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Pompe disease is a neuromuscular disorder caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA), hydrolyzing glycogen to glucose. Pathological glycogen storage, the hallmark of the disease, disrupts the metabolism and function of various cell types, especially muscle cells, leading to cardiac, motor, and respiratory dysfunctions. The spectrum of Pompe disease manifestations spans two main forms: classical infantile-onset (IOPD) and late-onset (LOPD). IOPD, caused by almost complete GAA deficiency, presents at birth and leads to premature death by the age of 2 years without treatment. LOPD, less severe due to partial GAA activity, appears in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood with muscle weakness and respiratory problems. Since 2006, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been approved for Pompe disease, offering clinical benefits but not a cure. However, advances in early diagnosis through newborn screening, recognizing disease manifestations, and developing improved treatments are set to enhance Pompe disease care. This article reviews recent progress in ERT and ongoing translational research, including the approval of second-generation ERTs, a clinical trial of in utero ERT, and preclinical development of gene and substrate reduction therapies. Notably, gene therapy using intravenous delivery of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors is in phase I/II clinical trials for both LOPD and IOPD. Promising data from LOPD trials indicate that most participants met the criteria to discontinue ERT several months after gene therapy. The advantages and challenges of this approach are discussed. Overall, significant progress is being made towards curative therapies for Pompe disease. While several challenges remain, emerging data are promising and suggest the potential for a once-in-a-lifetime treatment.
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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can deliver therapeutic proteins to the central nervous system (CNS) through transplant-derived microglia-like cells. However, current conditioning approaches result in low and slow engraftment of transplanted cells in the CNS. Here we optimized a brain conditioning regimen that leads to rapid, robust, and persistent microglia replacement without adverse effects on neurobehavior or hematopoiesis. This regimen combines busulfan myeloablation and six days of Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor PLX3397. Single-cell analyses revealed unappreciated heterogeneity of microglia-like cells with most cells expressing genes characteristic of homeostatic microglia, brain-border-associated macrophages, and unique markers. Cytokine analysis in the CNS showed transient inductions of myeloproliferative and chemoattractant cytokines that help repopulate the microglia niche. Bone marrow transplant of progranulin-deficient mice conditioned with busulfan and PLX3397 restored progranulin in the brain and eyes and normalized brain lipofuscin storage, proteostasis, and lipid metabolism. This study advances our understanding of CNS repopulation by hematopoietic-derived cells and demonstrates its therapeutic potential for treating progranulin-dependent neurodegeneration.
Assuntos
Bussulfano , Microglia , Progranulinas , Animais , Microglia/metabolismo , Microglia/efeitos dos fármacos , Progranulinas/metabolismo , Progranulinas/genética , Camundongos , Bussulfano/farmacologia , Transplante de Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas , Aminopiridinas/farmacologia , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Pirróis/farmacologia , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/citologia , Transplante de Medula Óssea , Masculino , Sistema Nervoso Central/metabolismo , Camundongos Knockout , Condicionamento Pré-Transplante/métodos , Análise de Célula Única , Citocinas/metabolismo , Receptores de Fator Estimulador das Colônias de Granulócitos e Macrófagos/metabolismo , Receptores de Fator Estimulador das Colônias de Granulócitos e Macrófagos/genética , Receptores de Fator Estimulador das Colônias de Granulócitos e Macrófagos/antagonistas & inibidoresRESUMO
Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by the dysfunction of the mitochondrial branched-chain 2-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKD) enzyme complex leading to massive accumulation of branched-chain amino acids and 2-keto acids. MSUD management, based on a life-long strict protein restriction with nontoxic amino acids oral supplementation represents an unmet need as it is associated with a poor quality of life, and does not fully protect from acute life-threatening decompensations or long-term neuropsychiatric complications. Orthotopic liver transplantation is a beneficial therapeutic option, which shows that restoration of only a fraction of whole-body BCKD enzyme activity is therapeutic. MSUD is thus an ideal target for gene therapy. We and others have tested AAV gene therapy in mice for two of the three genes involved in MSUD, BCKDHA and DBT. In this study, we developed a similar approach for the third MSUD gene, BCKDHB. We performed the first characterization of a Bckdhb-/- mouse model, which recapitulates the severe human phenotype of MSUD with early-neonatal symptoms leading to death during the first week of life with massive accumulation of MSUD biomarkers. Based on our previous experience in Bckdha-/- mice, we designed a transgene carrying the human BCKDHB gene under the control of a ubiquitous EF1α promoter, encapsidated in an AAV8 capsid. Injection in neonatal Bckdhb-/- mice at 1014 vg/kg achieved long-term rescue of the severe MSUD phenotype of Bckdhb-/- mice. These data further validate the efficacy of gene therapy for MSUD opening perspectives towards clinical translation.
