Adeno-associated virus-mediated antiapoptotic gene delivery: in vivo gene therapy for neurological disorders

Authors: Mochizuki H.¹; Miura M.²; Shimada T.³; Mizuno Y.¹

Source: Methods, Volume 28, Number 2, October 2002 , pp. 248-252(5)

Publisher: Academic Press

Abstract:

Apoptosis is an important mechanism of physiological and pathological cell death and is known to occur in various neurological disorders. Apoptosis is associated with activation of genetic programs in which apoptosis-effector genes promote cell death, thereby opposing repressor genes that enhance cell survival. In this review, we describe various apoptotic pathways, with a special reference to the caspase cascade and discuss the role of individual antiapoptotic factors in various target diseases. Apoptosis could be suppressed by in vivo gene delivery of antiapoptotic factors directly into the central nervous system. The adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector is a good candidate for such gene therapy because it can infect postmitotic neurons. We also describe our in vivo system for overexpression of apoptotic protease activating factor-1 (Apaf-1) caspase recruitment domain as an Apaf1-dominant negative inhibitor (Apaf-1-DN) to regulate the mitochondrial caspase cascade. Apaf-1-DN delivery using an AAV vector system inhibited mitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathway and prevented dopaminergic cell death in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. Our results suggest that AAV–Apaf-1-DN is potentially useful as an antimitochondrial apoptotic gene therapy for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

© 2002 Elsevier Science (USA)

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1046-2023(02)00229-3

Affiliations: 1: Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan 2: Laboratory of Cell Recovery Mechanisms, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan 3: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan

Publication date: 2002-10-01

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• In this Subject: Anatomy & Physiology
• By this author: Mochizuki H. ;  Miura M. ;  Shimada T. ;  Mizuno Y.

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