Activity-Induced DNA Breaks Govern the Expression of Neuronal Early-Response Genes.

Neuronal activity causes the rapid expression of immediate early genes that are crucial for experience-driven changes to synapses, learning, and memory. Here, using both molecular and genome-wide next-generation sequencing methods, we report that neuronal activity stimulation triggers the formation of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in the promoters of a subset of early-response genes, including Fos, Npas4, and Egr1. Generation of targeted DNA DSBs within Fos and Npas4 promoters is sufficient to induce their expression even in the absence of an external stimulus. Activity-dependent DSB formation is likely mediated by the type II topoisomerase, Topoisomerase IIß (Topo IIß), and knockdown of Topo IIß attenuates both DSB formation and early-response gene expression following neuronal stimulation. Our results suggest that DSB formation is a physiological event that rapidly resolves topological constraints to early-response gene expression in neurons.

Optimization of lentiviral vector transduction into peripheral blood mononuclear cells in combination with the fibronectin fragment CH-296 stimulation.

Large scale T-cell expansion and efficient gene transduction are required for adoptive T-cell gene therapy. Based on our previous observations, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) can be expanded efficiently while conserving a naïve phenotype by stimulating with both recombinant human fibronectin fragment (CH-296) and anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies. In this article, we explored the possibility of using this co-stimulation method to generate engineered T cells using lentiviral vector. Human PBMCs were stimulated with anti-CD3 together with immobilized CH-296 or anti-CD28 antibody as well as anti-CD3/anti-CD28 conjugated beads and transduced with lentiviral vector simultaneously. Co-stimulation with CH-296 gave superior transduction efficiency than with anti-CD28. Next, PBMCs were stimulated and transduced with anti-CD3/CH-296 or with anti-CD3/CD28 beads. T-cell expansion, gene transfer efficiencies and immunophenotypes were analysed. Stimulation with anti-CD3/CH-296 resulted in more than 10-times higher cell expansion and higher gene transfer efficiency with conservation of the naïve phenotype compared with anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation method. Thus, lentiviral transduction with anti-CD3/CH-296 co-stimulation is an efficient way to generate large numbers of genetically modified T cells and may be suitable for many gene therapy protocols that use adoptive T-cell transfer therapy.