This project is focused on the development of effective strategies for correcting the disease phenotype by therapeutic gene transfer into stem cells of mice and humans with sickle cell anemia. Our goals are to identify a vector system that is capable of achieving relatively efficient gene transfer into primitive human hematopoietic cells under conditions which preserve or expand their numbers and repopulating potential. A second goal is to develop a therapeutic expression cassette which can be used to directly increase the amount of gamma mRNA in transduced cells or to activate the endogenous gamma-globin genes through expression of a transcriptional factor, transdominant mutant therefor or antisense sequences targeted toward a relevant mRNA. A third goal is to model gene therapy protocols in mice with sickle cell disease using drug selection to amplify a genetically normal or gene corrected minority population of hematopoietic cells. The research proposed under the first specific aim is designed to test the hypothesis that the intrinsic biological advantages of lentiviral vectors, namely the relative stability of the pre-integration complex and the ability of this nucleoprotein complex do transverse the nuclear membrane, will allow a higher frequency of transduction of primitive human transfer into repopulating cells. Research is also proposed to close the gap in our knowledge regarding the recovery and transducibility of repopulating cells from patients with sickle cell anemia. The second specific aim is organized around the basic hypothesis that retroviral mediated gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells can be used to achieve a therapeutic level of gamma-globin gene expression in maturing erythroblasts. Two strategies will be pursued concurrently. 1) development of an erythroid specific expression cassette that generates high levels of exogenous gamma-globin mRNA and 2) evaluation of various genetic elements with respect to their capacity to activate the exogenous gamma-globin genes. Research proposed specific aim 3 is designed to use murine models of human hemoglobin disorders, severe beta thalessemia or sickle cell disease, to test the hypothesis that a minority of cells that have been genetically modifier by retroviral mediated gene transfer can be amplified by drug selection using the dihydrofolate reductase selection system leading to cure of the hemoglobin disorder. Experiments are proposed to vigorously test the selection system in the context of competitive repopulation thereby providing useful information for developing gene therapy protocols for patients with sickle cell disease in the future.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
2P01HL053749-06
Application #
6202385
Study Section
Project Start
1999-09-15
Project End
2000-08-31
Budget Start
1997-10-01
Budget End
1998-09-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
067717892
City
Memphis
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
38105
Zhao, Hui Fen; Abraham, Allistair; Kim, Yoon-Sang et al. (2017) Lentiviral Transfer of ?-Globin with Fusion Gene NUP98-HOXA10HD Expands Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Ameliorates Murine ?-Thalassemia. Mol Ther 25:593-605
De Ravin, Suk See; Wu, Xiaolin; Moir, Susan et al. (2016) Lentiviral hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency. Sci Transl Med 8:335ra57
Abraham, Allistair; Kim, Yoon-Sang; Zhao, Huifen et al. (2016) Increased Engraftment of Human Short Term Repopulating Hematopoietic Cells in NOD/SCID/IL2r?null Mice by Lentiviral Expression of NUP98-HOXA10HD. PLoS One 11:e0147059
Wielgosz, Matthew M; Kim, Yoon-Sang; Carney, Gael G et al. (2015) Generation of a lentiviral vector producer cell clone for human Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome gene therapy. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2:14063
Pestina, Tamara I; Hargrove, Phillip W; Zhao, Huifen et al. (2015) Amelioration of murine sickle cell disease by nonablative conditioning and ?-globin gene-corrected bone marrow cells. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2:15045
Zhou, Sheng; Bonner, Melissa A; Wang, Yong-Dong et al. (2015) Quantitative shearing linear amplification polymerase chain reaction: an improved method for quantifying lentiviral vector insertion sites in transplanted hematopoietic cell systems. Hum Gene Ther Methods 26:4-12
Urbinati, Fabrizia; Hargrove, Phillip W; Geiger, Sabine et al. (2015) Potentially therapeutic levels of anti-sickling globin gene expression following lentivirus-mediated gene transfer in sickle cell disease bone marrow CD34+ cells. Exp Hematol 43:346-351
Treanor, Louise M; Zhou, Sheng; Janke, Laura et al. (2014) Interleukin-7 receptor mutants initiate early T cell precursor leukemia in murine thymocyte progenitors with multipotent potential. J Exp Med 211:701-13
Griffith, Linda M; Cowan, Morton J; Notarangelo, Luigi D et al. (2014) Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC) report. J Allergy Clin Immunol 133:335-47
De Ravin, Suk See; Gray, John T; Throm, Robert E et al. (2014) False-positive HIV PCR test following ex vivo lentiviral gene transfer treatment of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency vector. Mol Ther 22:244-245

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