PPAR gamma-coactivator-1 alpha gene transfer reduces neuronal loss and amyloid-beta generation by reducing beta-secretase in an Alzheimer's disease model

Current therapies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are symptomatic and do not target the underlying Aβ pathology and other important hallmarks including neuronal loss. PPARγ-coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is a cofactor for transcription factors including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), and it is involved in the regulation of metabolic genes, oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial biogenesis. We previously reported that PGC-1α also regulates the transcription of β-APP cleaving enzyme (BACE1), the main enzyme involved in Aβ generation, and its expression is decreased in AD patients. We aimed to explore the potential therapeutic effect of PGC-1α by generating a lentiviral vector to express human PGC-1α and target it by stereotaxic delivery to hippocampus and cortex of APP23 transgenic mice at the preclinical stage of the disease. Four months after injection, APP23 mice treated with hPGC-1α showed improved spatial and recognition memory concomitant with a significant reduction in Aβ deposition, associated with a decrease in BACE1 expression. hPGC-1α overexpression attenuated the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and microglial activation. This effect was accompanied by a marked preservation of pyramidal neurons in the CA3 area and increased expression of neurotrophic factors. The neuroprotective effects were secondary to a reduction in Aβ pathology and neuroinflammation, because wild-type mice receiving the same treatment were unaffected. These results suggest that the selective induction of PGC-1α gene in specific areas of the brain is effective in targeting AD-related neurodegeneration and holds potential as therapeutic intervention for this disease

Neuroinflammation in the normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) of the multiple sclerosis brain causes abnormalities at the nodes of Ranvier

Changes to the structure of nodes of Ranvier in the normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) of multiple sclerosis (MS) brains are associated with chronic inflammation. We show that the paranodal domains in MS NAWM are longer on average than control, with Kv1.2 channels dislocated into the paranode. These pathological features are reproduced in a model of chronic meningeal inflammation generated by the injection of lentiviral vectors for the lymphotoxin-α (LTα) and interferon-γ (IFNγ) genes. We show that tumour necrosis factor (TNF), IFNγ, and glutamate can provoke paranodal elongation in cerebellar slice cultures, which could be reversed by an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker. When these changes were inserted into a computational model to simulate axonal conduction, a rapid decrease in velocity was observed, reaching conduction failure in small diameter axons. We suggest that glial cells activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines can produce high levels of glutamate, which triggers paranodal pathology, contributing to axonal damage and conduction deficits

The latent stem cell population is retained in the hippocampus of transgenic Huntington's disease mice but not wild-type mice

The demonstration of the brain's ability to initiate repair in response to disease or injury has sparked considerable interest in therapeutic strategies to stimulate adult neurogenesis. In this study we examined the effect of a progressive neurodegenerative condition on neural precursor activity in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and hippocampus of the R6/1 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD). Our results revealed an age-related decline in SVZ precursor numbers in both wild-type (WT) and HD mice. Interestingly, hippocampal precursor numbers declined with age in WT mice, although we observed maintenance in hippocampal precursor number in the HD animals in response to advancement of the disease. This maintenance was consistent with activation of a recently identified latent hippocampal precursor population. We found that the small latent stem cell population was also maintained in the HD hippocampus at 33 weeks, whereas it was not present in the WT. Our findings demonstrate that, despite a loss of neurogenesis in the HD hippocampus in vivo, there is a unique maintenance of the precursor and stem cells, which may potentially be activated to ameliorate disease symptoms

Phosphatase and tensin homologue: a therapeutic target for SMA

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is one of the most common juvenile neurodegenerative diseases, which can be associated with child mortality. SMA is caused by a mutation of ubiquitously expressed gene, Survival Motor Neuron1 (SMN1), leading to reduced SMN protein and the motor neuron death. The disease is incurable and the only therapeutic strategy to follow is to improve the expression of SMN protein levels in motor neurons. Significant numbers of motor neurons in SMA mice and SMA cultures are caspase positive with condensed nuclei, suggesting that these cells are prone to a process of cell death called apoptosis. Searching for other potential molecules or signaling pathways that are neuroprotective for central nervous system (CNS) insults is essential for widening the scope of developmental medicine. PTEN, a Phosphatase and Tensin homologue, is a tumor suppressor, which is widely expressed in CNS. PTEN depletion activates anti-apoptotic factors and it is evident that the pathway plays an important protective role in many neurodegenerative disorders. It functions as a negative regulator of PIP3/AKT pathway and thereby modulates its downstream cellular functions through lipid phosphatase activity. Moreover, previous reports from our group demonstrated that, PTEN depletion using viral vector delivery system in SMN delta7 mice reduces disease pathology, with significant rescue on survival rate and the body weight of the SMA mice. Thus knockdown/depletion/mutation of PTEN and manipulation of PTEN medicated Akt/PKB signaling pathway may represent an important therapeutic strategy to promote motor neuron survival in SMA

