title: Stringent control of gene expression in vivo by using novel doxycycline-dependent trans-activators.
abstract: The tetracycline (Tet)-dependent regulatory system has been widely used for controlling gene expression. The Tet-on version of the system, in which the reverse Tet-responsive transcriptional activator (rtTA) is positively regulated by Tet or its analogs, such as doxycycline (Dox), is of potential utility for gene therapy applications in humans. However, rtTA may display a high basal activity, especially when delivered in vivo by using episomal vectors such as plasmids. Two novel Dox-inducible activators, called rtTA2(S)-S2 and rtTA2(S)-M2, which have a significantly lower basal activity than rtTA in stably transfected cell lines, have been described. In this study we tested the capability of these trans-activators to control expression of mouse erythropoietin (mEpo) and to modulate hematocrit (Hct) increase in vivo on delivery of plasmids into quadriceps muscles of adult mice by DNA electroinjection. Both rtTA2(S)-M2 and rtTA2(S)-S2 displayed a considerably lower background activity and higher window of induction than rtTA in vivo. Moreover, a stringent control of mEpo gene expression and Hct levels in the absence of any background activity was maintained over a 10-month period by injecting as little as 1 microg of a single plasmid containing the rtTA2(S)-S2 expression cassette and the Tet-responsive mEpo cDNA. This constitutes the first report of a stringent ligand-dependent control of gene expression in vivo obtained by delivering a single plasmid encoding both the trans-activator and the regulated gene. Notably, the rtTA2(S)-S2-based system was induced by oral doses of doxycycline comparable to those normally used in clinical practice in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gene Therapy, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, IRBM-P Angeletti, 00040 Pomezia (Rome), Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lamartina
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roscilli
authors.forename: Cira Daniela
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Rinaudo
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sporeno
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silvi
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hillen
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bujard
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciliberto
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toniatti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006367:HeLa Cells / Q000502:physiology; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids; D015534:Trans-Activators; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D015534:Trans-Activators; D004921:Erythropoietin; D004318:Doxycycline