title: In vivo gene transfer targeting in pancreatic adenocarcinoma with cell surface antigens.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a deadly malignancy resistant to current therapies. It is critical to test new strategies, including tumor-targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. This study tested the possibility to target the transfer of a suicide gene in tumor cells using an oncotropic lentiviral vector.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three cell surface markers were evaluated to target the transduction of cells by lentiviruses pseudotyped with a modified glycoprotein from Sindbis virus. Only Mucin-4 and the Claudin-18 proteins were found efficient for targeted lentivirus transductions in vitro. In subcutaneous xenografts of human pancreatic cancer cells models, Claudin-18 failed to achieve efficient gene transfer but Mucin-4 was found very potent. Human pancreatic tumor cells were modified to express a fluorescent protein detectable in live animals by bioimaging, to perform a direct non invasive and costless follow up of the tumor growth. Targeted gene transfer of a bicistronic transgene bearing a luciferase gene and the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene into orthotopic grafts was carried out with Mucin-4 oncotropic lentiviruses. By contrast to the broad tropism VSV-G carrying lentivirus, this oncotropic lentivirus was found to transduce specifically tumor cells, sparing normal pancreatic cells in vivo. Transduced cells disappeared after ganciclovir treatment while the orthotopic tumor growth was slowed down.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This work considered for the first time three aspect of pancreatic adenocarcinoma targeted therapy. First, lentiviral transduction of human pancreatic tumor cells was possible when cells were grafted orthotopically. Second, we used a system targeting the tumor cells with cell surface antigens and sparing the normal cells. Finally, the TK/GCV anticancer system showed promising results in vivo. Importantly, the approach presented here appeared to be a safer, much more specific and an as efficient way to perform gene delivery in pancreatic tumors, in comparison with a broad tropism lentivirus. This study will be useful in future designing of targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1035, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lafitte
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moranvillier
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taillepierre
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peuchant
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Guyonnet-Dupérat
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bedel
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dubus
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Verneuil
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moreau-Gaudry
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dabernat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D057167:Claudins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000494:pharmacology; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D055264:Mucin-4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; C486683:CLDN18 protein, human; D057167:Claudins; D055264:Mucin-4; D014764:Viral Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008156:Luciferases; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D015774:Ganciclovir