Hepatocyte Heparan Sulfate Is Required for Adeno-Associated Virus 2 but Dispensable for Adenovirus 5 Liver Transduction In Vivo.

UNLABELLED: Adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) and adenovirus 5 (Ad5) are promising gene therapy vectors. Both display liver tropism and are currently thought to enter hepatocytes in vivo through cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). To test directly this hypothesis, we created mice that lack Ext1, an enzyme required for heparan sulfate biosynthesis, in hepatocytes. Ext1(HEP) mutant mice exhibit an 8-fold reduction of heparan sulfate in primary hepatocytes and a 5-fold reduction of heparan sulfate in whole liver tissue. Conditional hepatocyte Ext1 gene deletion greatly reduced AAV2 liver transduction following intravenous injection. Ad5 transduction requires blood coagulation factor X (FX); FX binds to the Ad5 capsid hexon protein and bridges the virus to HSPGs on the cell surface. Ad5.FX transduction was abrogated in primary hepatocytes from Ext1(HEP) mice. However, in contrast to the case with AAV2, Ad5 transduction was not significantly reduced in the livers of Ext1(HEP) mice. FX remained essential for Ad5 transduction in vivo in Ext1(HEP) mice. We conclude that while AAV2 requires HSPGs for entry into mouse hepatocytes, HSPGs are dispensable for Ad5 hepatocyte transduction in vivo. This study reopens the question of how adenovirus enters cells in vivo. IMPORTANCE: Our understanding of how viruses enter cells, and how they can be used as therapeutic vectors to manage disease, begins with identification of the cell surface receptors to which viruses bind and which mediate viral entry. Both adeno-associated virus 2 and adenovirus 5 are currently thought to enter hepatocytes in vivo through heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). However, direct evidence for these conclusions is lacking. Experiments presented herein, in which hepatic heparan sulfate synthesis was genetically abolished, demonstrated that HSPGs are not likely to function as hepatocyte Ad5 receptors in vivo. The data also demonstrate that HSPGs are required for hepatocyte transduction by AAV2. These results reopen the question of the identity of the Ad5 receptor in vivo and emphasize the necessity of demonstrating the nature of the receptor by genetic means, both for understanding Ad5 entry into cells in vivo and for optimization of Ad5 vectors as therapeutic agents.

Reversible suppression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression in vivo by inducible RNA interference.

Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), also known as cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), plays a critical role in many normal physiological functions and modulates a variety of pathological conditions. The ability to turn endogenous COX-2 on and off in a reversible fashion, at specific times and in specific cell types, would be a powerful tool in determining its role in many contexts. To achieve this goal, we took advantage of a recently developed RNA interference system in mice. An shRNA targeting the Cox2 mRNA 3'untranslated region was inserted into a microRNA expression cassette, under the control of a tetracycline response element (TRE) promoter. Transgenic mice containing the COX-2-shRNA were crossed with mice encoding a CAG promoter-driven reverse tetracycline transactivator, which activates the TRE promoter in the presence of tetracycline/doxycycline. To facilitate testing the system, we generated a knockin reporter mouse in which the firefly luciferase gene replaces the Cox2 coding region. Cox2 promoter activation in cultured cells from triple transgenic mice containing the luciferase allele, the shRNA and the transactivator transgene resulted in robust luciferase and COX-2 expression that was reversibly down-regulated by doxycycline administration. In vivo, using a skin inflammation-model, both luciferase and COX-2 expression were inhibited over 80% in mice that received doxycycline in their diet, leading to a significant reduction of infiltrating leukocytes. In summary, using inducible RNA interference to target COX-2 expression, we demonstrate potent, reversible Cox2 gene silencing in vivo. This system should provide a valuable tool to analyze cell type-specific roles for COX-2.