Using viral vectors as gene transfer tools (Cell Biology and Toxicology Special Issue: ETCS-UK 1 day meeting on genetic manipulation of cells)

In recent years, the development of powerful viral gene transfer techniques has greatly facilitated the study of gene function. This review summarises some of the viral delivery systems routinely used to mediate gene transfer into cell lines, primary cell cultures and in whole animal models. The systems described were originally discussed at a 1-day European Tissue Culture Society (ETCS-UK) workshop that was held at University College London on 1st April 2009. Recombinant-deficient viral vectors (viruses that are no longer able to replicate) are used to transduce dividing and post-mitotic cells, and they have been optimised to mediate regulatable, powerful, long-term and cell-specific expression. Hence, viral systems have become very widely used, especially in the field of neurobiology. This review introduces the main categories of viral vectors, focusing on their initial development and highlighting modifications and improvements made since their introduction. In particular, the use of specific promoters to restrict expression, translational enhancers and regulatory elements to boost expression from a single virion and the development of regulatable systems is described

Dual Systemic Tumor Targeting with Ligand-Directed Phage and Grp78 Promoter Induces Tumor Regression

The tumor-specific Grp78 promoter is overexpressed in aggressive tumors. Cancer patients would benefit greatly from application of this promoter in gene therapy and molecular imaging; however, clinical benefit is limited by lack of strategies to target the systemic delivery of Grp78-driven transgenes to tumors. This study aims to assess the systemic efficacy of Grp78-guided expression of therapeutic and imaging transgenes relative to the standard cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Combination of ligand and Grp78 transcriptional targeting into a single vector would facilitate systemic applications of the Grp78 promoter. We generated a dual tumor-targeted phage containing the RGD tumor homing ligand and Grp78 promoter. Next, we combined flow cytometry, western blot, bioluminescence imaging of luciferase and HSVtk/ganciclovir gene therapy and compared efficacy to conventional phage carrying the CMV promoter in vitro and in vivo in subcutaneous models of rat and human glioblastoma. We show that double-targeted phage provides persistent transgene expression in vitro and in tumors in vivo after systemic administration compared to conventional phage. Next, we showed significant tumor killing in vivo using the HSVtk/ganciclovir gene therapy and found a systemic antitumor effect of Grp78-driven HSVtk against therapy-resistant tumors. Finally, we uncovered a novel mechanism of Grp78 promoter activation whereby HSVtk/ganciclovir therapy upregulates Grp78 and transgene expression via the conserved unfolded protein response (UPR) signalling cascade. These data validate the potential of Grp78 promoter in systemic cancer gene therapy and report the efficacy of a dual tumor targeting phage that may prove useful for translation into gene therapy and molecular imaging applications

Neuroprotection in an ALS mouse model following peripheral delivery of motor neuron targeted aCAR-IGF-1 Lentiviral vector

Objective We have previously described the generation of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (αCAR)-targeted vector, and shown that intramuscular delivery in mouse leg muscles resulted in specific retrograde transduction of lumbar-motor neurons (MNs). Here, we utilized the αCAR-targeted vector to investigate the in vivo neuroprotective effects of lentivirally expressed IGF-1 for inducing neuronal survival and ameliorating the neuropathology and behavioral phenotypes of the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS. Methods We produced cell factories of IGF-1 expressing lentiviral vectors (LVs) bearing αCAR or Vesicular Stomatitis Virus glycoprotein (VSV-G) on their surface so as to compare neuroprotection from MN transduced versus muscle transduced cells. We performed intramuscular delivery of either αCAR IGF-1 or VSVG IGF-1 LVs into key muscles of SOD1G93A mice prior to disease onset at day 28. Motor performance, coordination and gait analysis were assessed weekly. Results We observed substantial therapeutic efficacy only with the αCAR IGF-1 LV pretreatment with up to 50% extension of survival compared to controls. αCAR IGF-1 LV-treated animals retained muscle tone and had better motor performance during their prolonged survival. Histological analysis of spinal cord samples at end-stage further confirmed that αCAR IGF-1 LV treatment delays disease onset by increasing MN survival compared with age-matched controls. Intrastriatal injection of αCAR eGFP LV in rats leads to transduction of neurons and glia locally and neurons in olfactory bulb distally. Interpretation Our data are indicative of the efficacy of the αCAR IGF-1 LV in this model and support its candidacy for early noninvasive neuroprotective therapy in ALS