Nanocapsule-delivered Sleeping Beauty mediates therapeutic Factor VIII expression in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells of hemophilia A mice

J Clin Invest. 2009 Jul;119(7):2086-99. doi: 10.1172/JCI34332. Epub 2009 Jun 8.

Abstract

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells are a major endogenous source of Factor VIII (FVIII), lack of which causes the human congenital bleeding disorder hemophilia A. Despite extensive efforts, gene therapy using viral vectors has shown little success in clinical hemophilia trials. Here we achieved cell type-specific gene targeting using hyaluronan- and asialoorosomucoid-coated nanocapsules, generated using dispersion atomization, to direct genes to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and hepatocytes, respectively. To highlight the therapeutic potential of this approach, we encapsulated Sleeping Beauty transposon expressing the B domain-deleted canine FVIII in cis with Sleeping Beauty transposase in hyaluronan nanocapsules and injected them intravenously into hemophilia A mice. The treated mice exhibited activated partial thromboplastin times that were comparable to those of wild-type mice at 5 and 50 weeks and substantially shorter than those of untreated controls at the same time points. Further, plasma FVIII activity in the treated hemophilia A mice was nearly identical to that in wild-type mice through 50 weeks, while untreated hemophilia A mice exhibited no detectable FVIII activity. Thus, Sleeping Beauty transposon targeted to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells provided long-term expression of FVIII, without apparent antibody formation, and improved the phenotype of hemophilia A mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • DNA Transposable Elements
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Factor VIII / genetics*
  • Female
  • Gene Transfer Techniques
  • Genetic Therapy / methods*
  • Hemophilia A / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Lac Operon
  • Liver / cytology
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Nanocapsules / administration & dosage*
  • Transposases / administration & dosage*

Substances

  • DNA Transposable Elements
  • Nanocapsules
  • Factor VIII
  • Transposases
  • sleeping beauty transposase, human