Purpose To study the possibility of prevention of proliferative vitreoretinopathy（PVR） by transduction of exogenous gene in vivo． Methods PVR model of rabbits was induced by intravitreal injection of fibroblasts．beta;-galactosidase (lacZ) gene as a reporter gene was transfered into the vitreous of PVR model eyes mediated by retroviral vector, and the expression of the gene in eye tissues was determined ． Gene transfection was done on the 6th day after fibroblasts injection,and the dosage of intravitreal injection of reporter gene was 0．1ml PLXSN/lacZ serum-free supernatant (1．1times;106 cfu/ml)． Results lacZ gene expression was seen in proliferative membranes after gene transfection, and the expression was located maily at the surface of PVR membrane．The reporter gene expression lasted at least more than 30 days．No expression was found in retinal tissues． Conclusions Retrovirus mediated gene can be directionally transducted in PVR membrane,and might possess the feasibility of gene therapy for PVR． (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2001,17:224-226)
Objective To investigate the inhibitive effect of E2F decoy oligodeoxynucleotides (E2F decoy ODNs) on cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (HRPE) cells.Methods E2F decoy ODNs or scramble decoy ODNs at varied concentrations were put into the HRPE cells mediated by lipofectamineTM2000. The proliferative activity of HRPE was detected by methythiazolyl-terazollium assay, and the competitive combinative activity of E2F decoy ODNs and transcription factor E2F was detected by electrophoresis mobility-shift assay. Results The proliferation of HRPE was inhibited markedly by E2F decoy ODNs at the concentration of 0.2 μmol/L (P=0.002) in a dose-dependent manner but not by scrambled decoy. The results of electrophoresis mobility-shift assay showed that the combinative activity of transcription factor E2F was abolished completely by E2F decoy ODNs. Conclusions E2F decoy ODNs may sequence-specifically inhibit the combinative activity of transcripti on factor E2F,and inhibit the proliferation of HRPE cells.(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis，2004，20：182-185)
ObjectiveTo detect the effect of adeno-associated-virus induced Kringles5 gene on retinal neovascularization in rats with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and to explore the new ways of treatment for ROP.MethodspSNAV-Kringle5-gfp carrier was constructed by subclone and adeno-associated-virus was packed to form rAAV-Kringle5-gfp. ROP model was set up under circumstances of high oxygen in 21 SD rats which were divided into experimental (21 eyes) and control group (21 eyes). Eighteen eyes from each group was used to making the histologic section of retina, and the other 3 eyes in each group was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting. There were 5 rats in the normal control group. AAV-Kringle5-gfp with the dosage of 10 μl and titer of 2.5×1012vg/ml was injected into the eyes in experimental group, while rAAVlacZ with the same dosage and titer of 2.5×1011vg/ml was injected in to the eyes in control group. The expression of target gene in ocular tissues was observed under the fluoroscope. Twelve weeks later, the rats were executed, and the staining of Ⅷ factor related antigens in retinal vascular endothelial cells was performed and number of nucleolus of vascular endothelial cells were counted. ResultsThe plasmid of pSNAV-Kringle5-gfp was correct according to the sequence measurement; the expression of rAAV-Kringle5-gfp was found in vitreous cavity and on retina; the expression of target gene was found on the level of mRNA and protein; the number of nucleolus of vascular endothelial cells on the surface of retina was (19.954 2±3.825 7) in experimental group and (7.335 2±2.731 3) in the control group, which had significant difference between the two groups (P＜0.01）.ConclusionsAdeno-associated-virus induced Kringles5 gene can inhibit the occurrence of retinal neovascularization in patients with ROP.(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2005,21:288-291)
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal disease characterized by degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial cells. Precision medicine is a new medical model that applies modern genetic technology, combining living environment, clinical data of patients, molecular imaging technology and bio-information technology to achieve accurate diagnosis and treatment, and establish personalized disease prevention and treatment model. At present, precise diagnosis of RP is mainly based on next-generation sequencing technology and preimplantation genetic diagnosis, while precise therapy is mainly reflected in gene therapy, stem cell transplantation and gene-stem cell therapy. Although the current research on precision medicine for RP has achieved remarkable results, there are still many problems in the application process that is needed close attention. For instance, the current gene therapy cannot completely treat dominant or advanced genetic diseases, the safety of gene editing technology has not been solved, the cells after stem cell transplantation cannot be effectively integrated with the host, gene sequencing has not been fully popularized, and the big data information platform is imperfect. It is believed that with the in-depth research of gene sequencing technology, regenerative medicine and the successful development of clinical trials, the precision medicine for RP will be gradually improved and is expected to be applied to improve the vision of patients with RP in the future.
