title: Myeloid/Microglial driven autologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy corrects a neuronopathic lysosomal disease.
abstract: Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPSIIIA) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in N-sulfoglucosamine sulfohydrolase (SGSH), resulting in heparan sulfate (HS) accumulation and progressive neurodegeneration. There are no treatments. We previously demonstrated improved neuropathology in MPSIIIA mice using lentiviral vectors (LVs) overexpressing SGSH in wild-type (WT) hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplants (HSCTs), achieved via donor monocyte/microglial engraftment in the brain. However, neurological disease was not corrected using LVs in autologous MPSIIIA HSCTs. To improve brain expression via monocyte/microglial specificity, LVs expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under ubiquitous phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) or myeloid-specific promoters were compared in transplanted HSCs. LV-CD11b-GFP gave significantly higher monocyte/B-cell eGFP expression than LV-PGK-GFP or LV-CD18-GFP after 6 months. Subsequently, autologous MPSIIIA HSCs were transduced with either LV-PGK-coSGSH or LV-CD11b-coSGSH vectors expressing codon-optimized SGSH and transplanted into MPSIIIA mice. Eight months after HSCT, LV-PGK-coSGSH vectors produced bone marrow SGSH (576% normal activity) similar to LV-CD11b-coSGSH (473%), but LV-CD11b-coSGSH had significantly higher brain expression (11 versus 7%), demonstrating improved brain specificity. LV-CD11b-coSGSH normalized MPSIIIA behavior, brain HS, GM2 ganglioside, and neuroinflammation to WT levels, whereas LV-PGK-coSGSH partly corrected neuropathology but not behavior. We demonstrate compelling evidence of neurological disease correction using autologous myeloid driven lentiviral-HSC gene therapy in MPSIIIA mice.
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell & Neurotherapies, Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sergijenko
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Langford-Smith
authors.forename: Ai Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Claire E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Pickford
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nowinski
authors.forename: Kia J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Langford-Smith
authors.forename: Catherine L R
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Merry
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: J Edmond
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wraith
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Wynn
authors.forename: Fiona L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Brian W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Bigger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017628:Microglia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D009084:Mucopolysaccharidosis III / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D022423:Myeloid Cells / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D039481:CD11b Antigen; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006497:Heparan Sulfate; D006867:Hydrolases; C509295:ITGAM protein, human; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; C022708:N-sulfoglucosamine sulfohydrolase