Um dos principais limitantes do desenvolvimento de protocolos eficientes de terapia gênica e vacinação com DNA provém da baixa eficiência de transferência gênica por parte dos vetores não-virais. Isso surge, principalmente, pela dificuldade de transporte de DNA estrangeiro do exterior para o núcleo das células alvo, devido à presença de inúmeras barreiras. O principal objetivo do trabalho realizado foi o desenvolvimento e caracterização de novos vetores não virais multifuncionais, capazes de realizar eficientemente a entrega de material genético (DNA plasmidial, pDNA) ao núcleo de células de mamífero (HeLa). Para esse fim, complexos binários (CBs) foram formados combinando-se pDNA à protamina ou proteínas recombinantes (TRP3) anteriormente desenvolvidas por nosso grupo. Foi também estudado o encapsulamento destes CBs em lipossomas catiônicos, formados pelos lipídios EPC:DOPE:DOTAP, gerando então complexos pseudo-ternários (CPTs). Os estudos com a protamina revelaram que os CPTs formados apresentavam tamanhos relativamente pequenos (< 123 nm) e com valores de potencial zeta, variando de +22,8 mV a +36,3 mV, nas várias relações mássicas (pDNA:protamina) estudadas (1:0,5; 1:0,7, 1:0,9 e 1:1). Os ensaios de transfecção mostraram que o CPT na relação 1:0,5 (CB) obteve o melhor nível de transfecção das células (17,1%) com um nível de viabilidade celular de 73,2%. Os ensaios utilizando a TRP3 mostraram que os CPTs formados adquiriram tamanhos pequenos (< 134 nm) e valores de potencial zeta entre +36,8 mV e +11,9 mV dependendo da relação mássica do CB (1:1, 1:30 e 1:60). Os ensaios de transfecção mostram que os CPTs formados com a TRP3 aumentaram o nível de transfecção em todas as relações de pDNA-TRP3 usadas (1:1; 1:30 e 1:60). Vale ressaltar que nas relações mássicas 1:30 e 1:60 houve um aumento significativo na transfecção (25,2% e 24,5%, respectivamente). Os ensaios de citotoxicidade mostram que os CBs não afetaram a viabilidade célular, entretanto quando combinada ao lipossoma foi observado aumento da citotoxicidade. Finalmente, os resultados indicam que a TRP3 associada ao lipossoma (CPTs) aumenta a eficiência de entrega de pDNA sugerindo um efeito sinérgico entre essas duas moléculas na superação das várias barreiras físicas, químicas e difusionais encontradas na célula. / One of the major challenges on the development of efficient protocols for gene therapy and DNA vaccination is the low efficiency of gene transfer by non viral vectors. This is mainly attributed to the fact that, during the traffic to target cells nuclei, plasmid vectors must overcome a series of physical, enzymatic and diffusional barriers. The objective of this work was the development and characterization of new multifunctional non-viral vectors, based on lipids and proteins, able to delivery efficiently the foreign pDNA (plasmid DNA) to the nucleus of mammalian cells. A model pDNA containing the reporter gene GFP was complexed to protamine or the recombinant protein (TRP3), forming binary complexes (BC). In addition, we studied the ability of the cationic liposomes (EPC:DOPE:DOTAP) to encapsulate this binary complexes to form pseudo-ternary complexes (PTCs). The studies of size (DLS) and zeta potential revealed that both proteins were able to condense pDNA to form small complexes (BCS and PTCs) (~100 nm) and positively charged (+11,9 mV a +36,8 mV), both interesting characteristics for transfections. However, the CPTs formed by TRP3 was that showed the highest transfections level (25,3%). The cytotoxicity assays indicated the BCs had a low effect on the cell viability. On the other hand, the biggest effect on cell death was found when PTCs were used. The results indicated the TRP3 associated to liposomes (PTCs) increased the delivery efficiency due to differences in the intracellular trafficking, suggesting a synergic effect between these different molecules in the vector in order to overcome the barriers found inside the cell.

