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Interleukin-2 production by tumor cells bypasses T helper function in the generation of an antitumor response.

A poorly immunogenic murine colon cancer was used to investigate mechanisms of antitumor immunity. Injection of tumor cells engineered by gene transfection to secrete IL-2 stimulated an MHC class I-restricted cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against the parental tumor. The tumor cells secreting IL-2 produced an antitumor response in vivo, even in the absence of CD4+ T cells. Animals immunized with the engineered cells were protected against subsequent challenge with the parental tumor cell line. Similar findings were demonstrated for other tumor types. Thus, provision of a helper lymphokine in a paracrine fashion induced a tumor-specific immune response involving activation of endogenous CTLs and other immune effector cells. These findings demonstrate that the failure of an effective antitumor immune response may be primarily due to a helper arm deficiency of the immune system rather than a paucity of tumor-specific cytotoxic effector cells. Furthermore, they outline a novel strategy for augmenting tumor immunity.

Animals

Genetically engineered endothelial cells remain adherent and viable after stent deployment and exposure to flow in vitro.

Intravascular stents, currently in experimental human use for recurrent arterial stenosis, are plagued by subacute thrombosis. As a therapeutic approach to stent-related thrombosis, we and others have suggested coating stents with endothelial cells before implantation. In a previous study we demonstrated the feasibility of coating stents with endothelial cells that were genetically modified to secrete large amounts of human tissue plasminogen activator. In the present study we attempted both to develop a clinically applicable protocol for stent seeding and to test whether seeded cells would remain adherent to stents after exposure to pulsatile flow. Endothelial cells were harvested from the saphenous veins of sheep with survival of the donor animals. Harvested cells were transduced with a retroviral vector containing a marker gene and seeded onto catheter-mounted stents under sterile conditions. Scanning electron microscopy revealed complete coverage of the stent surfaces by seeded cells. Stents were expanded and exposed to pulsatile flow in vitro. Substantial cell retention was observed on the lateral stent surfaces by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy; fewer cells were seen on the luminal and abluminal surfaces. Removal of seeded cells from flow-exposed stents by trypsin digestion resulted in the recovery of approximately 70% of the seeded cells. These cells were viable and healthy as judged by their ability to proliferate to confluence with the same kinetics as control (non-flow-exposed) cells. Autologous genetically modified endothelial cells can be seeded onto catheter-mounted stents in a sterile manner, and stent deployment under flow conditions results in substantial retention of viable cells.

Animals

Mammalian cell lines engineered to identify inhibitors of specific signal transduction pathways.

A variety of signal transduction pathways contribute to the regulation of transcription in mammalian cells. Several of these pathways ultimately rely upon the interaction of transcription factors with genetic sequences termed response elements in the promoter regions of some genes. The biochemical mechanisms that control the levels and state of activation of transcription factors are poorly understood. However, specific phosphorylation events mediated by protein kinase C, growth factor receptor-linked tyrosine kinases, and protein kinase A clearly participate in the regulation of these signal transduction pathways. To understand the relationship between activation and/or inhibition of these pathways and regulation of gene expression controlled by specific response elements, cell lines were prepared containing the TPA response element (TRE), serum response element (SRE), or cyclic AMP response element (CRE) fused to a gene encoding a secretable form of alkaline phosphatase (SEAP). These TRE-SEAP, SRE-SEAP, and CRE-SEAP cells exhibit dramatic increases in alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity following exposure to TPA, PDGF, or forskolin. Down regulation of protein kinase C or inhibition of tyrosine kinase activity blocked the stimulation of AP activity caused by TPA or PDGF. These cell lines can be used to characterize existing inhibitors, and to identify new agents that affect specific signal transduction pathways in mammalian cells.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine

Artificial cell adhesive proteins engineered by grafting the Arg-Gly-Asp cell recognition signal: factors modulating the cell adhesive activity of the grafted signal.

