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Experimental Therapeutics, Preclinical Pharmacology |
Departments of Surgical Oncology [A. S. P.], Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery [P. E. K., J. A. R., B. F.], and Biomathematics [E. N. A.], Human Genetics Center [M. X.], The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, and Division of Infectious Disease, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 [R. W. F.]
| ABSTRACT |
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v
5,
v,
3,
5, and
1 integrins and that of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) in these cell lines. Statistical analysis revealed that the levels of
3 were associated with the levels of transgene expression. Blocking analysis showed that adenovirus-mediated gene transfer could be blocked by antibodies against these six molecules but not by the antibodies against
2 or
3 integrins, thus suggesting that the integrins
v
5,
v,
3,
5, and
1 and CAR molecules could limit adenovirus-mediated gene transfer when their levels fell below a certain threshold. Furthermore, cells expressing low levels of
3 and resistant to conventional adenoviral vectors were susceptible to a vector containing the heparin-binding domain in its fiber, thus suggesting that redirecting vectors to receptors other than CAR may bypass the integrin pathway. These findings may have implications for improving the efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer and developing novel adenoviral vectors. | INTRODUCTION |
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Efforts have been made to characterize the cellular receptors of the adenovirus and their role in adenovirus infection. Studies on viral entry into host cells have revealed that two cell surface events, attachment and internalization, are required for a virus to enter a cell (8)
. The viral fiber protein will first attach to the CAR3
on the surface of a host cell (9)
. The virion then gains entrance into the cell through the interaction of its penton base with the
v
3 and
v
5 integrins on the host cell surface (8)
. Several recent investigations into the levels of these cell surface markers and their correlation with the efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer have revealed that the integrins
v
3 (3
, 10)
,
v
5 (11
, 12)
, and
5
1 (13)
and CAR (14
, 15)
are important for efficient gene transfer and thus potential predictors of transfer efficiency. However, there are, to our knowledge, no reports of any investigations of these markers in the same cell lines that would indicate whether the levels of one or more of these molecules are the limiting factors in adenovirus-mediated gene transfer.
In previous studies of adenovirus-mediated cancer gene therapy, we observed that some cancer cell lines are quite refractory to adenoviral infection. Therefore, to determine whether those molecules known to be involved in attachment and internalization of the adenovirus are also responsible for low transduction efficiencies in these cell lines, we examined adenovirus-mediated transgene expression and the expression of integrins
v
5,
v,
3,
5, and
1 and CAR in four human lung carcinoma cell lines and four human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines. We then analyzed the correlation of the levels of these six cell surface markers with the levels of transgene expression. Our results suggest that levels of
3 are directly related to the levels of transgene expression in the cell lines examined. Although the levels of CAR,
v
5,
5,
v, and
1 were not directly related to the levels of transgene expression, antibody blockade of these factors significantly reduced transgene expression. Thus, in the cell lines examined, expression of all six of these molecules appeared to be necessary for efficient adenovirus-mediated gene transfer.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Cell Lines and in Vitro Adenovirus-mediated Gene Transfer.
Four established human lung carcinoma cell lines (H1299, H226b, H226br, and H460) and four established pancreatic carcinoma cell lines (MiaPaca, Panc-1, Capan-1, and Panc-28) were used in this study. Cells were cultured in either RPMI 1640 or DMEM supplemented with 510% FBS, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. For in vitro adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, cells were seeded onto six-well plates at a density of 5 x 105 cells/well. The cells were then infected with adenoviral vectors at a MOI of 10 pfu and grown at 37°C. Cells were harvested 48 h after infection and frozen at -20°C until used for protein and Luc assays. For blocking analysis, cells were seeded onto 96-well plates at a density of 2.5 x 104/well. After incubation of cells with various antibodies at 4°C for 30 min, 200 pfu of Ad/CMV-LacZ were added to each well. After incubation of cells at 37°C for 30 min, the uninfected vectors were removed. Cells were then washed once with PBS and replaced with fresh medium and incubated for 24 h. Transduced cells were then visualized by X-gal staining.
Biochemical Analysis.
Cultured cells were lysed in Luc assay buffer. Cell debris was then removed by microcentrifugation. Protein concentrations were determined using a BCA protein assay kit from Pierce (Rockford, IL) according to the manufacturers instructions. Luciferase activities were determined using a luminometer and a luciferase assay system according to the manufacturers instructions (Promega Corp., Madison, WI). X-gal staining was performed as described previously (18)
. The
-galactosidase enzyme assay was performed by using a Galacto-Light Chemiluminescent Assay kit from Tropix, Inc. (Bedford, MA) according to the manufacturers instructions.
FACS Analysis.