A deficiência de hormônio de crescimento (DGH) é tratada convencionalmente com repetidas injeções do hormônio recombinante. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estabelecer uma alternativa de tratamento baseada na transferência dos genes do hormônio de crescimento humano (hGH) ou de camundongo (mGH), em camundongos anões lit/lit ou lit/scid, mediante administração de DNA plasmidial associada à eletrotransferência, com a finalidade de atingir a máxima recuperação de crescimento em comparação ao camundongo normal (catch-up growth). Inicialmente foi realizada a administração do plasmídeo contendo o gene do mGH no músculo quadríceps exposto ou tibial anterior (TA) não exposto. Utilizando diferentes condições de eletrotransferência, baseadas em pulsos alternados de baixa (100 V/cm) e alta (1000 V/cm) voltagem (HV/LV, HV/8LV) ou em pulsos seguidos de baixa voltagem (8 pulsos de 150 V/cm), o músculo TA na condição HV/LV apresentou os maiores níveis de expressão de mGH: 6,7 ± 2,5 ng/mL. O tempo de exposição e a quantidade da enzima hialuronidase (HI) necessária para a eletrotransferência foram também analisados. O tempo de 30 minutos e a dose de 20 U de HI proporcionaram os melhores resultados de expressão. Diferentes quantidades de DNA foram também testadas, mas a administração de 50 &mu;g DNA/animal foi confirmada como a melhor. Na padronização do volume de solução do plasmídeo administrado no TA, foi observado que a injeção de 20 &mu;L de DNA apresentou expressão significativamente maior da proteína em comparação a de 10 &mu;L. Buscando uma maior expressão de GH, foi realizado experimento adicionando poli-L-glutamato ao diluente do DNA, comparando também diferentes condições de eletrotransferência (HV/LV e 375 V/cm). A condição de 375 V/cm, sem a adição do polímero, proporcionou as maiores concentrações, tanto de hGH como de mGH, no soro de camundongos lit/scid e lit/lit, respectivamente. Quando utilizados 3 pulsos de 375 V/cm e a administração do plasmídeo com o gene do mGH em dois locais de cada músculo TA, foram obtidos os mais altos níveis de expressão atingindo 14,7 ± 3,7 ng mGH/mL. Estes foram os parâmetros utilizados em um bioensaio, no qual foi também determinada a medida do comprimento inicial e final do fêmur por radiografia. Neste bioensaio de 36 dias, a curva de crescimento dos camundongos lit/lit tratados foi similar a de camundongos heterozigotos não tratados e os níveis de mGH do grupo DNA foram significativamente maiores (P<0,0002) em relação ao grupo controle. Os camundongos tratados também apresentarem concentração de mIGF-I no soro superior a do grupo controle. Considerando os parâmetros de crescimento avaliados, o grupo tratado com DNA apresentou percentuais de incremento altamente significativos em relação ao grupo controle, com P<0,001 para o peso corpóreo e P<0,002 para o comprimento do corpo, da cauda e para ambos os fêmures, com valores de catch-up da ordem de 79% para o comprimento dos fêmures. Podemos concluir que foi estabelecida uma metodologia eficiente de transferência gênica não viral, que poderá levar a uma completa normalização de crescimento de camundongos anões mediante utilização de animais mais jovens, como mencionado na literatura e em trabalho recente do nosso grupo. / Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is conventionally treated with repeated injections of the recombinant hormone. This work aimed at establishing an alternative treatment based on the transfer of the human (hGH) or mouse growth hormone (mGH) genes into lit/lit or lit/scid dwarf mice, using plasmid DNA administration associated with electrotransfer, in order to achieve the maximum growth recovery compared to normal mice (catch-up growth). Administration of the plasmid containing the mGH gene was first carried out in the exposed quadriceps or non-exposed anterior tibialis (TA) muscle. Using different electrotransfer conditions, based on alternate pulses of high (1000 V/cm) and low (100 V/cm) voltage (HV/LV, HV/8LV) or consecutive pulses of low voltage (8 pulses of 150 V/cm), the TA muscle in the HV/LV condition showed the highest levels