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Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo , Animais , Humanos , Camundongos , 3-Metil-2-Oxobutanoato Desidrogenase (Lipoamida)/química , 3-Metil-2-Oxobutanoato Desidrogenase (Lipoamida)/genética , 3-Metil-2-Oxobutanoato Desidrogenase (Lipoamida)/metabolismo , Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada/metabolismo , Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo/genética , Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo/terapia , Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo/diagnóstico , Fenótipo , Qualidade de VidaRESUMO
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can deliver therapeutic proteins to the CNS through donor-derived hematopoietic cells that become microglia-like cells. However, using standard conditioning approaches, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is currently limited by low and slow engraftment of microglia-like cells. We report an efficient conditioning regimen based on Busulfan and a six-day course of microglia depletion using the colony-stimulating factor receptor 1 inhibitor PLX3397. Combining Busulfan-myeloablation and transient microglia depletion results in robust, rapid, and persistent microglia replacement by bone marrow-derived microglia-like cells throughout the CNS. Adding PLX3397 does not affect neurobehavior or has adverse effects on hematopoietic reconstitution. Through single-cell RNA sequencing and high-dimensional CyTOF mass cytometry, we show that microglia-like cells are a heterogeneous population and describe six distinct subpopulations. Though most bone-marrow-derived microglia-like cells can be classified as homeostatic microglia, their gene signature is a hybrid of homeostatic/embryonic microglia and border associated-macrophages. Busulfan-myeloablation and transient microglia depletion induce specific cytokines in the brain, ultimately combining myeloid proliferative and chemo-attractive signals that act locally to repopulate microglia from outside the niche. Importantly, this conditioning approach demonstrates therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of GRN deficiency. Transplanting wild-type bone marrow into Grn-/- mice conditioned with Busulfan plus PLX3397 results in high engraftment of microglia-like cells in the brain and retina, restoring GRN levels and normalizing lipid metabolism.
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Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare recessively inherited metabolic disorder causing accumulation of branched chain amino acids leading to neonatal death, if untreated. Treatment for MSUD represents an unmet need because the current treatment with life-long low-protein diet is challenging to maintain, and despite treatment the risk of acute decompensations and neuropsychiatric symptoms remains. Here, based on significant liver contribution to the catabolism of the branched chain amino acid leucine, we develop a liver-directed adeno-associated virus (AAV8) gene therapy for MSUD. We establish and characterize the Bckdha (branched chain keto acid dehydrogenase a)-/- mouse that exhibits a lethal neonatal phenotype mimicking human MSUD. Animals were treated at P0 with intravenous human BCKDHA AAV8 vectors under the control of either a ubiquitous or a liver-specific promoter. BCKDHA gene transfer rescued the lethal phenotype. While the use of a ubiquitous promoter fully and sustainably rescued the disease (long-term survival, normal phenotype and correction of biochemical abnormalities), liver-specific expression of BCKDHA led to partial, though sustained rescue. Here we show efficacy of gene therapy for MSUD demonstrating its potential for clinical translation.