An artificial cell adhesive protein could be engineered by grafting the RGDS tetrapeptide, the core sequence of the major cell adhesive site of fibronectin, to a truncated form of Staphylococcal protein A (tSPA) via cassette mutagenesis of the tSPA expression vector pRIT2T [T. Maeda et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 15165-15168]. We synthesized a panel of tSPA derivatives grafted with various RGDS-containing oligopeptides to address the problem of how the cell adhesive activity of the resulting tSPA derivatives was affected by the length and amino acid sequence of the grafted oligopeptides and by the sites on tSPA where the extra oligopeptides were inserted. The results showed that (i) the amino acid residues flanking the RGDS core sequence played a key role in modulating the cell adhesive activity of the grafted RGDS signal; (ii) at least two sites on tSPA, each corresponding to on e of the two HindIII sites of pRIT2T, were competent in sustaining the cell adhesive activity of the grafted signal; and (iii) the divalent tSPA containing the RGDS signal at both sites was more active than monovalent derivatives containing only one signal at either site. These results provide a strategic basis for engineering of artificial cell adhesive proteins by grafting the RGDS signal.

Amino Acid Sequence

Beyond ion channel dysfunction: Integration of the transcriptome and proteome from patient-specific re-engineered cardiac cells, and population-level QT genome-wide association study reveals broad cellular dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac channelopathy with increased risk of cardiac-triggered syncope/seizures, sudden cardiac arrest, and sudden cardiac death. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles in patient-derived inducible pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (iPSC-CM) models of the 3 canonical genotypes of congenital LQTS: LQT1, LQT2, and LQT3 and integrate these omics-level findings with each other and with population/clinical level QT-genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. METHODS: LQT1, LQT2, LQT3 and respective isogenic control iPSC-CMs were cultured, and RNA and protein samples were collected. RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry-enabled proteomic analysis was performed. PrediXcan analysis was performed using QT GWAS summary statistics and transcriptome expression data. Differential gene and protein expression and ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) was performed comparing each LQT genotype with its respective isogenic control. RESULTS: 1645 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified; 13 were altered in all 3 LQTS genotypes. IPA analysis of DEGs revealed 301 altered pathways; 47 were altered in all LQTS genotypes. Proteomic analysis identified 2561 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs); 30 were altered in all 3 genotypes. IPA analysis of DEPs identified 646 altered pathways. 306 genes/proteins were identified as significantly altered in both the transcriptome and proteome; pathway analysis of these 301 genes identified 201 altered pathways. 7 pathways were altered in all 3 LQTS genotypes in both the transcriptome and proteome. Integration of the population-level PrediXcan results and the cardiomyocyte-derived omics results identified multiple shared pathways. CONCLUSION: Multi-omics analysis of LQTS and integration of omics results with QT GWAS data reveals that primary LQTS-causative ion channel defects precipitate secondary alterations in a wide range of cellular pathways. Our findings suggest more broad molecular level changes throughout the cell. This study lays the foundation for further exploration of broad cellular changes resulting from ion channel disturbances and how they contribute to disease mechanism.

Humans

Efficient and precise programmable DNA knock-in without double-strand breaks.

Programmable gene knock-in holds substantial promise for treating genetic diseases and advancing cell therapies. However, achieving precise and efficient kilobase-scale DNA fragment integration remains challenging1,2. Here we report CRISPR kilobase-scale nickase-targeting (KNIT) editing for efficient, precise and programmable kilobase-scale DNA insertion without double-strand DNA cleavage, which is enabled through the coupling of a Cas9 nickase with a DNA donor recruiting system. KNIT editing facilitates programmable integration of DNA fragments from 0.7 kb to more than 10 kb and is effective across genomic loci and cell types. It achieves up to 89% efficiency and markedly reduces unintended insertion-deletion mutation (indels) rates, translocations and off-target editing. The system supports repeated insertion editing and multiloci gene knock-in with minimal translocations. Its enhanced version, KNIT editor 2, further improves efficiency via a single transfection. Moreover, in mutant cells with a pathological mutation, KNIT editing restores normal gene expression by inserting a therapeutic gene into a safe harbour locus or its native locus. Notably, KNIT editing enables non-viral and programmable chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) engineering without double-strand breaks and with clinically relevant efficiencies. Moreover, the engineered CAR-T cells exhibit effective antitumour activity in vitro and in mouse models. Therefore, by achieving programmable and site-specific kilobase-scale DNA insertions without double-strand breaks while reducing unintended outcomes, KNIT editing provides a versatile platform for advancing personalized medicine.

