http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/16852/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/26260/ 2011-09-01T00:00:00Z Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) patients with an inactivating mutation in recombination activation gene 1 (RAG1) lack B and T cells due to the inability to rearrange immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) genes. Gene therapy is a valid treatment option for RAG-SCID patients, especially for patients lacking a suitable bone marrow donor, but developing such therapy has proven challenging. As a preclinical model for RAG-SCID, we used Rag1-/-mice and lentiviral self-inactivating (SIN) vectors harboring different internal elements to deliver native or codon-optimized human RAG1 sequences. Treatment resulted in the appearance of B and T cells in peripheral blood and developing B and T cells were detected in central lymphoid organs. Serum Ig levels and Ig and TCR VΒ gene segment usage was comparable to wild-type (WT) controls, indicating that RAG-mediated rearrangement took place. Remarkably, relatively low frequencies of B cells produced WT levels of serum immunoglobulins. Upon stimulation of the TCR, corrected spleen cells proliferated and produced cytokines. In vivo challenge resulted in production of antigen-specific antibodies. No leukemia development as consequence of insertional mutagenesis was observed. The functional reconstitution of the B-as well as the T-cell compartment provides proof-of-principle for therapeutic RAG1 gene transfer in Rag1-/-mice using lentiviral SIN vectors. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/20311/ 2010-09-01T00:00:00Z X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is the most common primary immunodeficiency (PID) in man and caused by mutations in the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) gene. XLA is characterized by a B-cell differentiation arrest in bone marrow, absence of mature B cells and immunoglobulins (Igs), and recurrent bacterial infections. We used self-inactivating lentiviral vectors expressing codon-optimized human BTK under the control of three different ubiquitous or B cell-specific promoters. Btk-/- mice engrafted with transduced cells showed correction of both precursor B-cell and peripheral B-cell development. Lentiviral vectors containing the wildtype BTK sequence did not correct the phenotype. All treated mice with codon-optimized BTK exhibited the recovery of B1 cells in the peritoneal cavity, and of serum IgM and IgG3 levels. Calcium mobilization responses upon B-cell receptor stimulation as well as in vivo responses to T cell-independent antigens were restored. Viral promoters overexpressing BTK >100-fold above normal resulted in erythro-myeloid proliferations independent of insertional mutagenesis. However, transplantation into secondary Btk-/- recipients using cellular promoters resulted in functional restoration of peripheral B cells and IgM levels, without any adverse effects. In conclusion, transduction of human BTK corrects B-cell development and antigen-specific antibody responses in Btk-/- mice, thus indicating the feasibility of lentiviral gene therapy for XLA, provided that BTK expression does not vastly exceed normal levels.Leukemia advance online publication, 24 June 2010; doi:10.1038/leu.2010.140. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/24568/ 2009-04-24T00:00:00Z BCR-ABL fusion proteins show increased signaling through their ABL tyrosine kinase domain, which can be blocked by specific inhibitors, thereby providing effective treatment. This makes detection of BCR-ABL aberrations of utmost importance for diagnosis, classification and treatment of leukemia patients. BCR-ABL aberrations are currently detected by karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or PCR techniques, which are time consuming and require specialized facilities. We developed a simple flow cytometric immunobead assay for detection of BCR-ABL fusion proteins in cell lysates, using a bead-bound anti-BCR catching antibody and a fluorochrome-conjugated anti-ABL detection antibody. We noticed protein stability problems in lysates caused by proteases from mature myeloid cells. This problem could largely be solved by adding protease inhibitors in several steps of the immunobead assay. Testing of 145 patient samples showed fully concordant results between the BCR-ABL immunobead assay and reverse transcriptase PCR of fusion gene transcripts. Dilution experiments with BCR-ABL positive cell lines revealed sensitivities of at least 1%. We conclude that the BCR-ABL immunobead assay detects all types of BCR-ABL proteins in leukemic cells with high specificity and sensitivity. The assay does not need specialized laboratory facilities other than a flow cytometer, provides results within ∼4h, and can be run in parallel to routine immunophenotyping. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/15560/ 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are rare with estimated frequencies of 1 in 10,000 bone marrow cells and 1 in every 100,000 blood cells. The most important characteristic of HSC is their capacity to provide complete restoration of all blood cell lineages after bone marrow ablation. Therefore they are considered as the ideal targets for various clinical applications including stem cell transplantation and gene therapy. In adult mice and men, the main stem cell source is the bone marrow. For clinical applications HSC derived from umbilical cord blood (UCB) and G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood (PB) have been demonstrated to have several advantages compared to bone marrow; therefore, they are slowly replacing BM as alternative source of stem cells. The mouse is the model organism of choice for immunological and hematological research; therefore, studies of murine HSC are an important research topic. Here we described the most often used protocols and methods to isolate human and mouse HSC to high purity. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/14548/ 2008-10-23T00:00:00Z In clinical gene therapy trials for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, the development of leukemia has come up as a severe adverse effect. In all five cases, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) occurred as a direct consequence of insertional mutagenesis by the retrovirus used to deliver the therapeutic gene. Here, we review the mechanisms of insertional mutagenesis, the fuction of the Il2RG gene and the future developments in the field. New lentiviral and γ retroviral vectors can significantly improve the safety profile of the tools used but still carry the risk of insertional mutagenesis, as shown in this issue of Leukemia. Finally, the unfortunate side effects of gene therapy have given more insight into the development of human T-ALL.