of mGH expression: 6.7 ± 2.5 ng/mL. Exposure time and amount of the enzyme hyaluronidase (HI) required for electrotransfer were also analyzed. The time of 30 minutes and the dose of 20 U HI provided the best results of expression. Different amounts of DNA were also tested, but the administration of 50 &mu;g DNA/animal was confirmed as the best. In the optimization of the volume of plasmid solution administered to TA, it was observed that injection of 20 &mu;L of DNA showed a significantly higher expression of the protein compared with 10 &mu;L. Aiming at a higher GH expression, an experiment was carried out by adding poly-L-glutamate to the DNA diluent, comparing also different electrotransfer conditions (HV/LV and 375 V/cm). The condition of 375 V/cm, without the polymer addition, provided the higher concentrations of both hGH and mGH in the serum of lit/scid or lit/lit mice, respectively. Using 3 pulses of 375 V/cm and administration of mGH-DNA in two locations on each TA muscle, the highest expression levels of up to 14.7 ± 3.7 ng mGH/mL were obtained. These were the parameters utilized in a bioassay, which was also carried out by measurement of the initial and final femur length by radiography. In this 36-day bioassay, the growth curve of treated lit/lit mice was similar to that of heterozygous untreated mice and the mGH levels of DNA group were significantly higher (P<0.0002) than the control group. Treated mice also showed a higher mIGF-I concentration in the serum compared to the control group. Concerning growth parameters, DNA-treated group showed percentages of increase highly significant compared to the control group, with P<0.001 for body weight and P<0.002 for body, tail and both femurs lengths, with catch-up values of the order of 79% for femur lengths. We can conclude that an efficient non-viral gene transfer methodology has been established, which lead to a complete growth normalization of the dwarf mice through the use of younger animals, as reported in the literature and in a recent paper of our group.

A deficiência de hormônio de crescimento (DGH) é tratada convencionalmente com repetidas injeções do hormônio recombinante. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estabelecer uma alternativa de tratamento baseada na transferência dos genes do hormônio de crescimento humano (hGH) ou de camundongo (mGH), em camundongos anões lit/lit ou lit/scid, mediante administração de DNA plasmidial associada à eletrotransferência, com a finalidade de atingir a máxima recuperação de crescimento em comparação ao camundongo normal (catch-up growth). Inicialmente foi realizada a administração do plasmídeo contendo o gene do mGH no músculo quadríceps exposto ou tibial anterior (TA) não exposto. Utilizando diferentes condições de eletrotransferência, baseadas em pulsos alternados de baixa (100 V/cm) e alta (1000 V/cm) voltagem (HV/LV, HV/8LV) ou em pulsos seguidos de baixa voltagem (8 pulsos de 150 V/cm), o músculo TA na condição HV/LV apresentou os maiores níveis de expressão de mGH: 6,7 ± 2,5 ng/mL. O tempo de exposição e a quantidade da enzima hialuronidase (HI) necessária para a eletrotransferência foram também analisados. O tempo de 30 minutos e a dose de 20 U de HI proporcionaram os melhores resultados de expressão. Diferentes quantidades de DNA foram também testadas, mas a administração de 50 &mu;g DNA/animal foi confirmada como a melhor. Na padronização do volume de solução do plasmídeo administrado no TA, foi observado que a injeção de 20 &mu;L de DNA apresentou expressão significativamente maior da proteína em comparação a de 10 &mu;L. Buscando uma maior expressão de GH, foi realizado experimento adicionando poli-L-glutamato ao diluente do DNA, comparando também diferentes condições de eletrotransferência (HV/LV e 375 V/cm). A condição de 375 V/cm, sem a adição do polímero, proporcionou as maiores concentrações, tanto de hGH como de mGH, no soro de camundongos lit/scid e lit/lit, respectivamente. Quando utilizados 3 pulsos de 375 V/cm e a administração do plasmídeo com o gene do mGH em dois locais de cada músculo TA, foram obtidos os mais altos