Animals

Production of immunogenic HIV-1 viruslike particles in stably engineered monkey cell lines.

A proviral fragment from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) (LAV-1BRU) containing only protein-coding information, was expressed in COS cells using constitutive promoters in transient and stable transfection experiments. The presence of viruslike particles in cell supernatants was verified by Western blot analysis, density gradient centrifugation, and electron microscopy. Transfection of Vero cells with a similar construct employing the human metallothionein promoter led to the isolation of stable cell lines exhibiting inducible viruslike particle expression in response to cadmium chloride treatment. Induction ratios for viruslike particle expression were in excess of 1000-fold with production levels of p24 core antigen as high as 0.6 mg/L per 24 h. HIV-1 viruslike particles were immunogenic in mice, leading to strong envelope and core-specific humoral responses after two immunizations. The development of stable cell lines expressing significant quantities of HIV-1 viruslike particles offers an alternative to the use of live virus vectors for the production and evaluation of particle-based AIDS vaccines.

Animals

Functional aspects of mammalian neural transplantation.

Although initially perceived as a method to study neural development and regeneration, neural transplantation has recently become a very promising approach in its own right as a therapeutic tool to treat neurodegenerative disorders. The development of several animal models which mimic aspects of clinical disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's chorea, provides systems in which to study the potential benefits of grafts derived from different sources. Both fetal and adult donor tissues presently are under investigation. Additionally, cell lines and genetically engineered cells also are being developed as suitable graft material. Important aspects of graft-host interaction, including cell survival, host regeneration, immune interactions, improved behavior, and blood-brain barrier phenomena, may be studied in these transplant models. Advances in this field of biomedical research have led to clinical trials in patients afflicted with Parkinson's disease who now are undergoing transplantation therapy. Thus far, the results have been equivocal, raising important ethical questions about continued clinical studies until more is understood about how neural transplants function and interact with the host. Nevertheless, neural transplantation holds tremendous promise as a future therapeutic tool to treat progressive and irreversible neural disorders.

Animals

Integration of therapeutic cargo into the human genome with programmable type V-K CAST.

CRISPR-associated (Cas) transposases (CAST) are RNA-guided systems capable of programmable integration of large segments of DNA without creating double-strand breaks. Engineered Cascade CAST function in human cells but are challenging to deploy due to the complexity of the targeting components. Unlike Cascade, which require three Cas proteins, type V-K CAST require a single Cas12k effector for targeting. Here, we show that compact type V-K CAST from uncultivated microbes are repurposable for programmable DNA integration into the genome of human cells. Engineering for nuclear localization and function enables integration of a therapeutically relevant transgene at a safe-harbor site in multiple human cell types. Notably, off-targets are rare events reproducibly found in specific genomic regions. These CAST advancements are expected to accelerate applications of genome editing to therapeutic development, biotechnology, and synthetic biology.

Humans

Differential regulation of primitive human hematopoietic cells in long-term cultures maintained on genetically engineered murine stromal cells.