Assuntos
Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo , 3-Metil-2-Oxobutanoato Desidrogenase (Lipoamida)/genética , 3-Metil-2-Oxobutanoato Desidrogenase (Lipoamida)/metabolismo , Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada/metabolismo , Animais , Terapia Genética , Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo/diagnóstico , Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo/genética , Doença da Urina de Xarope de Bordo/terapia , Camundongos , FenótipoRESUMO
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using genome-edited cells can become a definitive therapy for hematological and non-hematological disorders with neurological involvement. Proof-of-concept studies using human genome-edited hematopoietic stem cells have been hindered by the low efficiency of engraftment of the edited cells in the bone marrow and their modest efficacy in the CNS. To address these challenges, we tested a myeloablative conditioning regimen based on Busulfan in an immunocompromised model of mucopolysaccharidosis type 1. Compared with sub-lethal irradiation, Busulfan conditioning enhanced the engraftment of edited CD34+ cells in the bone marrow, as well the long-term homing and survival of bone-marrow-derived cells in viscera, and in the CNS, resulting in higher transgene expression and biochemical correction in these organs. Edited cell selection using a clinically compatible marker resulted in a population with low engraftment potential. We conclude that conditioning can impact the engraftment of edited hematopoietic stem cells. Furthermore, Busulfan-conditioned recipients have a higher expression of therapeutic proteins in target organs, particularly in the CNS, constituting a better conditioning approach for non-hematological diseases with neurological involvement.
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Pompe disease (PD) is a severe neuromuscular disorder caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). PD is currently treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with intravenous infusions of recombinant human GAA (rhGAA). Although the introduction of ERT represents a breakthrough in the management of PD, the approach suffers from several shortcomings. Here, we developed a mouse model of PD to compare the efficacy of hepatic gene transfer with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing secretable GAA with long-term ERT. Liver expression of GAA results in enhanced pharmacokinetics and uptake of the enzyme in peripheral tissues compared to ERT. Combination of gene transfer with pharmacological chaperones boosts GAA bioavailability, resulting in improved rescue of the PD phenotype. Scale-up of hepatic gene transfer to non-human primates also successfully results in enzyme secretion in blood and uptake in key target tissues, supporting the ongoing clinical translation of the approach.
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Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/enzimologia , alfa-Glucosidases/metabolismo , Animais , Autofagia , Terapia de Reposição de Enzimas , Feminino , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/terapia , Fígado/enzimologia , Masculino , Camundongos , alfa-Glucosidases/genéticaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Pompe disease (PD) is a neuromuscular disorder caused by deficiency of acidalpha-glucosidase (GAA), leading to motor and respiratory dysfunctions. Available Gaa knock-out (KO) mouse models do not accurately mimic PD, particularly its highly impaired respiratory phenotype. METHODS: Here we developed a new mouse model of PD crossing Gaa KOB6;129 with DBA2/J mice. We subsequently treated Gaa KODBA2/J mice with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing a secretable form of GAA (secGAA). FINDINGS: Male Gaa KODBA2/J mice present most of the key features of the human disease, including early lethality, severe respiratory impairment, cardiac hypertrophy and muscle weakness. Transcriptome analyses of Gaa KODBA2/J, compared to the parental Gaa KOB6;129 mice, revealed a profoundly impaired gene signature in the spinal cord and a similarly deregulated gene expression in skeletal muscle. Muscle and spinal cord transcriptome changes, biochemical defects, respiratory and muscle function in the Gaa KODBA2/J model were significantly improved upon gene therapy with AAV vectors expressing secGAA. INTERPRETATION: These data show that the genetic background impacts on the severity of respiratory function and neuroglial spinal cord defects in the Gaa KO mouse model of PD. Our findings have implications for PD prognosis and treatment, show novel molecular pathophysiology mechanisms of the disease and provide a unique model to study PD respiratory defects, which majorly affect patients. FUNDING: This work was supported by Genethon, the French Muscular Dystrophy Association (AFM), the European Commission (grant nos. 667751, 617432, and 797144), and Spark Therapeutics.
