title: Gene therapy approaches for bone regeneration.
abstract: Gene therapy represents a promising approach for delivering regenerative molecules to specific tissues including bone. Several laboratories have shown that virus-based BMP expression vectors can stimulate osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in vivo. Both in vivo and ex vivo transduction of cells can induce bone formation at ectopic and orthotopic sites. Adenovirus and direct DNA delivery of genes encoding regenerative molecules can heal critical-sized defects of cranial and long bones. Although osteogenic activity can be demonstrated for individual BMP vectors, substantial synergies may be achieved using combinatorial gene therapy to express complimentary osteogenic signals including specific combinations of BMPs or BMPs and transcription factors. Further control of the bone regeneration process may also be achieved through the use of inducible promoters that can be used to control the timing and magnitude of expression for a particular gene. Using these types of approaches, it should be possible to mimic natural processes of bone development and fracture repair and, in so doing, be able to precisely control both the amount and type of bone regenerated.
authors.affiliation: The Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Mich., USA. rennyf@umich.edu
authors.forename: Renny T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.forename: Shuying
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: R Bruce
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Krebsbach
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Dian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D055419:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000628:therapy; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000628:therapy; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C525819:BMP7 protein, human; C525821:Bmp7 protein, rat; D055419:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta