Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are derived from small non-enveloped DNA-dependent viruses of the Parvoviridae family. AAV vectors have excellent properties as vectors for gene transfer to the brain, such as non-pathogenicity, low immunogenicity, and long-term transgene expression in non-dividing cells, including neurons. Therefore, AAV vectors are invaluable for neuroscience research and have been widely used in this field.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as a strict gatekeeper, preventing toxic substances (e.g., bacteria, viruses, and foreign proteins) from the peripheral circulation from entering the central nervous system (CNS), while molecules required for brain metabolism (e.g., oxygen, glucose, and essential amino acids) are taken up via passive or facilitated diffusion and active transport. Among the different serotypes, AAV serotype 9 (AAV9) has the highest, but still moderate, BBB penetration capacity. Therefore, the main method for viral vector-mediated brain delivery has long remained direct parenchymal injection or intrathecal/intracerebroventricular administration. However, the recent development of AAV-PHP.B and PHP.eB (highly BBB-permeable capsid variants of AAV9) has opened up systemic applications as an alternative approach to brain transduction. AAV-PHP.B crosses the BBB via specific binding of the PHP.B capsid to a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein expressed on brain vascular endothelial cells called lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, site A, LY6A, also known as stem cell antigen 1 [SCA-1].
Currently, gene transfer is typically achieved through intraparenchymal viral injections, but these injections target limited brain regions. Here, researchers demonstrate that intravenous delivery of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-PHP.B viral particles penetrates and spreads throughout the neural parenchyma, targeting the central and peripheral nervous systems in a holistic pattern. The researchers then established multiple viral transduction procedures to control gene expression or simply inactivate gene function in the adult nervous system and assessed potential behavioral effects. Based on these results, an effective gene therapy strategy was established to counteract the widespread accumulation of α-synuclein deposits throughout the forebrain in a mouse model of synucleinopathies. Transduction of A53T-SCNA transgenic mice with AAV-PHP.B-GBA1 restored physiological levels of the enzyme, reduced α-synuclein pathology, and produced significant behavioral recovery. Furthermore, studies have shown that AAV-PHP.B brain penetration does not result in evident dysfunctions in blood-brain barrier integrity or permeability. Taken together, the AAV-PHP.B viral platform enables non-invasive, extensive and durable global neural expression of therapeutic genes such as GBA1, providing an invaluable approach to treat neurodegenerative diseases with diffuse brain pathology such as synucleinopathies.
Here, the researchers analyzed blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and inflammation after in vivo transduction of AAV-PHP.B. To this end, mice were intravenously injected with a fluorescently conjugated cadaverine dye, a small BBB permeability marker, and the virus AAV-PHP.B-GFP (Figure 1A). Staining of the viral capsid with an AAV-VP3-specific antibody (B1) confirmed that the viral particles were located within the brain endothelium 24 hours after viral delivery (Figure 1B). However, the transduced brain tissue did not show any obvious diffusion of the cadaverine dye (Figure 1C). In addition, GFAP staining did not reveal signs of astrogliosis in the target tissue 2 days after viral transduction (Figure 1C). As a positive control, diffuse cadaverine staining and astrocyte activation were detected in the brain parenchyma of mice treated with kainic acid, which developed seizure-induced BBB permeability and severe inflammation (Figures 1E-1G). These results indicate that AAV-PHP.B brain transduction does not affect BBB permeability in vivo.
Figure 1. AAV-PHP.B brain transduction does not affect BBB permeability in vivo. (Morabito G, et al., 2017)
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AAV-PHP.B's ability to efficiently transduce the central nervous system (CNS) after intravenous injection is a game-changer for our research. It surpassed AAV9 in CNS transduction in specific mouse strains.
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