Antibody for CAR was provided by Dr. Finberg (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA). Antibodies for
v
5,
v,
2,
3,
5,
1, and
3 integrins were obtained from Life Technologies, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD), Zymed Laboratories, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA), or BioSource International (Camarillo, CA). Antibody for human IgG was obtained from Zymed Laboratories, Inc. All of these antibodies are monoclonal except for anti-CAR, which is polyclonal antibody obtained from rabbit. For FACS analysis, cells were harvested by trypsinization and washed twice with HBSS with calcium and magnesium (Life Technologies, Inc.) by spinning the cells at 2500 x g for 5 min. Then, 1 x 106 cells suspended in 100 µl were aliquoted into 1.5-ml Eppendorf tubes. Two µl of each antibody were then added to the cell suspension, and the cells were incubated at 4°C for 1 h. After washing twice with HBSS, the cells were suspended in 100 µl of HBSS. One µl of FITC-labeled goat antimouse immunoglobulin (PharMingen, San Diego, CA) was then added to each sample, and the cells were incubated in the dark at 4°C for 30 min. After washing twice with HBSS, the cells were suspended in 1% formaldehyde in PBS. The FACS analysis was performed within 1 week.
Statistical Analyses.
Differences among the cell lines in transgene expression and in cell surface marker expression were assessed by ANOVA using Statistical software (StatSoft, Tulsa, OK) and Kruskal-Wallis tests using Statview (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). P
0.05 was considered significant. Associations between transgene expression and the expression levels of various cell surface markers were assessed using a linear model. The dependent variable was the logarithm of RLUs; cell surface markers were the independent variables. Replicated measures of both dependent and independent variables were assumed to be subject to normal errors. The mean of the dependent variable was assumed to be equal to the mean of a linear combination of the means of the dependent variables plus a normal error. The variances of the errors were permitted to differ between cell lines and between different variables. Parameter estimation was performed by maximum likelihood estimation using the Mathematica software package (Wolfram Research, Inc., Champaign, IL). Significance tests were performed using the likelihood ratio test.
| RESULTS |
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v
5,
v,
5,
1, and
3 and CAR. To determine the levels of these molecules, cells were harvested by trypsinization and incubated with primary antibodies against one of each these molecules. Cells were then incubated with FITC-labeled secondary antibodies that could specifically recognize the primary antibodies. After washing with PBS, the cells were analyzed by FACS to determine the percentage of fluorescent cells and the mean intensity of the fluorescence for the cell population. Five assays were performed on each cell line, and antibodies against human IgG were used as controls for primary antibodies. The levels detected by this control antibody were used as a basal background for each antibody tested. Although levels of FITC-positive cells detected by this control antibody were comparable with those of the PBS control (data not shown), various levels of FITC-positive cells were detected in each cell lines when a primary antibody against a specific cell surface molecule was used (Fig. 2)
0.0002). The mean fluorescent intensities usually correlated with the percentage of FITC-positive cells, i.e., a cell line with a high percentage of cells FITC-positive for a particular molecule usually had a high mean fluorescent intensity for that molecule. Analysis of the two parameters together generated results similar to those generated by analysis of percentage alone (data not shown).
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3 level was positively associated with the levels of transgene expression (RLUs) among the eight cell lines examined (regression coefficient, 0.066; P = 0.04). When a multivariate analysis was performed using forward variable selection, only
3 was selected.
Transgene Expression after Blocking of Cell Surface Molecules.
Upon statistical analysis of the correlation of transgene expression and level of cell surface molecules, we observed that CAR (9
, 11 , 12
, 14
, 15
, 19)
and
v
5 (11
, 12)
, previously reported to be important in the entry of adenovirus into host cells, did not correlate with transgene expression. Therefore, to further test the role of these molecules in adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, we performed blocking analysis with antibodies to the six cell surface molecules. For this purpose, preliminary experiments were performed to test the ability of commercially available antibodies against these molecules in blocking adenoviral infection at various concentrations (dilution range, 1:10 to 1:1000). The majority of the antibodies we tested could block adenovirus infection after 1:101:50 dilution (data not shown). The properly diluted antibodies (1:20 for all commercially available antibodies, including controls, and 1:50 for anti-CAR) were then added to H1299 cells seeded in 96-well plates and incubated at 4°C for 30 min. Then, 200 pfu of Ad/CMV-LacZ were added to the cells and incubated at 37°C for 1 h. Uninfected vectors were then removed, and cells were cultured for 2 days before X-gal staining to assess transgene expression. The total number of blue cells was counted and compared with the total number in controls preincubated with PBS or control antibody. The results showed that preincubation of the cells with antibodies against
v,
5,
1,
3,
v
5, and CAR reduced transgene expression to 2660% of that in the control (Fig. 3)
. Preincubation of the cells with antibodies against either
2 or
3 integrins, however, did not change the level of transgene expression (Fig. 3)
. Thus, the blocking analysis showed that the adenoviral infection could be blocked by antibodies to all six of the target molecules, all of which have been reported to be involved in adenoviral infection.
