Recurrent retroviral vector integration at the Mds1/Evi1 locus in nonhuman primate hematopoietic cells

Recent reports linking insertional activation of LMO2 following gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID) have led to a re-evaluation of risks following gene therapy with retroviral vectors. In our analysis of 702 integration sites in rhesus macaques that underwent transplantation up to 7 years earlier with autologous CD34+ cells transduced with amphotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-derived retroviral vectors containing marker genes, we detected insertion into one locus, the Mds1/Evi1 region, a total of 14 times in 9 animals. Mds1/Evi1 integrations were observed stably long term, primarily in myeloid cells. We hypothesize that this over-representation likely results from an impact on the self-renewal and engraftment potential of CD34+ progenitor cells via insertional mutagenesis at this specific locus. There is no evidence of ongoing in vivo clonal expansion of the Mds1/Evi1 populations, and all animals are hematologically normal without evidence for leukemia. Characterization of integration sites in this relevant preclinical model provides critical information for gene therapy risk assessment as well as identification of genes controlling hematopoiesis. (Blood. 2005;106:2530-2533

Acute myeloid leukemia is associated with retroviral gene transfer to hematopoietic progenitor cells in a rhesus macaque

We report, for the first time, a replication-defective retroviral vector–associated neoplasia in a nonhuman primate. Five years after transplantation with CD34+ cells transduced with a retroviral vector expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and a drug-resistant variant of the dihydrofolate reductase gene (L22Y), a rhesus macaque developed a fatal myeloid sarcoma, a type of acute myeloid leukemia. Tumor cells contained 2 clonal vector insertions. One insertion was found in BCL2-A1, an antiapoptotic gene. This event suggests that currently available retroviral vectors may have long-term side effects, particularly in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells

Synthesis, biological evaluation and structure-activity relationships of N-benzoyl-2-hydroxybenzamides as agents active against P. falciparum (K1 strain), Trypanosomes, and Leishmania

In our efforts to identify novel chemical scaffolds for the development of new anti-protozoal drugs, a compound library was screened against T. gondii tachyzoites with activity discovered for N-(4-ethylbenzoyl)-2-hydroxybenzamide 1a against T. gondii as described elsewhere.1 Synthesis of a compound set was guided by T. gondii SAR with 1r found to be superior for T. gondii, also active against Thai and Sierra Leone strains of P. falciparum, and with superior ADMET properties as described elsewhere.1 Herein, synthesis methods and details of the chemical analysis of the compounds in this series are described. Further, this series of N-benzoyl-2-hydroxybenzamides was re-purposed for testing against four other protozoan parasites: T. b. rhodesiense, T. cruzi, L. donovani, and P. falciparum (K1 isolate). Structure-activity analyses led to the identification of compounds in this set with excellent anti-leishmanial activity (compound 1d). Overall, compound 1r was the best and had activity 21-fold superior to that of the standard anti-malarial drug chloroquine against the K1 P. falciparum isolat

Comparison of MLV and SIV Integration Events

<p>Shown are integrations that landed within RefSeq gene introns (arrows) in comparison to in silico-generated integration sites (bars). Black indicates MLV and gray indicates SIV. *<i>p</i> < 0.0001 by a Chi² test.</p

Distribution of MLV and SIV Integration Sites within a 60-kb Window Centered on Transcription Start Sites

<p>The vertical arrow points to 0 kb. Each gray bar corresponds to the percentage of SIV integration sites within a 5-kb interval, and black bars correspond to the percentages of MLV integration sites in a 5-kb interval. The distribution of a set of 65,000 in silico-generated random integration sites is represented by the dashed line.</p

Ex Vivo Expansion of Retrovirally Transduced Primate CD34+ Cells Results in Overrepresentation of Clones With MDS1/EVI1 Insertion Sites in the Myeloid Lineage After Transplantation

Activation of proto-oncogenes by retroviral insertion is an important issue delaying clinical development of gene therapy. We have reported the nonrandom persistence of hematopoietic clones with vector insertions within the MDS1/EVI1 locus following transplantation of rhesus macaques. We now ask whether prolonged culture of transduced CD34+ cells before transplantation selects for clones with insertions in the MDS1/EVI11 or other proto-oncogene loci. CD34+ cells were transduced with standard retroviral vectors for 4 days and then continued in culture for an additional 6 days before transplantation. A 15% of insertions identified in granulocytes 6 months post-transplant were in MDS1/EVI11, significantly increased compared to the frequency in animals transplanted with cells immediately following transduction. MDS1/EVI1 clones became more dominant over time post-transplantation in one animal that was followed long term, accompanied by an increased overall copy number of vector-containing granulocytes, with one MDS1/EVI1 clone eventually accounting for 100% of transduced granulocytes and marrow colony-forming unit (CFU). This vector insertion increased the expression of Evi1 mRNA. There was no overrepresentation of MDS1/EVI1 insertions contributing to lymphoid lineages. Strategies involving prolonged ex vivo expansion of transduced cells may increase the risk of genotoxicity