Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: DrugBank:EXPT01586 (G418)
 2,237 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We sought to investigate the usefulness of the adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV)-based vectors to suppress the excess production of the human alpha-globin gene product towards developing a treatment modality for beta-thalassemia since accumulation of free alpha-globin reduces the lifespan of red blood cells in these patients. We constructed recombinant AAV virions containing the human alpha-globin gene sequences in antisense orientation driven by the herpesvirus thymidine kinase (TK) promoter, the SV40 early gene promoter, and the human alpha-globin gene promoter, respectively, as well as a bacterial gene for resistance to neomycin (neoR) as a selectable marker. These recombinant virions were used to infect a human erythroleukemia cell line (K562) that express high levels of alpha-globin mRNA. Clonal populations of neoR cells were obtained after selection with the drug G418, a neomycin analogue. Total genomic DNA samples isolated from these cells were analyzed on Southern blots to document stable integration of the transduced neo and alpha-globin genes. Total cellular RNA samples isolated from mock-infected and recombinant virus-infected cultures were also analyzed by Northern blots. Whereas the TK promoter-driven antisense alpha-globin sequences showed no inhibition of expression of the endogenous alpha-globin gene, the SV40 promoter and the alpha-globin gene promoter-driven antisense alpha-globin sequences suppressed the expression of this constitutively over-expressed gene by approximately 29 and 91%, respectively, at the transcriptional level. These studies suggest the feasibility of utilizing the AAV-based antisense gene transfer approach in the potential treatment of beta-thalassemia.
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PMID:Suppression of human alpha-globin gene expression mediated by the recombinant adeno-associated virus 2-based antisense vectors. 829 80

Recombinant adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV) virions were constructed that contained the genomic copy of a normal human beta-globin gene marked with a 4-bp Clal linker, and the herpesvirus thymidine kinase (TK) promoter-driven bacterial gene for resistance to neomycin (v beta m-globin), as well as those containing the DNase l-hypersensitive site 2 (HS-2) from the locus control region (LCR) of the human beta-globin gene cluster (vHS2-beta m-globin). These recombinant virions were used to infect a human erythroleukemia cell line which normally does not express the beta-globin gene (K562), or a human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line (KB). Cell populations resistant to G418, a neomycin analogue, were obtained following infections with the recombinant virions, indicating high-efficiency transduction of the chimeric gene as well as functional activity of the transduced neo gene in both cell types. Southern blot analysis using a human beta-globin DNA probe substantiated stable integration of the exogenous beta-globin allele in these cells. There was no expression of the transduced beta-globin gene in K562 or KB cells infected with the v beta m-globin virus. High-level expression of the transduced beta-globin gene occurred only in the vHS2-beta m-globin virus-infected K562 cells, but not in KB cells, as determined by Northern blot as well as RNase protection analyses. Expression of the human beta-globin protein could also be detected in approximately 10-20% of the vHS2-beta m-globin virus-infected K562 cells. These studies suggest that the AAV-based vector system may prove useful for high-efficiency globin gene transfer in human hematopoietic cells.
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PMID:Adeno-associated virus 2-mediated transduction and erythroid cell-specific expression of a human beta-globin gene. 864 53

We have developed a simple and rapid in vitro bioassay system for human thrombopoietin (hTPO) by constructing a recombinant murine BaF3 cell line expressing the hTPO receptor. The cDNA encoding hTPO receptor (c-Mpl) was cloned from human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and linked to the human cytomegalovirus promoter in pcDNA3 to yield expression plasmid phTR. The expression plasmid was stably transfected into BaF3 cells. The resulting transformants were initially selected in RPMI medium containing G418 and murine IL-3 (MuIL-3) and subjected to positive selection in the medium containing hTPO. Finally, cell proliferation of the selected clones in response to hTPO was measured using a colorimetric MTT assay. Most transformants showed a dose-dependent proliferation in response to 0.1 to 100 ng/ml hTPO, among them a cell clone (BaF-mpl), that showed a saturation density of 1.0 x 10(6) cells/ml and a doubling time of 16 h in the log growth phase. This clone was chosen for further characterization of hTPO-dependent proliferation. The BaF-mpl cells showed specificity for TPO, and they died within 24 h in the absence of TPO, which enabled us to complete the assay within 2 days. In addition, optimal MTT assay conditions were established for MTT treatment time and the number of cells to be added in the assay.
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PMID:Development of an in vitro bioassay system for human thrombopoietin by constructing a recombinant murine cell line expressing human thrombopoietin receptor. 950 7