níveis de expressão atingindo 14,7 ± 3,7 ng mGH/mL. Estes foram os parâmetros utilizados em um bioensaio, no qual foi também determinada a medida do comprimento inicial e final do fêmur por radiografia. Neste bioensaio de 36 dias, a curva de crescimento dos camundongos lit/lit tratados foi similar a de camundongos heterozigotos não tratados e os níveis de mGH do grupo DNA foram significativamente maiores (P<0,0002) em relação ao grupo controle. Os camundongos tratados também apresentarem concentração de mIGF-I no soro superior a do grupo controle. Considerando os parâmetros de crescimento avaliados, o grupo tratado com DNA apresentou percentuais de incremento altamente significativos em relação ao grupo controle, com P<0,001 para o peso corpóreo e P<0,002 para o comprimento do corpo, da cauda e para ambos os fêmures, com valores de catch-up da ordem de 79% para o comprimento dos fêmures. Podemos concluir que foi estabelecida uma metodologia eficiente de transferência gênica não viral, que poderá levar a uma completa normalização de crescimento de camundongos anões mediante utilização de animais mais jovens, como mencionado na literatura e em trabalho recente do nosso grupo. / Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is conventionally treated with repeated injections of the recombinant hormone. This work aimed at establishing an alternative treatment based on the transfer of the human (hGH) or mouse growth hormone (mGH) genes into lit/lit or lit/scid dwarf mice, using plasmid DNA administration associated with electrotransfer, in order to achieve the maximum growth recovery compared to normal mice (catch-up growth). Administration of the plasmid containing the mGH gene was first carried out in the exposed quadriceps or non-exposed anterior tibialis (TA) muscle. Using different electrotransfer conditions, based on alternate pulses of high (1000 V/cm) and low (100 V/cm) voltage (HV/LV, HV/8LV) or consecutive pulses of low voltage (8 pulses of 150 V/cm), the TA muscle in the HV/LV condition showed the highest levels of mGH expression: 6.7 ± 2.5 ng/mL. Exposure time and amount of the enzyme hyaluronidase (HI) required for electrotransfer were also analyzed. The time of 30 minutes and the dose of 20 U HI provided the best results of expression. Different amounts of DNA were also tested, but the administration of 50 &mu;g DNA/animal was confirmed as the best. In the optimization of the volume of plasmid solution administered to TA, it was observed that injection of 20 &mu;L of DNA showed a significantly higher expression of the protein compared with 10 &mu;L. Aiming at a higher GH expression, an experiment was carried out by adding poly-L-glutamate to the DNA diluent, comparing also different electrotransfer conditions (HV/LV and 375 V/cm). The condition of 375 V/cm, without the polymer addition, provided the higher concentrations of both hGH and mGH in the serum of lit/scid or lit/lit mice, respectively. Using 3 pulses of 375 V/cm and administration of mGH-DNA in two locations on each TA muscle, the highest expression levels of up to 14.7 ± 3.7 ng mGH/mL were obtained. These were the parameters utilized in a bioassay, which was also carried out by measurement of the initial and final femur length by radiography. In this 36-day bioassay, the growth curve of treated lit/lit mice was similar to that of heterozygous untreated mice and the mGH levels of DNA group were significantly higher (P<0.0002) than the control group. Treated mice also showed a higher mIGF-I concentration in the serum compared to the control group. Concerning growth parameters, DNA-treated group showed percentages of increase highly significant compared to the control group, with P<0.001 for body weight and P<0.002 for body, tail and both femurs lengths, with catch-up values of the order of 79% for femur lengths. We can conclude that an efficient non-viral gene transfer methodology has been established, which lead to a complete growth normalization of the dwarf mice through the use of younger animals, as reported in the literature and in a recent paper of our group.

No description available.

