FX; the snake venom-derived protein X-bp
(
2), which binds the Gla domain of FX, inhibiting its interaction
with hexon (
26); or hexon chimeric or mutated Ad5 vectors to
abrogate FX binding (
7,
24,
26).
Forty-five to fifty percent of individuals in the United States possess high levels of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the Ad5 vector, with even higher seroprevalence rates observed among Asian and African populations (21). NAbs associate with the capsid, preventing transduction of the target cell (19, 20) and limiting its efficacy for gene transfer in vivo (8), while serving to prime a robust immunological response against the vector (4). Existing assays for the detection of NAbs are based on inhibiting CAR-mediated uptake (6, 9, 13, 19), a pathway that appears to be redundant for intravenous targeting (12, 26). Since several previous studies have implicated the hexon protein as the major site of immunogenicity on the Ad5 capsid (14, 15, 21, 30), we reasoned that it would be important to assess the effects of neutralizing sera on cellular uptake mediated via the hexon-FX pathway. We considered that examining the effects of sera on FX-mediated uptake would better predict the clinical efficacy of Ad5-based vectors when delivered systemically and would show improved sensitivity compared with that of existing assays.
To examine the neutralizing capacity of patient sera on FX-mediated Ad5 uptake, we examined the capacity of Ad5 to bind and infect the human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) in vitro, in the presence of both physiological concentrations of FX (8 µg/ml) and 2.5% neutralizing sera. Since liver infectivity in vivo is not mediated via the CAR pathway, we utilized the CAR-binding ablated vector AdKO1 (18) for in vitro studies to best replicate the in vivo setting. Forty-eight hours postinfection, reporter transgene activity (β-galactosidase [β-Gal]) was quantified (Fig. 1). All sera tested had previously been evaluated for the presence of NAbs by using existing assays based on the infectivity of Ad5 in A549 cells, with sera 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 23, 24, 26, and 27 all scoring negative for neutralization (Table 1). The majority of sera that had previously tested positive for neutralizing activity using the CAR-based infectivity assay in A549 cells also efficiently neutralized FX-mediated Ad5 transduction. However, four of the sera (sera 2, 4, 23, and 27) which had previously been scored negative for neutralization by the CAR-based infectivity assays in A549 cells neutralized efficiently in the FX-based assay. To examine whether this neutralizing capacity correlated with a decreased level of binding of virions to cell surfaces, we performed cell tethering studies at 4°C as described previously (Fig. 1) (11). For the majority of sera tested, low levels of transduction correlated well with decreased levels of cell binding. Several sera (for example, sera 8, 10, 40, and 54), however, demonstrated considerable levels of cell association in the absence of transduction, indicating that neutralization is likely to have occurred at a post-cell binding step, as has been observed previously for some NAbs (23).
To further evaluate the sensitivity of the FX-mediated neutralization
assay for detecting NAbs, we performed assays in the presence
of FX and limiting dilutions of sera (Fig.
2) that neutralize
in both FX- and CAR-based assays (sera 14 and 16), that neutralize
poorly in both assays (sera 1 and 26), or that neutralize in
the FX- but not the CAR-based assay (sera 2 and 4). Serum 1
showed detectable but weak neutralization (30% at a 2.5% dilution),
while serum 26 showed no neutralization at any dilution. While
strong neutralization of transgene expression was noted for
sera 14 and 16, sera 2 and 4 showed more intermediate neutralization
of transduction. These data suggest that neutralization appears
more pronounced via the FX-based assay and that this assay might
be more relevant for gauging the efficacy of Ad-based vectors
designed for application via the systemic route.
To determine the effects of NAbs on transduction of hepatocytes
in vivo following systemic delivery, mice were given Ad5 in
the presence or absence of selected neutralizing sera. In order
to maintain a serum/virus ratio consistent with the in vitro
experiments and to avoid injecting large volumes of sera, we
elected to administer 1
x 10
9 viral particles (vp) of Ad5 with
and without 125 µl undiluted neutralizing sera. To facilitate
transduction of hepatocytes at such low virus doses, mice were
transiently depleted of macrophages by pretreatment with 200
µl of liposomal clodronate 24 h prior to the administration
of the virus-serum (
22). In the absence of neutralizing sera,
Ad5 mediated high levels of transduction in the liver (Fig.