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Terapia Genética , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/genética , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/terapia , Fenótipo , Medula Espinal/metabolismo , alfa-Glucosidases/genética , Alelos , Animais , Dependovirus/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Expressão Gênica , Técnicas de Transferência de Genes , Terapia Genética/métodos , Vetores Genéticos/administração & dosagem , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Glicogênio/metabolismo , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/diagnóstico , Homozigoto , Imuno-Histoquímica , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Neurônios Motores/metabolismo , Força Muscular/genética , Músculo Esquelético , Prognóstico , Medula Espinal/fisiopatologia , Transdução Genética , Resultado do Tratamento , alfa-Glucosidases/metabolismoRESUMO
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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Gaucher disease is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by insufficient glucocerebrosidase activity. Its hallmark manifestations are attributed to infiltration and inflammation by macrophages. Current therapies for Gaucher disease include life-long intravenous administration of recombinant glucocerebrosidase and orally-available glucosylceramide synthase inhibitors. An alternative approach is to engineer the patient's own hematopoietic system to restore glucocerebrosidase expression, thereby replacing the affected cells, and constituting a potential one-time therapy for this disease. Here, we report an efficient CRISPR/Cas9-based approach that targets glucocerebrosidase expression cassettes with a monocyte/macrophage-specific element to the CCR5 safe-harbor locus in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. The targeted cells generate glucocerebrosidase-expressing macrophages and maintain long-term repopulation and multi-lineage differentiation potential with serial transplantation. The combination of a safe-harbor and a lineage-specific promoter establishes a universal correction strategy and circumvents potential toxicity of ectopic glucocerebrosidase in the stem cells. Furthermore, it constitutes an adaptable platform for other lysosomal enzyme deficiencies.
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Edição de Genes/métodos , Glucosilceramidase/metabolismo , Transplante de Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/métodos , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/enzimologia , Macrófagos/enzimologia , Monócitos/enzimologia , Animais , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Células Cultivadas , Doença de Gaucher/genética , Doença de Gaucher/terapia , Glucosilceramidase/genética , Células HEK293 , Hematopoese/genética , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/metabolismo , Humanos , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Engenharia Metabólica , Camundongos Endogâmicos NOD , Camundongos Knockout , Camundongos SCID , Monócitos/metabolismo , Transplante AutólogoRESUMO
Pompe disease is a neuromuscular disorder caused by disease-associated variants in the gene encoding for the lysosomal enzyme acid α-glucosidase (GAA), which converts lysosomal glycogen to glucose. We previously reported full rescue of Pompe disease in symptomatic 4-month-old Gaa knockout (Gaa-/-) mice by adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated liver gene transfer of an engineered secretable form of GAA (secGAA). Here, we showed that hepatic expression of secGAA rescues the phenotype of 4-month-old Gaa-/- mice at vector doses at which the native form of GAA has little to no therapeutic effect. Based on these results, we then treated severely affected 9-month-old Gaa-/- mice with an AAV vector expressing secGAA and followed the animals for 9 months thereafter. AAV-treated Gaa-/- mice showed complete reversal of the Pompe phenotype, with rescue of glycogen accumulation in most tissues, including the central nervous system, and normalization of muscle strength. Transcriptomic profiling of skeletal muscle showed rescue of most altered pathways, including those involved in mitochondrial defects, a finding supported by structural and biochemical analyses, which also showed restoration of lysosomal function. Together, these results provide insight into the reversibility of advanced Pompe disease in the Gaa-/- mouse model via liver gene transfer of secGAA.
