18 - Viruses as Therapeutics Flashcards
What are beneficial uses of viruses?
- Gene replacement therapy
- Facilitate genetic modification of cells
- Create recombinant vaccines to promot immunity to infectious agents and tumors
- Act as targeted killers of cancer
Define gene therapy?
The transfer of new genetic material to the cells of an individual with resulting benefit to the individual.
What is germline therapy? What is somatic gene therapy?
Germline: modifies gene that may be passed on to subsequent generatons
Somatic: genetic modifications restricted to somatic cells, with no effect on the germline
What are two approahed for gene therapy?
Ex vivo: cells removed from patient and exposed to the vector in cell culture
In vivo: vector introduced directly into the patient
What can serve as gene delivery agents?
Viruses, chemicals, DNA loaded vesicles (liposomes), DNA-protein complexes, or physical: microinjection, direct injection of DNA, “DNA gun”
What are the three most common vectors used in gene therapy clinical trials?
- Adenovirus
- Retrovirus
- Naked/Plasmid DNA
What is X-linked severe combined immunodecifiency (X-SCID)? What occurs if left untreated?
Pts present with no T or NK lymphocytes and non-functional B cells; caused by defects in the gene for the common gamma chain (Yc)
In untreted, X-SCID is fatal in the first years of life due to infection susceptibility.
What is one way that you can use immunotherapy to target a tumor?
- Surgical resection or tumor
- Isolation of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes
- Selection of tumor-reactive T cell clones
- Propagation of tumor reactive clones
- Precondition pt with chemo/radiation and then transfer T cells with IL-2
What is a second way that you can use immunotherapy to target a tumor?
- Collect peripheral blood lymphocytes
- Modify them with viral/nonviral gene transfer (TCR/CAR)
- Propagate the tumor-reactive T cells (TCR+/CAR+)
- Precondition pt with chemo/radiation and then transfer T cells with IL-2
Decsribe how retroviruses can be used as vectors for gene delivery?
- Replicate viral genes with exogenous genes
- Retain LTR (integration) and Psi sequence (packaging)
- Supply deleted gene product in trans: packaging cell lines, heper virus, helper plasmids.
- Infect cells to introduce exogenous genes
What are the steps in the production of a retroviral vector?
- Start with cultured cells and transfect plasmid DNAs that will express gag, pol, and env proteins in the cell
- Gag, pol, and env proteins will be constituitively expressed in the packaging cells.
- Transfect, transfer, or shuttle plasmid with gene of interest into the packaging cell line to produce vector particles.
What are the advantages to using retroviruses as vectors?
Efficient delivery of foreign genes
Control over host range and cell and tissue tropism (pseudotyping, tissue-specific promoters)
What are the disadvantages to using retroviruses as vectors?
“random” integration into chormosomes, insertional mutagenesis
Maintaining high levels of gene expression
Dependence on target cell proliferation with MMLV-based vectors
MLV-LTR contains a strong, T cell specific ______.
Enhancer
What will lentivirus vectors do in nondividing cells?
The preintegration complex with Vpr, integrase, and matrix protein will cross the nuclear membrane in nondividing cells.