Objective To construct expression plasmid of the fusion protein of brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)green fluorescent protein (GFP), and observe its characteristics.Methods BDNF cDNA segment was inserted into plasmid pcDNA3.1/ NT-GFP-TOPO and in the same reading frame with GFP. After verified by sequencing, the BDNFGFP plasmid was transferred into cultured Schwann cells by electroporation. And the expression of BDNFGFP fusion protein was observed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The neuralprotective function of the fusion protein was evaluated by transferring the plasmid into adult rat retinas with transected optic nerve.Results The sequence of BDNFGFP plasmid was verified correctly by autosequencing. The results of Western blotting showed that the BDNF-GFP fusion protein expressed a brand with the relative molecular mass of 41times;103. Seven days after the optic nerve was transected, the number of survival retinal ganglion cells (RGC) in BDNF-GFP group and GFP group was （1201plusmn;286） and（482plusmn;151）cells/mm2, respectively; and the survival rate was （51.39plusmn;12.24）% and （20.62plusmn;6.46）% , respectively. Twentyeight days after the optic nerve was transected, the number of survival RGC in the two groups was （715plusmn;71） and （112plusmn;24）cells/mm2, respectively; the survival rate was（30.59plusmn;3.04）% and (4.79plusmn;1.03）% respectively. The differences of the survival rate of RGC between the two groups were significant (t=3.144，11.378；Plt;0.01).Conclusion BDNF-GFP fusion plasmid can express a fusion protein which emit green fluorescence and has the biological activity of BDNF.
Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a matrilineal hereditary optic neuropathy in which mitochondrial DNA mutations lead to retinal ganglion cell degeneration. At present, the treatment for LHON is limited. Early symptomatic treatment and medical treatment may improve the vision of patients. In recent years, rapid progress has been made in gene therapy. Many clinical studies have confirmed its safety and efficacy. Monocular gene therapy is helpful to improve the visual function of LHON patients, and it can also improve the visual acuity of uninjected eyes. Patients do not have serious eye or systemic adverse events during the treatment period, showing good safety and tolerance. Studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up time are needed to further verify the efficacy and safety of gene therapy in the future. Gene therapy is expected to become a safe and effective treatment, bringing hope to LHON patients.
The application of gene therapy in ocular diseases is gradually expanding from mono-gene inherited diseases to multigene, multifactorial, common and chronic diseases. This emerging therapeutic approach is still in the early exploratory stage of treating diseases, and the expected benefits and risks remain highly uncertain. In the delivery process of gene therapy drugs, viral vector is currently one of the most mature and widely used vectors. The occurrence of vector-associated immunity will affect the short-term and long-term effects of gene therapy, and even cause permanent and serious damage to visual function. Therefore, gene therapy vector-associated immunity is the focus and challenge for the safety and long-term efficacy of gene therapy. During the perioperative and follow-up of gene therapy, attention should be paid to the monitoring of vector-associated immune inflammation, and appropriate measures should be taken to deal with the corresponding immune response, so as to achieve the best visual benefits for patients.
Clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats/Cas system is a powerful genome-editing tool for efficient and precise genome engineering both in vitro and in vivo, with the advantages of easy, convenient and low cost. This technology makes it possible to simultaneously mutate multiple genes in a single fertilized egg, thus to study the gene expression, genetic interaction and gene function. Even though this method is still in its immature stage and its stability is inconclusive, making precision models of ocular diseases through genome editing may provide a positive effect to explore gene targeted therapy in genetic eye disease.