Bax and Bcl-2 are a pair of important genes that control programmed cell death, or apoptosis, with Bax being the apoptosis promoter and Bcl-2 the apoptosis protector. Although the detailed mechanism is unknown, the protein products of these two genes form protein dimers with each other and the relative ratio of the two proteins is believed to be a determinant of the balance between life and death. In our preliminary study, we found that K562 erythroleukemia cells have an extremely low level of endogenous Bcl-2 expression and a fairly high level of endogenous Bax expression. We constructed Bax and Bcl-2 expression vectors and transfected them into K562 cells. We found that transfection of Bax vector increased the expression of Bax protein; a shortened form of Bax also appeared. Cell death analysis using the Annexin V assay showed that the Bax vector caused significantly more apoptotic cells that the Bcl-2 or pCI-neo vector did. After selection with G418, Bax, Bcl-2 and pCI-neo stably transfected cells were established. These three cell lines were examined for their response to the chemotherapeutic agents ara-C, doxorubicin, etoposide and SN-38. Bax-K562 cells showed significantly higher fractions of apoptotic cells than pCI-neo-K562 cells when treated with ara-C, doxorubicin or SN-38. No sensitization effect was seen when etoposide was used. In contrast, Bcl-2-K562 cells had fewer apoptotic cells than pCI-neo-K562 cells after treatment with all these agents. Therefore, Bax may sensitize K562 cells to apoptosis induced by a wide range of, but not all, chemotherapeutic agents.
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PMID:Overexpression of Bax gene sensitizes K562 erythroleukemia cells to apoptosis induced by selective chemotherapeutic agents. 956 26

Congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP) is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from the deficient activity of the heme biosynthetic enzyme uroporphyrinogen III synthase (UROS). Severely affected patients are transfusion dependent and have mutilating cutaneous manifestations. Successful bone marrow transplantation has proven curative, providing the rationale for stem cell gene therapy. Toward this goal, two retroviral MFG vectors containing the UROS cDNA were constructed, one with the wild-type sequence (MFG-UROS-wt) and a second with an optimized Kozak consensus sequence (MFG-UROS-K). Following transduction of CEP fibroblasts, the MFG-UROS-wt and MFG-UROS-K vectors increased the endogenous activity without selection to levels that were 18- and 5-fold greater, respectively, than the mean activity in normal fibroblasts. Notably, the MFG-UROS-wt vector expressed UROS activity in CEP fibroblasts at these high levels for over 6 months without cell toxicity. Addition of either delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or ferric chloride did not affect expression of the transduced UROS gene nor did the increased concentrations of uroporphyrin isomers or porphyrin intermediates affect cell viability. Similarly, transduction of CEP lymphoblasts with the MFG-UROS-wt vector without G418 selection increased the endogenous UROS activity by 7-fold or almost 2-fold greater than that in normal lymphoblasts. Transduction of K562 erythroleukemia cells by cocultivation with the MFG-UROS-wt producer cells increased their high endogenous UROS activity by 1.6-fold without selection. Clonally isolated K562 cells expressed UROS for over 4 months at mean levels 4.7-fold greater than the endogenous activity without cell toxicity. Thus, the prolonged, high-level expression of UROS in transduced CEP fibroblasts and lymphoblasts, as well as in transduced K562 erythroid cells, demonstrated that the enzymatic defect in CEP cells could be corrected by retroviral-mediated gene therapy without selection and that the increased intracellular porphyrin intermediates were not toxic to these cells, even when porphyrin production was stimulated by supplemental ALA or iron. These in vitro studies provide the rationale for ex vivo stem cell gene therapy in severely affected patients with CEP.
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PMID:Congenital erythropoietic porphyria: prolonged high-level expression and correction of the heme biosynthetic defect by retroviral-mediated gene transfer into porphyric and erythroid cells. 978 90