L’un des principaux défis de la thérapie génique est d’identifier un vecteur sûr capable d’assurer un transfert efficace et une expression soutenue d’un gène d’intérêt thérapeutique dans les cellules cibles. L’émergence de vecteurs plasmidiques de nouvelles générations a permis d’atteindre ces objectifs et de considérer la thérapie génique non virale comme une alternative prometteuse aux vecteurs viraux pour le traitement de maladies génétiques ou acquises. Appartenant à ces nouvelles générations, les dérivés du vecteur pFAR4 sont des miniplasmides dépourvus de gène de résistance à un antibiotique. Leur propagation dans les cellules d’Escherichia coli est basée sur la suppression d’une mutation non-sens de type ambre introduite dans un gène essentiel de la souche productrice, permettant ainsi d’éliminer les risques associés à l’utilisation de gène de résistance à un antibiotique tout en diminuant la taille du vecteur. Le but de cette thèse est d’étudier le potentiel de ces vecteurs dans deux contextes de thérapie génique non virale : Dans une première approche, le potentiel du vecteur pFAR4 a été évalué pour l’expression d’un gène thérapeutique dans le foie de souris. Pour ce faire, un dérivé de ce vecteur exprimant le gène Sgsh à partir d’un promoteur spécifique des hépatocytes et codant la protéine sulfamidase, protéine défectueuse chez les patients souffrant de la maladie de Sanfilippo de type A, a été administré par injection hydrodynamique à des souris. Nous avons montré que le vecteur pFAR4 promeut dans le foie une expression élevée et soutenue de la sulfamidase, qui décline rapidement lorsque le gène Sgsh est administré par un vecteur contenant un gène de résistance à la kanamycine. Dans le cadre de cette étude, il a été établi que le profil d’expression obtenu avec le vecteur pFAR4 n’est pas lié à son insertion dans le génome des hépatocytes mais résulte, de par sa taille réduite, d’une protection contre les phénomènes d’extinction de transgène couramment observés in vivo avec les vecteurs conventionnels. Dans une seconde approche, le vecteur pFAR4 a été combiné à la technologie Sleeping Beauty (SB), dont l’un des constituants majeurs est la transposase hyperactive SB100X qui promeut la transposition d’un transgène, en l’excisant du plasmide qui le porte et en l’insérant dans le génome des cellules hôtes. Cette combinaison a été étudiée in vitro dans des cellules HeLa, en utilisant un transposon contenant soit le gène de résistance à la néomycine soit le gène codant la protéine fluorescente Vénus. Nous avons ainsi montré que le plasmide pFAR4 constituait un vecteur efficace pour les composants du système SB et que la combinaison pFAR4/SB conduisait à un taux de transgénèse augmenté par rapport à une association avec des plasmides conventionnels. Cette efficacité élevée résulte d’un niveau de transfection et d’un taux d’excision augmentés, tous deux favorisés par la taille réduite du plasmide. La combinaison pFAR4/SB devrait prochainement être utilisée pour transférer le gène codant le facteur anti-angiogénique PEDF (Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor) à des cellules primaires de l’épithélium pigmentaire de la rétine ou de l’iris dans deux essais cliniques (Phase I/II) de thérapie génique ex vivo pour le traitement de la dégénérescence maculaire liée à l’âge (DMLA). / One of the main challenges in gene therapy is to identify safe vectors that promote an efficient gene delivery and a sustained therapeutic transgene expression level in targeted cells. The development of novel plasmid vectors allowed to reach these objectives and to consider non-viral gene therapy approaches as attractive alternatives to treat genetic and acquired disorders. The pFAR4 vector is a novel antibiotic-free mini-plasmid. In Escherichia coli, its propagation is based on the suppression of an amber nonsense mutation introduced into an essential gene, thus eliminating safety concerns classically attributed to antibiotic resistance markers present on conventional plasmid DNA vectors and allowing a reduction in plasmid size. