Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.5.1.3 (dihydrofolate reductase)
 5,819 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Retroviral gene transfer into hematopoietic cells has many experimental as well as clinical applications. Although transduction efficiency of retroviral vectors is higher than with conventional methods, selection of successfully transduced cells may become mandatory for efficient in vivo transfer. We have been evaluating a retroviral construct that meets the criteria for a clinically acceptable selection system. The Ser31 dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) mutant confers resistance to methotrexate (MTX) due to decreased binding of the drug. while its enzymatic activity remains adequate for normal folate metabolism. Transduction of this vector into murine hematopoietic cells has been recently described and increase in MTX resistance could be observed. We investigated transduction of CD34-antigen positive subpopulations of hematopoietic progenitor cells and CD34-positive/CD38-negative subpopulations enriched for stem cells. We focused on two sources of primary hematopoietic cells, umbilical cord blood (UCB) and peripheral blood (PB) harvested from patients after mobilization with chemotherapy and/or cytokines. Both contain a large number of lineage restricted and pluripotent progenitor cells and can be expanded extensively ex vivo. Potential clinical applications of gene therapy in such cell populations include correction of inborn enzymatic diseases and support of high-dose chemotherapy by transplanting ex vivo transduced progenitor cells rendered more resistant to cytotoxic drugs. The feasibility and efficiency of retroviral transduction into UCB and PB has been reported recently.
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PMID:Increased resistance to methotrexate in human hematopoietic cells after gene transfer of the Ser31 DHFR mutant. 747 10

Recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors have been evaluated for their ability to transduce primitive hematopoietic cells. Early studies documented rAAV-mediated gene expression during progenitor derived colony formation in vitro, but studies examining genome integration and long-term gene expression in hematopoietic cells have yielded conflicting results. Such studies were performed with crude vector preparations. Using improved methodology, we have generated high titer, biologically active preparations of rAAV free of wild-type AAV (less than 1/107particles) and adenovirus. Transduction of CD34+ cells from umbilical cord blood was evaluated with a bicistronic rAAV vector encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a trimetrexate resistant variant of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Freshly isolated, quiescent CD34+ cells were resistant to transduction (less than 4%), but transduction increased to 23 +/- 2% after 2 days of cytokine stimulation and was further augmented by addition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (51 +/- 4%) at a multiplicity of infection of 106. rAAV-mediated gene expression was transient in that progenitor derived colony formation was inhibited by trimetrexate. Primitive CD34+ and CD34+, CD38- subsets were sequentially transduced with a rAAV vector encoding the murine ecotropic receptor followed by transduction with an ecotropic retroviral vector encoding GFP and DHFR. Under optimal conditions 41 +/- 7% of CD34+ progenitors and 21 +/- 6% of CD34+, CD38- progenitors became trimetrexate resistant. These results document that highly purified rAAV transduce primitive human hematopoietic cells efficiently but gene expression appears to be transient. Gene Therapy (2000) 7, 183-195.
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PMID:Efficient gene transfer into human cord blood CD34+ cells and the CD34+CD38- subset using highly purified recombinant adeno-associated viral vector preparations that are free of helper virus and wild-type AAV. 1069 94

Somatic stem cell transplantation holds great promise in regenerative medicine. The best-characterized adult stem cells are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), and CD133(+) hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The applications of HSCs are hampered since these cells are difficult to maintain in an undifferentiated state in vitro. Understanding genes responsible for stem cell properties and their interactions will help on this issue. The construction of stem cell genetic networks will also help to develop rational strategies to revert somatic cells back to a stem-like state. We performed a systemic study on human CD133(+) HSCs, NSCs, MSCs, and embryonic stem cells and two different progenies of CD133(+) HSCs, microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Genes abundant in each or in all three somatic stem cells were identified. We also observed complex genetic networks functioning in postnatal stem cells, in which several genes, such as PTPN11 and DHFR, acted as hubs to maintain the stability and connectivity of the whole genetic network. Eighty-seven HSC genes, including ANGPT1 and GATA2, were independently identified by comparing CD34(+)CD33(-)CD38(-) hematopoietic stem cells with CD34(+) precursors and various matured progenies. Introducing GATA2 into MVECs resulted in dedifferentiation-like transcriptome reprogramming, with HSC genes (such as ANGPT1) being up and endothelial genes (such as EPHB2) being down. This study provides a foundation for a more detailed understanding of human somatic stem cells. Expressing the newly discovered stem cell genes in matured cells might lead to a global reversion of somatic transcriptome to a stem-like status.
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PMID:Functional network reconstruction reveals somatic stemness genetic maps and dedifferentiation-like transcriptome reprogramming induced by GATA2. 1830 45