Assuntos
Terapia Genética/métodos , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/metabolismo , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/terapia , Fígado/metabolismo , Via Secretória/genética , Transfecção/métodos , alfa-Glucosidases/metabolismo , Animais , Dependovirus/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Vetores Genéticos/administração & dosagem , Glicogênio/metabolismo , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/genética , Lisossomos/metabolismo , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismo , Fenótipo , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Transcriptoma , Resultado do Tratamento , alfa-Glucosidases/genéticaRESUMO
The pro-tolerogenic environment of the liver makes this tissue an ideal target for gene replacement strategies. In other peripheral tissues such as the skeletal muscle, anti-transgene immune response can result in partial or complete clearance of the transduced fibers. Here, we characterized liver-induced transgene tolerance after simultaneous transduction of liver and muscle. A clinically relevant transgene, α-sarcoglycan, mutated in limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2D, was fused with the SIINFEKL epitope (hSGCA-SIIN) and expressed with adeno-associated virus vectors (AAV-hSGCA-SIIN). Intramuscular delivery of AAV-hSGCA-SIIN resulted in a strong inflammatory response, which could be prevented and reversed by concomitant liver expression of the same antigen. Regulatory T cells and upregulation of checkpoint inhibitor receptors were required to establish and maintain liver-mediated peripheral tolerance. This study identifies the fundamental role of the synergy between Tregs and upregulation of checkpoint inhibitor receptors in the liver-mediated control of anti-transgene immunity triggered by muscle-directed gene transfer.
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Pompe disease (PD) is caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid α-glucosidase (GAA), resulting in systemic pathological glycogen accumulation. PD can present with cardiac, skeletal muscle, and central nervous system manifestations, as a continuum of phenotypes among two main forms: classical infantile-onset PD (IOPD) and late-onset PD (LOPD). IOPD is caused by severe GAA deficiency and presents at birth with cardiac hypertrophy, muscle hypotonia, and severe respiratory impairment, leading to premature death, if not treated. LOPD is characterized by levels of residual GAA activity up to â¼20% of normal and presents both in children and adults with a varied severity of muscle weakness and motor and respiratory deficit. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), based on repeated intravenous (i.v.) infusions of recombinant human GAA (rhGAA), represents the only available treatment for PD. Upon more than 10 years from its launch, it is becoming evident that ERT can extend the life span of IOPD and stabilize disease progression in LOPD; however, it does not represent a cure for PD. The limited uptake of the enzyme in key affected tissues and the high immunogenicity of rhGAA are some of the hurdles that limit ERT efficacy. GAA gene transfer with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors has been shown to reduce glycogen storage and improve the PD phenotype in preclinical studies following different approaches. Here, we present an overview of the different gene therapy approaches for PD, focusing on in vivo gene transfer with AAV vectors and discussing the potential opportunities and challenges in developing safe and effective gene therapies for the disease. Based on emerging safety and efficacy data from clinical trials for other protein deficiencies, in vivo gene therapy with AAV vectors appears to have the potential to provide a therapeutically relevant, stable source of GAA enzyme, which could be highly beneficial in PD.
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Dependovirus/genética , Terapia Genética/métodos , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/terapia , Lentivirus/genética , alfa-Glucosidases/genética , Animais , Dependovirus/metabolismo , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Terapia de Reposição de Enzimas/métodos , Edição de Genes/métodos , Técnicas de Transferência de Genes , Vetores Genéticos/química , Vetores Genéticos/metabolismo , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/enzimologia , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/genética , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/patologia , Humanos , Lentivirus/metabolismo , Lisossomos/enzimologia , Lisossomos/patologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Músculo Esquelético/enzimologia , Músculo Esquelético/patologia , Miocárdio/enzimologia , Miocárdio/patologia , alfa-Glucosidases/deficiência , alfa-Glucosidases/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
Immune responses to therapeutic transgenes are a potential hurdle to treat monogenic muscle disorders. These responses result from the neutralizing activity of transgene-specific B cells and cytotoxic T cells recruited upon gene transfer. We explored here how dual muscle-liver expression of a foreign transgene allows muscle transgene engraftment after adenoassociated viral vector delivery. We found in particular that induction of transgene-specific tolerance is imposed by concurrent muscle and liver targeting, resulting in the absence of CD8+ T cell responses to the transgene. This tolerance can be temporally decoupled, because transgene engraftment can be achieved in muscle weeks after liver transduction. Importantly, transgene-specific CD8+ T cell tolerance can be established despite preexisting immunity to the transgene. Whenever preexisting, transgene-specific CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cell responses are present, dual muscle-liver transduction turns polyclonal, transgene-specific CD8+ T cells into typically exhausted T cells with high programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) expression and lack of IFN-γ production. Our results demonstrate that successful transduction of muscle tissue can be achieved through liver-mediated control of humoral and cytotoxic T cell responses, even in the presence of preexisting immunity to the muscle-associated transgene.
