title: CNS-targeted LIF expression improves therapeutic efficacy and limits autoimmune-mediated demyelination in a model of multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with an inflammatory and a neurodegenerative component. The neuropoietic cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is expressed in MS lesions, but its effect on lesion development is far from understood. LIF is an interesting candidate for MS therapy, as it has neuroprotective properties and may also promote the survival of myelinating oligodendrocytes (OLGs). However, therapeutic administration of LIF is complicated by its limited ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and its pleiotropic actions outside the CNS. In this study, lentiviral vectors (LVs) were used to achieve stable expression and secretion of LIF in the CNS of adult mice. CNS-targeted expression of LIF significantly reduced demyelination in a murine model of MS. In addition, local expression of LIF ameliorated clinical symptoms with enhanced efficacy compared to systemic treatment with recombinant protein. These findings demonstrate that gene therapeutic administration of LIF is a promising approach to limit lesion burden and clinical symptoms in neuroinflammatory disease.
authors.affiliation: Hasselt University, Biomedical Research Institute and transnationale Universiteit Limburg, School of Life Sciences, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Slaets
authors.forename: Jerome J A
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hendriks
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van den Haute
authors.forename: Frea
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Coun
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baekelandt
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stinissen
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hellings
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism; D020278:Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS / Q000628:therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000628:therapy*; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016086:Lentivirus; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000628:therapy*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000637:transplantation
chemical_list: D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor