RESEARCH ARTICLE
T Cell-speci®c expression from Mo-MLV retroviral
vectors containing a CD4 mini-promoter/enhancer
Jing Chao Zhao-Emonet
1
Gilles Marodon
1
Catherine Pioche-Durieu
1
FrancËois Loic Cosset
2
David Klatzmann
1
*
1
Laboratoire de Biologie et
The
Â
rapeutique des Pathologies
Immunitaires UPMC-CNRS ESA
7087-CERVI-Ho
Ã
pital de la Pitie
Â
,
83 Bd de l'Ho
Ã
pital,
75651 Paris Cedex 13, France
2
Laboratoire de Vectorologie
Re
Â
trovirale et The
Â
rapie ge
Â
nique,
Unite
Â
de Virologie Humaine INSERM
U412, Ecole Normale Supe
Â
rieure de
Lyon, 46 alle
Â
e d'Italie, 69364 Lyon
Cedex 07, France
*Correspondence to: D. Klatzmann,
Laboratoire de Biologie et
The
Â
rapeutique des Pathologies
Immunitaires UPMC-CNRS ESA
7087-CERVI-Ho
Ã
pital de la Pitie
Â
,
83 Bd de l'Ho
Ã
pital,
75651 Paris Cedex 13, France.
E-mail: david.klatzmann@
psl.ap-hop-paris.fr
Received: 27 April 2000
Revised: 25 July 2000
Accepted: 8 August 2000
Published online: 15 September 2000
Abstract
Background Gene therapy of various immunological disorders will greatly
bene®t from improved retroviral vectors (RVs) with T cell speci®city. Such
vectors can be designed by placing a gene of therapeutic interest under the
control of tissue-speci®c transcriptional elements. However, low titers and
loss of speci®city are frequently encountered with tissue-speci®c vectors. The
aim of the present study was to develop a T cell-speci®c RV.
Methods We constructed a series of Moloney murine leukemia virus
(Mo-MLV)-based RVs expressing enhanced green ¯uorescent protein (EGFP)
under the control of a mini-promoter/enhancer cassette derived from the CD4
gene (CD4pmE) and tested them in cell lines and peripheral blood
lymphocytes. Expression of EGFP was monitored by ¯uorescence microscopy
and analyzed by ¯ow cytometry.
Results The CD4pmE cassette was inserted between the viral long terminal
repeats (LTRs) in self-inactivating vectors (SIN vectors) or was substituted to
the 3k U3 viral promoter/enhancer (hybrid vectors). High vector titers but
poor speci®c expression of EGFP were achieved when CD4pmE was inserted
in sense orientation in SIN vectors. Low titers but high speci®city were
observed when the CD4pmE cassette was in anti-sense orientation. In
contrast, high titers and good T cell speci®city were obtained with hybrid
vectors.
Conclusion An ef®cient T cell-speci®c retroviral vector was obtained.
Copyright # 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Keywords retroviral vector (RV); tissue speci®city; CD4 promoter; EGFP;
gene therapy
Introduction
Retroviral vectors (RVs) derived from Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-
MLV) represent attractive tools for the treatment of genetic or acquired
immunode®ciency diseases affecting T cell functions, such as the adenosine
deaminase (ADA) de®ciency [1,2] or the X-linked severe combined
immunode®ciencies [3]. To reduce the potential risks or problems associated
with the presence of strong cis-regulatory elements in the retroviral long
terminal repeat (LTR) such as malignant transformation of transduced cells,
vector dissemination or loss of transgene expression in vivo [4±6], numerous
investigators have tried to obtain tissue-speci®c RVs. Several groups have
described RVs containing cellular promoter/enhancer elements that allow
tissue-speci®c expression of reporter genes in target cell lines [7±10].
However, low titers and full or partial loss of tissue speci®city from the
THE JOURNAL OF GENE MEDICINE
J Gene Med 2000; 2: 416±425.
Copyright # 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.