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Técnicas de Transferência de Genes , Terapia Genética , Tolerância Imunológica/imunologia , Fígado/metabolismo , Músculos/metabolismo , Animais , Linfócitos B/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Dependovirus/genética , Dependovirus/imunologia , Terapia Genética/efeitos adversos , Terapia Genética/métodos , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Vetores Genéticos/imunologia , Interferon gama/metabolismo , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Linfócitos T Citotóxicos/imunologia , Transgenes/genéticaRESUMO
Hepatocyte-restricted, AAV-mediated gene transfer is being used to provide sustained, tolerogenic transgene expression in gene therapy. However, given the episomal status of the AAV genome, this approach cannot be applied to pediatric disorders when hepatocyte proliferation may result in significant loss of therapeutic efficacy over time. In addition, many multi-systemic diseases require widespread expression of the therapeutic transgene that, when provided with ubiquitous or tissue-specific non-hepatic promoters, often results in anti-transgene immunity. Here we have developed tandem promoter monocistronic expression cassettes that, packaged in a single AAV, provide combined hepatic and extra-hepatic tissue-specific transgene expression and prevent anti-transgene immunity. We validated our approach in infantile Pompe disease, a prototype disease caused by lack of the ubiquitous enzyme acid-alpha-glucosidase (GAA), presenting multi-systemic manifestations and detrimental anti-GAA immunity. We showed that the use of efficient tandem promoters prevents immune responses to GAA following systemic AAV gene transfer in immunocompetent Gaa-/- mice. Then we demonstrated that neonatal gene therapy with either AAV8 or AAV9 in Gaa-/- mice resulted in persistent therapeutic efficacy when using a tandem liver-muscle promoter (LiMP) that provided high and persistent transgene expression in non-dividing extra-hepatic tissues. In conclusion, the tandem promoter design overcomes important limitations of AAV-mediated gene transfer and can be beneficial when treating pediatric conditions requiring persistent multi-systemic transgene expression and prevention of anti-transgene immunity.
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Glycogen storage disease type III (GSDIII) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of glycogen-debranching enzyme (GDE), which results in profound liver metabolism impairment and muscle weakness. To date, no cure is available for GSDIII and current treatments are mostly based on diet. Here we describe the development of a mouse model of GSDIII, which faithfully recapitulates the main features of the human condition. We used this model to develop and test novel therapies based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated gene transfer. First, we showed that overexpression of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-acid glucosidase (GAA) with an AAV vector led to a decrease in liver glycogen content but failed to reverse the disease phenotype. Using dual overlapping AAV vectors expressing the GDE transgene in muscle, we showed functional rescue with no impact on glucose metabolism. Liver expression of GDE, conversely, had a direct impact on blood glucose levels. These results provide proof of concept of correction of GSDIII with AAV vectors, and they indicate that restoration of the enzyme deficiency in muscle and liver is necessary to address both the metabolic and neuromuscular manifestations of the disease.