Various growth factors are known to stimulate both early and late stages of human hematopoietic cell development in semisolid assay systems, but their role as microenvironmental regulators is poorly understood. To address this problem, we developed a novel coculture system in which highly purified primitive human hematopoietic cells were seeded onto an irradiated feeder layer of cells from a murine marrow-derived stromal cell line (M2-10B4) previously engineered by retroviral-mediated gene transfer to produce specific human factors. Effects on cells at very early, intermediate, and late stages of hematopoiesis were then evaluated by assessing the number of clonogenic cell precursors (long-term culture initiating cells [LTC-IC]), clonogenic cells, and mature granulocyte and macrophage progeny present in the cultures after 5 weeks. In the absence of any feeders, cells at all stages of hematopoiesis decreased to very low levels. In contrast, maintenance of LTC-IC was found to be supported by control murine stromal cells as effectively as by standard human marrow adherent layers. The presence of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and interleukin-3-producing M2-10B4 cells in combination was able to further enhance the maintenance and early differentiation of these cells without a decline in their proliferative potential as measured by the clonogenic output per LTC-IC. However, this effect was lost if granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF)-producing feeders were also present. On the other hand, in the presence of GM-CSF-producing feeders, the output of mature granulocytes and macrophages increased 20-fold. These findings show that it is possible to selectively improve the maintenance of very primitive human hematopoietic cells in vitro or their output of mature progeny by appropriate manipulation of the long-term marrow culture system. Further exploitation of this approach should facilitate investigation of the mechanisms operative within the human marrow microenvironment in vivo and the design of protocols for in vitro manipulation of human marrow for future therapeutic applications.

Animals

Inhibition of tumor growth by histoincompatible cells expressing interleukin-2.

Murine tumor cells engineered to express IL-2 have been shown to be rejected by the syngeneic host, which is then protected against a subsequent tumorigenic challenge. To assess whether IL-2 has to be produced by the tumor cells themselves, or whether its local delivery would be sufficient to promote such beneficial effects, the syngeneic tumor cells were co-inoculated with allogeneic or xenogeneic cells secreting IL-2, selected after gene transfection. In several murine systems, it was observed that this is an efficient approach for controlling the growth of the syngeneic tumor. However, animals which rejected the tumor were not protected against a subsequent challenge. Several lines of evidence indicate that NK cells play a major role in tumor rejection induced by the IL-2 expressing histoincompatible vector cells. Thus, while local delivery of IL-2 in the vicinity of a tumor might not be sufficient to promote a systemic long-term specific antitumor immune response, it can control the growth of the primary syngeneic tumor. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using genetically engineered histoincompatible cells (which are rejected by the host's immune system) as a transient delivery system in vivo.

Animals

Genetically engineered V79 Chinese hamster cells metabolically activate the cytostatic drugs cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide.

V79 cells, genetically engineered to express active cytochromes P450IIB1 and P450IA1, were used to study the cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. Cyclophosphamide, tested up to a concentration of 2 mM, was not cytotoxic in V79 nor in the P450IA1-expressing V79-derived cell line XEM2. Pronounced cytotoxicity was, however, observed in the P450IIB1-expressing V79-derived cell line SD1. Induction of gene mutations (acquisition of 6-thioguanine resistance) was observed in SD1 cells as well, but the effects were weak. Ifosfamide was inactive in V79 cells, but was cytotoxic in SD1 cells. Ifosfamide mustard, an active metabolite of ifosfamide, was equally cytotoxic and showed similar mutagenic effects in SD1 and parental V79 cells. The results indicate that cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide are metabolically activated by cytochrome P450IIB1. In contrast, cytochrome P450IA1 was not capable of activating cyclophosphamide. Thus, V79-derived cell lines defined for their expression of a specific form of cytochrome P-450 can be used as diagnostic tools to identify the cytochrome P-450 that is responsible for the metabolic activation of drugs.

Animals

PCR and other test systems in human gene therapy.

Three protocols using retroviral-mediated gene transfer are currently undergoing clinical trials. The uniqueness of these protocols, which were the first approved experiments in which genetically engineered cells were administered to human beings, necessitated the development of novel biological and physical safety testing procedures. In addition to standard testing for contamination with exogenous pathogens and toxins, specific tests were developed to assay for the presence of recombinant helper virus in both retroviral vector preparations and in the engineered human cells. Two new assays were developed, an enhanced S+/L-virus assay called 3T3 amplification, and a specific polymerase chain reaction protocol of great sensitivity. The results of these safety tests, along with pre-clinical primate safety studies, and the accumulating clinical data, suggest that retroviral-mediated gene transfer does not pose any serious short-term safety problems for patients enrolled in gene therapy protocols.

