Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator

Sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia patients are phenotypically normal if they carry compensatory hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations that result in increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, γ-globin chains) in adulthood. Thus, research has focused on manipulating th...

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Main Authors: Flávia C. Costa, Halyna Fedosyuk, Renee Neades, Johana Bravo de Los Rios, Carlos F. Barbas, Kenneth R. Peterson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Anemia
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/507894
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author Flávia C. Costa
Halyna Fedosyuk
Renee Neades
Johana Bravo de Los Rios
Carlos F. Barbas
Kenneth R. Peterson
author_facet Flávia C. Costa
Halyna Fedosyuk
Renee Neades
Johana Bravo de Los Rios
Carlos F. Barbas
Kenneth R. Peterson
author_sort Flávia C. Costa
collection DOAJ
description Sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia patients are phenotypically normal if they carry compensatory hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations that result in increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, γ-globin chains) in adulthood. Thus, research has focused on manipulating the reactivation of γ-globin gene expression during adult definitive erythropoiesis as the most promising therapy to treat these hemoglobinopathies. Artificial transcription factors (ATFs) are synthetic proteins designed to bind at a specific DNA sequence and modulate gene expression. The artificial zinc finger gg1-VP64 was designed to target the −117 region of the Aγ-globin gene proximal promoter and activate expression of this gene. Previous studies demonstrated that HbF levels were increased in murine chemical inducer of dimerization (CID)-dependent bone marrow cells carrying a human β-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome (β-YAC) transgene and in CD34+ erythroid progenitor cells from normal donors and β-thalassemia patients. Herein, we report that gg1-VP64 increased γ-globin gene expression in vivo, in peripheral blood samples from gg1-VP64 β-YAC double-transgenic (bigenic) mice. Our results demonstrate that ATFs function in an animal model to increase gene expression. Thus, this class of reagent may be an effective gene therapy for treatment of some inherited diseases.
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spelling doaj-art-d9636320f60e4fb4a162a69b6bcfb4d52025-08-20T03:24:17ZengWileyAnemia2090-12672090-12752012-01-01201210.1155/2012/507894507894Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger ActivatorFlávia C. Costa0Halyna Fedosyuk1Renee Neades2Johana Bravo de Los Rios3Carlos F. Barbas4Kenneth R. Peterson5Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USADepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USADepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USADepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USADepartment of Molecular Biology and Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USADepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USASickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia patients are phenotypically normal if they carry compensatory hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations that result in increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, γ-globin chains) in adulthood. Thus, research has focused on manipulating the reactivation of γ-globin gene expression during adult definitive erythropoiesis as the most promising therapy to treat these hemoglobinopathies. Artificial transcription factors (ATFs) are synthetic proteins designed to bind at a specific DNA sequence and modulate gene expression. The artificial zinc finger gg1-VP64 was designed to target the −117 region of the Aγ-globin gene proximal promoter and activate expression of this gene. Previous studies demonstrated that HbF levels were increased in murine chemical inducer of dimerization (CID)-dependent bone marrow cells carrying a human β-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome (β-YAC) transgene and in CD34+ erythroid progenitor cells from normal donors and β-thalassemia patients. Herein, we report that gg1-VP64 increased γ-globin gene expression in vivo, in peripheral blood samples from gg1-VP64 β-YAC double-transgenic (bigenic) mice. Our results demonstrate that ATFs function in an animal model to increase gene expression. Thus, this class of reagent may be an effective gene therapy for treatment of some inherited diseases.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/507894
spellingShingle Flávia C. Costa
Halyna Fedosyuk
Renee Neades
Johana Bravo de Los Rios
Carlos F. Barbas
Kenneth R. Peterson
Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator
Anemia
title Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator
title_full Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator
title_fullStr Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator
title_full_unstemmed Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator
title_short Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator
title_sort induction of fetal hemoglobin in vivo mediated by a synthetic γ globin zinc finger activator
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/507894
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