3). In the presence of serum 14 (a highly neutralizing serum
in vitro), transduction in the liver was completely ablated,
indicating that efficient viral neutralization had occurred,
preventing infection of hepatocytes. Sera with intermediate
(serum 27) or minimal (serum 26) neutralizing activity in vitro
demonstrated levels of transduction that were intermediate between
the two extremes, indicating a partial neutralization of the
vector. These data demonstrate the enhanced sensitivity of the
in vitro FX-based neutralization assay in identifying serum
samples with potential anti-Ad5 activity relevant to systemic
in vivo gene therapy applications.
To evaluate whether pseudotyping the Ad5 vector with fibers
from an alternative and less-immunogenic serotype (Ad45) might
represent an effective strategy for bypassing NAbs, neutralization
experiments were performed using the pseudotyped Ad vector Ad5/f45
(Fig.
4). Ad45 has been shown previously to exhibit greatly
reduced seroprevalence compared with that of Ad5 (
25), while
the pseudotyped vector Ad5/f45 demonstrated substantial FX-mediated
enhanced cell binding and transduction (
11). Surprisingly, we
found that the pseudotyped vector was able to mediate significant
transgene expression in the presence of a number of neutralizing
sera, suggesting that a significant proportion of NAbs appeared
to be directed against the Ad5 fiber protein. Of the 62 sera
tested, 57 sera (91.9%) mediated >90% inhibition of transduction
for Ad5, whereas only 35 sera (56.5%) mediated >90% inhibition
of transduction for Ad5/f45 at the same dilution, suggesting
that a significant proportion of NAbs in human sera are directed
against the fiber protein and that antibody evasion might be
achieved (at least partially) by pseudotyping Ad5 with fibers
from less-immunogenic serotypes, rather than complete serotype
switching. Antibodies directed against the Ad5 fiber protein
may neutralize infectivity either by preventing cellular attachment
by interfering with the fiber knob-CAR receptor interaction
or by inducing the aggregation of virions, thereby providing
an extracellular means of neutralization (
29). Pseudotyping
of Ad5 with the fiber protein from the less-seroprevalent Ad45
may prevent neutralization by one or both of these mechanisms.
Taken together, these data suggest that the neutralizing activity
of human sera can be accurately gauged via FX-mediated uptake.
The degree of neutralizing activity, as established by an in
vitro assay, appears to correlate with the efficiency of hepatocyte
transduction in vivo in the presence of neutralizing sera, a
trait that ultimately will be important when considering the
systemic application of Ad5-based vectors clinically. Furthermore,
we note that the pseudotyping of Ad5 vectors with the fiber
protein from less-immunogenic serotypes resulted in a markedly
decreased ability of NAbs to limit FX-mediated hepatocyte transduction,
suggesting that fiber pseudotyping may, at least partially,
represent a strategy to overcome vector neutralization following
systemic administration.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are grateful to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council, the British Heart Foundation, and the European
Union Sixth Framework Program for funding the research in our
laboratory. A.L.P. is funded by a personal research fellowship
from the Caledonian Research Foundation; S.N.W. is a recipient
of the Philip Gray Memorial Fellowship, Katharine Dormandy Trust;
S.M.K.B. is a senior research fellow at the Clive Knight Laboratories;
and J.H.M. is supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation.

FOOTNOTES
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, 126 University Place, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 141 330 1977. Fax: 44 141 330 6997. E-mail:
ab11f{at}clinmed.gla.ac.uk 
Published ahead of print on 22 October 2008. 

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Journal of Virology, January 2009, p. 479-483, Vol. 83, No. 1
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.01878-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.