Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to the transplanted piglet heart after intracoronary injection.
BACKGROUND
The advent of cardiac gene therapy in clinical practice requires a more efficient and safer myocardial gene delivery in large animals. A new approach to adenovirus-mediated intracoronary gene transfer in the piglet, using a heterotopic heart transplantation model, was designed to maximize the duration of contact between the vector and the heart in noncoronary flow conditions.


METHODS
Recombinant adenoviruses harboring a nucleus-localized beta-galactosidase gene under the control of a viral promoter were injected into the coronary vessels of the harvested hearts at a dose ranging from 10(10) to 2 x 10(11) pfu. The graft was maintained for 75 min in saline solution and then implanted in the abdomen of recipients. Gene transfer to allografts was evaluated 4 days after grafting by immunohistochemical and enzymatic analysis of beta-galactosidase expression.


RESULTS
Transgene expression was detected in all cardiac areas and up to 64, 44, 32, and 15% of positive nuclei were estimated in the left ventricle wall in four animals out of eleven. In the remaining animals, transgene expression was focally distributed, mainly in the left ventricle wall. PCR analysis revealed the presence of adenoviral sequences, albeit minimal, in exposed organs such as the liver and lung.


CONCLUSIONS
This procedure demonstrated that direct intracoronary gene transfer can be achieved using an ex vivo gene transfer strategy.
Griscelli
Frank
F
UMR 1582, Vectorologie et Transfert de Gènes, Institut Gustave Roussy, PR2, 39 rue Camille Desmoulins, Villejuif, France. grisceli@igr.fr
Belli
Emre
E
Opolon
Paule
P
Musset
Karine
K
Connault
Elisabeth
E
Perricaudet
Michel
M
Serraf
Alain
A
Mazmanian
Guy-Michel
GM
Ragot
Thierry
T
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D013552:Swine; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D019076:Transgenes; D016042:Transplantation, Heterotopic; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism
D001616:beta-Galactosidase