A constitutive DNase I-hypersensitive site 5' of the chicken beta-globin locus, termed 5'HS4 or cHS4, has been shown to insulate a promoter from the effect of an upstream enhancer and to reduce position effects on mini-white expression in Drosophila cells; on the basis of these findings, it has been designated a chromatin insulator. We have examined the effect of the cHS4 insulator in a system that assays both the level of gene expression and the rate of transcriptional silencing. Because transgenes flanked by insulator elements are shielded from position effects in Drosophila cells, we tested the ability of cHS4 to protect transgenes from position effects in mammalian cells. Flanking of an expression vector with the cHS4 insulator in a colony assay did not increase the number of G418-resistant colonies. Using lox/cre-based recombinase-mediated cassette exchange to control integration position, we studied the effect of cHS4 on the silencing of an integrated beta-geo reporter at three genomic sites in K562 erythroleukemia cells. In this assay, enhancers act to suppress silencing but do not increase expression levels. While cHS4 blocked enhancement at each integration site, the strength of the effect varied from site to site. Furthermore, at some sites, cHS4 inhibited the enhancer effect either when placed between the enhancer and the promoter or when placed upstream of the enhancer. These results suggest that the activity of cHS4 is not dominant in all contexts and is unlikely to prevent silencing at all genomic integration sites.
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PMID:The chicken beta-globin 5'HS4 boundary element blocks enhancer-mediated suppression of silencing. 1020 95

Trials of retroviral vector-mediated human beta-globin gene transfer were hampered by low titers, unstable vector transmission, and low-level expression of transferred gene. With the goal of optimizing the retrovirally encoded human beta-globin gene expression cassette for gene therapy of beta-thalassemia, we generated 3 series of vector constructs (a total of 12 constructs) and investigated the effects of the proximal promoter, 3' - enhancer, and derivatives from the beta-locus control region or alpha-major regulatory element on virus titer, vector transmission stability, and gene expression. The virus titers for 9 of the 12 vector constructs ranged between 2.8 x 10(4) cfu/mL and 1.0 x 10(6) cfu/mL. We found that proviral DNA was intact in most G418- resistant murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cell clones for 5 vector constructs, while obvious genetic instability was observed for 4 other vector constructs. MEL cells harboring the intact provirus were induced to differentiate, and human beta-globin gene expression was analyzed with RNase protection assay. The percentage of human beta-globin transcript relative to endogenous murine alpha-globin transcript were 101.8 +/- 64.3% (n = 10), 40.1 +/- 28.7% (n = 4), 31.1 +/- 31.9% (n = 12), 52.4 +/- 11.2% (n = 12), and 53.6 +/- 8.6% (n = 12) for the 5 constructs, respectively, demonstrating the development of optimized retroviral vectors for beta-globin gene therapy with murine erythroid cell lines as a model. Unexpectedly, we also documented that the point mutation 8700(C-->T) in DNase I hypersensitive site 2 (HS2) core fragment might contribute to low-level expression of the human beta-globin gene, based on a comparison of results from transfected and transduced MEL cells and sequence analysis of proviral DNA.
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PMID:Evaluation of optimal expression cassette in retrovirus vector for beta-thalassemia gene therapy. 1274 54

Mutant p53 gene and wild-type p53 gene were introduced into murine erythroleukemia cell line (MEL). The MEL cells transfected with mutant p53 gene (MEL-M) and with wild-type p53 gene (MEL-W) were obtained by G418 selection. MEL, MEL-W and MEL-M were injected intraperitoneally into BALB/C mice. In the first week after injection, the signs of erythroleukemia were induced in all three groups. Abnormalities were mainly found in the spleen, bone marrow, liver and peripheral blood. There was an increase of proerythroblasts in the bone marrow. A large amount of normoblasts (early and intermediate erythroblasts) appeared in the spleen. In the peripheral blood, the white blood cells, reticulocyte and platelet counts increased and RBC count and hematocrit decreased. The degree of abnormalities in the MEL-W group was significantly lower than that in other two groups. Hemorheological measurements indicated that the deformability and orientation of RBCs in MEL and MEL-M groups were impaired, whereas those in MEL-W group did not change significantly. Micropipette aspiration measurement revealed that MEL-W had higher elastic modulus than MEL and MEL-M, indicating that it was more difficult for MEL-W to deform and migrate in vivo. The results of animal test and micropipette suggest that exogenous wild-type p53 gene could reduce the tumorigenesis of murine erythroleukemia cells.
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PMID:Tumorigenesis of murine erythroleukemia cell line transfected with exogenous p53 gene. 1500 36


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