A highly efficient short hairpin RNA potently down-regulates CCR5 expression in systemic lymphoid organs in the hu-BLT mouse model

Blood. 2010 Feb 25;115(8):1534-44. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-04-215855. Epub 2009 Dec 17.

Abstract

Inhibiting the expression of the HIV-1 coreceptor CCR5 holds great promise for controlling HIV-1 infection in patients. Here we report stable knockdown of human CCR5 by a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in a humanized bone marrow/liver/thymus (BLT) mouse model. We delivered a potent shRNA against CCR5 into human fetal liver-derived CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells (HPSCs) by lentiviral vector transduction. We transplanted vector-transduced HPSCs solidified with Matrigel and a thymus segment under the mouse kidney capsule. Vector-transduced autologous CD34(+) cells were subsequently injected in the irradiated mouse, intended to create systemic reconstitution. CCR5 expression was down-regulated in human T cells and monocytes/macrophages in systemic lymphoid tissues, including gut-associated lymphoid tissue, the major site of HIV-1 replication. The shRNA-mediated CCR5 knockdown had no apparent adverse effects on T-cell development as assessed by polyclonal T-cell receptor Vbeta family development and naive/memory T-cell differentiation. CCR5 knockdown in the secondary transplanted mice suggested the potential of long-term hematopoietic reconstitution by the shRNA-transduced HPSCs. CCR5 tropic HIV-1 infection was effectively inhibited in mouse-derived human splenocytes ex vivo. These results demonstrate that lentiviral vector delivery of shRNA into human HPSCs could stably down-regulate CCR5 in systemic lymphoid organs in vivo.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow / metabolism*
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Down-Regulation
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • HIV Infections / genetics
  • HIV Infections / metabolism*
  • HIV-1*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Memory / genetics
  • Lentivirus
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / metabolism
  • Receptors, CCR5 / biosynthesis*
  • Receptors, CCR5 / genetics
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Thymus Gland / metabolism*
  • Transduction, Genetic
  • Transplantation, Heterologous

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
  • Receptors, CCR5