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of pFAR4 as a gene vector in two different non-viral gene therapy approaches. In a first approach, the potential of the pFAR4 vector was assessed for the expression of a therapeutic gene in mouse liver. To this end, a pFAR4 derivative expressing the Sgsh gene from a liver-specific promoter and coding the sulfamidase, an enzyme deficient in patients suffering from the Sanfilippo A disease, was tail vein hydrodynamically injected into mouse liver. We showed that the pFAR4 derivative promoted a high and prolonged sulfamidase expression which rapidly declined when the same expression cassette was delivered by a conventional plasmid containing a kanamycin resistance marker. It was established that the superior expression profile obtained with the pFAR4 derivative did not result from its integration in host genome but seemed to benefit from protection against transcriptional silencing. In a second approach, the pFAR4 vector was combined to the Sleeping Beauty transposon system that mediates transgene integration into host genomes, after its excision from a plasmid donor by the hyperactive SB100X transposase, in order to obtain a long-term expression in dividing cells. This combination was studied in vitro, delivering either the neomycin resistance gene or the fluorescent Venus protein-encoding gene into HeLa cells. We showed that the combination pFAR4/SB led to an increased transgenesis rate in comparison to the association of SB with conventional plasmids. The pFAR4/SB combination seemed to benefit from an elevated transfection efficiency and a higher excision rate, resulting from the reduced size of the pFAR4 vector. The two technologies should be soon used for the delivery of the anti-angiogenic pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) gene into autologous primary pigment epithelial cells, in the context of two PhaseI/II clinical trials based on an ex vivo gene therapeutic approach for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Le défi majeur de la thérapie génique à base de siARN est sa délivrance sûre et efficace. Récemment, notre groupe a mis au point des dendrimères amphiphiles comme vecteurs robustes et efficaces de délivrance non-virale de siARN, qui combinent les avantages de délivrance des vecteurs lipidiques et polymèriques. J’ai effectué au cours de ma thèse de doctorat une analyse de la relation structure/activité (SAR) d'une série de dendrimères comportant des queues hydrophobes de différentes longueurs. Nos résultats démontrent qu’un équilibre optimal entre la longueur de la chaîne alkyle hydrophobe et la partie hydrophile dendritique joue un rôle crucial sur leur capacité d’auto-assemblage, ainsi que sur leur activité de transport des siRNA. En outre, en combinant bola-amphiphiles et nos dendrimères amphiphiles, nous avons développé un nouveau dendrimère bola-amphiphile dont nous avons étudié les propriétés d’auto-assemblage et l'efficacité de transport du siARN correspondant. Ce dendrimère bola-amphiphile particulier a été en mesure de réagir à des espèces réactives de l'oxygène pour la délivrance spécifique, ouvrant ainsi de nouvelles perspectives pour la conception de vecteurs stimuli-déclencheurs pour siARN ciblés. Enfin, nous avons étudié l’«effet d'éponge à protons» des vecteurs dendritiques amphiphiles à l'aide de la technique du film Langmuir en monocouche. Nos résultats ont prouvé le gonflement des vecteurs dendritiques amphiphiles par protonation, offrant ainsi des données expérimentales permettant de soutenir sans ambiguïté l’hypothèse de l'«effet d'éponge à protons». / A key challenge in RNAi-based gene therapy is the safe and effective siRNA delivery. Recently, our group has established amphiphilic dendrimers as robust and effective nonviral delivery vectors for siRNA, which combine the beneficial delivery features of both lipid and dendritic polymer vectors while overcoming their shortcomings.With the desire to understand the underlying mechanism of amphiphilic dendrimers for efficient delivery, I performed a structure/activity relationship (SAR) analysis of a series of dendrimers featuring hydrophobic tails of different lengths during my PhD thesis. We systematically investigated these dendrimers for their self-assembling characters and their capacities for both binding and delivery of siRNA. Our results demonstrate that an optimal balance between the hydrophobic alkyl chain length and the hydrophilic dendritic portion plays a crucial role in the self-assembly and the delivery activity towards siRNA.Furthermore, we developed a novel bola-amphiphilic dendrimer by combining bola-amphiphiles and our amphiphilic dendrimers and studied their self-assembly properties and the corresponding siRNA delivery efficiency. This peculiar bola-amphiphilic vector was able to respond to reactive oxygen species for specific delivery, opening a new perspective for the design of stimuli-trigged vectors for targeted siRNA delivery.Finally, I studied the “proton sponge effect” of the amphiphilic dendrimer vectors using the Langmuir monolayer film technique. Our results gave direct evidence of swelling of the amphiphilic dendrimers upon protonation, offering unambiguous experimental data to support the “proton sponge effect”.

No description available.