Animals

Simulation and experimental study of a cold atmospheric pressure plasma and comparison of efficiency in boosting recombinant Endoglucanase II production in Pichia pastoris.

Recombinant proteins are essential in various industries, and scientists employ genetic engineering and synthetic biology to enhance the host cell's protein production capacity. Stress response pathways have been found effective in augmenting protein secretion. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) can induce oxidative stress and enhance protein production. Previous studies have confirmed the applicability of CAP jets on Phytase and green fluorescent protein (GFP) production in Pichia pastoris hosts. This study investigates the effect of CAP treatment on another valuable recombinant protein, Endoglucanase II (EgII), integrated into the Pichia pastoris genome. The results demonstrated that plasma induction via two different ignition modes: sinusoidal alternating current (AC) and pulsed direct current (DC) for 120, 180, and 240 s has boosted protein secretion without affecting cell growth and viability. The AC-driven jet exhibited a higher percentage increase in secretion, up to 45%. Simulation of plasma function using COMSOL software provided a pattern of electron temperature (Te) and density distribution, which determine the plasma cocktail's chemistry and reactive species production. Furthermore, electron density (ne) and temperature were estimated from the recorded optical spectrum. The difference in electron properties may explain the moderately different impressions on expression capability. However, cell engineering to improve secretion often remains a trial-and-error approach, and improvements are, at least partially, specific to the protein produced.

Plasma Gases

Deletion of the zinc-binding motif of CD13/aminopeptidase N molecules results in loss of epitopes that mediate binding of inhibitory antibodies.

The myeloid cell-surface glycoprotein CD13/aminopeptidase N (APN; EC 3.4.11.2) contains a pentapeptide (HExxH) in its extracellular domain that is characteristic of many zinc-dependent metalloproteinases. This region contains residues important for zinc binding and constitutes part of the catalytic domain of several metalloproteases. We deleted an internal fragment of 117 base pairs (bp) from the human CD13/APN cDNA, resulting in an in-frame deletion that included the sequences coding for this pentapeptide motif. The mutant cDNA was subcloned into a retroviral expression vector, and polypeptides encoded by the altered cDNA were expressed in transfected murine NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. The mutant CD13/APN molecules lacked enzymatic activity, and their intracellular processing to the cell surface was retarded by comparison with normal CD13/APN polypeptides. The mutant molecules also lacked epitopes required for binding of four of 19 CD13-specific monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) tested in flow cytometric assays. Each of the four MoAbs also inhibited the enzymatic activity of wild-type APN molecules, suggesting that these antibodies may inhibit aminopeptidase activity by interfering with the enzyme's zinc-coordinating properties. Cells engineered to express mutant CD13/APN polypeptides at the cell surface provide a tool for defining the physiologic role of this enzyme on normal and malignant myeloid cells and marrow stromal cells.

Aminopeptidases

Live-cell transcriptomics with engineered virus-like particles.

Transcriptomic profiling is widely applied to characterize cellular gene expression, yet existing approaches lyse cells and preclude direct analysis of transcriptional dynamics in the same sample over time. We addressed this limitation by engineering mammalian cells to "self-report" their transcriptional states via mRNA export in virus-like particles (VLPs). Repeated sampling of culture media from VLP-producing cell populations faithfully captured evolving transcriptional states in complex biological settings, including acute inflammatory stimulation of primary cell spheroids and multi-day differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. We engineered VLP components for multiplexed readouts from distinct cell types in co-culture and for tuning self-reported RNA profiles. Finally, we demonstrated the unique utility of self-reporting for selective longitudinal tracking of endothelial cell dynamics within the enclosed architecture of a microphysiological co-culture system to identify perivascular stroma-dependent temporal gene programs underlying vasculogenesis. Altogether, this work establishes cellular self-reporting as a broadly enabling technology for live-cell transcriptome-wide gene expression profiling.

RNA