Assuntos
Terapia Genética , Sistema da Enzima Desramificadora do Glicogênio/genética , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo III/genética , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo III/metabolismo , Fígado/metabolismo , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismo , Fenótipo , Animais , Biomarcadores , Glicemia , Dependovirus/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Ativação Enzimática , Expressão Gênica , Técnicas de Transferência de Genes , Terapia Genética/métodos , Vetores Genéticos/administração & dosagem , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Glicogênio/metabolismo , Sistema da Enzima Desramificadora do Glicogênio/metabolismo , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo III/diagnóstico , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo III/terapia , Hepatócitos/metabolismo , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Especificidade de ÓrgãosRESUMO
In recent years, the number of clinical trials in which adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have been used for in vivo gene transfer has steadily increased. The excellent safety profile, together with the high efficiency of transduction of a broad range of target tissues, has established AAV vectors as the platform of choice for in vivo gene therapy. Successful application of the AAV technology has also been achieved in the clinic for a variety of conditions, including coagulation disorders, inherited blindness, and neurodegenerative diseases, among others. Clinical translation of novel and effective "therapeutic products" is, however, a long process that involves several cycles of iterations from bench to bedside that are required to address issues encountered during drug development. For the AAV vector gene transfer technology, several hurdles have emerged in both preclinical studies and clinical trials; addressing these issues will allow in the future to expand the scope of AAV gene transfer as a therapeutic modality for a variety of human diseases. In this review, we will give an overview on the biology of AAV vector, discuss the design of AAV-based gene therapy strategies for in vivo applications, and present key achievements and emerging issues in the field. We will use the liver as a model target tissue for gene transfer based on the large amount of data available from preclinical and clinical studies.
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Glycogen storage disease type II or Pompe disease is a severe neuromuscular disorder caused by mutations in the lysosomal enzyme, acid α-glucosidase (GAA), which result in pathological accumulation of glycogen throughout the body. Enzyme replacement therapy is available for Pompe disease; however, it has limited efficacy, has high immunogenicity, and fails to correct pathological glycogen accumulation in nervous tissue and skeletal muscle. Using bioinformatics analysis and protein engineering, we developed transgenes encoding GAA that could be expressed and secreted by hepatocytes. Then, we used adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors optimized for hepatic expression to deliver the GAA transgenes to Gaa knockout (Gaa-/-) mice, a model of Pompe disease. Therapeutic gene transfer to the liver rescued glycogen accumulation in muscle and the central nervous system, and ameliorated cardiac hypertrophy as well as muscle and respiratory dysfunction in the Gaa-/- mice; mouse survival was also increased. Secretable GAA showed improved therapeutic efficacy and lower immunogenicity compared to nonengineered GAA. Scale-up to nonhuman primates, and modeling of GAA expression in primary human hepatocytes using hepatotropic AAV vectors, demonstrated the therapeutic potential of AAV vector-mediated liver expression of secretable GAA for treating pathological glycogen accumulation in multiple tissues in Pompe disease.
Assuntos
Dependovirus/genética , Doença de Depósito de Glicogênio Tipo II/terapia , Fígado/metabolismo , Animais , Terapia Genética , Vetores Genéticos , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismo , alfa-Glucosidases/genética , alfa-Glucosidases/fisiologiaRESUMO
Immunogenicity of recombinant human acid-alpha glucosidase (rhGAA) in enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a safety and efficacy concern in the management of late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD). However, long-term effects of ERT on humoral and cellular responses to rhGAA are still poorly understood. To better understand the impact of immunogenicity of rhGAA on the efficacy of ERT, clinical data and blood samples from LOPD patients undergoing ERT for >4 years (n = 28) or untreated (n = 10) were collected and analyzed. In treated LOPD patients, anti-rhGAA antibodies peaked within the first 1000 days of ERT, while long-term exposure to rhGAA resulted in clearance of antibodies with residual production of non-neutralizing IgG. Analysis of T cell responses to rhGAA showed detectable T cell reactivity only after in vitro restimulation. Upregulation of several cytokines and chemokines was detectable in both treated and untreated LOPD subjects, while IL2 secretion was detectable only in subjects who received ERT. These results indicate that long-term ERT in LOPD patients results in a decrease in antibody titers and residual production of non-inhibitory IgGs. Immune responses to GAA following long-term ERT do not seem to affect efficacy of ERT and are consistent with an immunomodulatory effect possibly mediated by regulatory T cells.