|
3 and/or
5 than did H1299 cells (Fig. 2)
-galactosidase activities in H1299, H266br, and H460 cells after infection with Ad/CMV-LacZ, AdPK, or control vector at MOI 10. The cells were then harvested 24 h after infection and assayed for
-galactosidase activities. Although infection with Ad/CMV-LacZ resulted in 30-fold higher transgene activities in H1299 cells than in H226br and H460 cells, infection with AdPK resulted in equivalent
-galactosidase activities in all three cell lines (Fig. 4)
-galactosidase activities (data not shown). Because the LacZ genes in Ad/CMV-LacZ and AdPK were driven by CMV and RSV promoters, respectively, the difference in the transgene activities within the same cell line may also have reflected a difference in promoter activities. Nevertheless, the differential transgene expression observed after infection with Ad/RSV-Luc was not observed after infection with AdPK. Moreover, a previous study of promoter activities had shown that CMV was more active than RSV in various cell lines in vitro as well as in vivo (20)
. Thus, the change in the transgene expression observed in response to AdPK was likely attributable to the increased infectivity of the modified vector.
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| DISCUSSION |
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In the study reported here, we studied the levels of six cell surface molecules and transgene expression in eight different cancer cell lines. We observed a positive association between the levels of
3 integrin with adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. Blocking analysis showed, however, that all six molecules we evaluated were required for efficient transgene expression. This may indicate that although CAR,
v
5,
v, and
1 are all involved and required for the entrance of adenoviral vectors into host cells, they may no longer be limiting once a minimum level is present. Whether this finding can be generalized to other cell lines or cell types is yet to be determined. In addition, the results of the blocking analysis indicated that any one of the six cell surface molecules could be a limiting factor in adenovirus-mediated gene transfer once its expression fell to a certain threshold. This may also explain why these molecules have been reported previously to be the important factors in various other studies (10
, 11
, 13, 14, 15)
. Furthermore, in vivo gene delivery may be limited by other factors, such as a vectors access to target cells through local dissemination or through penetration of vessel walls.
The results of our study also suggest several reasons why transcription or promoter activity may not be the limiting factor when a ubiquitous promoter such as CMV or RSV is used: (a) similar patterns of transgene expression were observed among the different cell lines we examined, regardless of whether Ad/RSV-Luc or Ad/CMV-LacZ was used; and (b) the cells refractory to transduction by Ad/CMV-LacZ were quite susceptible to AdPK. Moreover, the differential transgene expression seen in H1299, H460, and H266br cells infected with Ad/RSV-Luc was not observed after infection with AdPK, although the two vectors shared the same RSV promoter.
Thus, we have been able to show by correlative studies and blocking analysis that cell surface molecules involved in adenovirus entry are important for transgene expression. Yet, this will still not likely explain all of the differences in the transgene levels observed among various cell types. Other factors, such as the activity of promoters, stability of transgene products, the behavior of the viral genome in host cells, and the sensitivity in measuring transgene products, will certainly contribute to differences in transgene levels among various target cells. In fact, some of these other factors may even explain why transgene expression was no different between H226Br and H460 cells when LacZ was used as a reporter but 79-fold higher in H226Br cells than in H460 cells when Luc was used as a reporter. However, the underlying mechanisms for this phenomenon are yet unclear.
Our observations of enhanced transgene expression in both sensitive and resistant cell lines after infection with adenoviral vectors containing a polylysine sequence in the fiber protein are consistent with observations by others (16) . Although the fiber protein is known to interact with CAR, we have now shown that modification of the fiber protein significantly improved the transgene expression in cells in which such expression was limited by the levels of integrins. This suggests that redirecting a vector to heparin or some other receptor may allow it to bypass the integrin pathway. In addition, the enhancement of transgene expression that we induced by infecting otherwise refractory cells with the vector AdPK suggests that fiber gene-modified vectors may be useful for further studies of gene delivery to cancer cells.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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1 This study was funded by a grant from an Institutional Development Award to the Human Cancer Gene Prevention and Therapy Program, NIH Grant P50-CA70907 for a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Lung Cancer, and NIH Core Grant CA 16672 for medium and vectors. ![]()
2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Box 109, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030. Phone: (713) 794-4039; Fax: (713) 794-4669; E-mail: bfang{at}notes.mdacc.tmc.edu ![]()
3 The abbreviations used are: CAR, coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor; Luc, luciferase; RSV, Rous sarcoma virus; CMV, cytomegalovirus; MOI, multiplicity of infection; pfu, plaque-forming unit(s); X-gal, 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-
-D-galactopyranoside; FACS, fluorescence-activated cell sorting; RLU, relative light unit. ![]()
Received 6/ 3/99; revised 9/17/99; accepted 9/23/99.
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