Recombinant factor VIII expression in hematopoietic cells following lentiviral transduction

Autologous transplantation of gene-modified hematopoietic stem cells may provide a therapeutic strategy for several monogeneic disorders. In previous studies, retroviral gene transfer of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) into FVIII-/- mouse bone marrow (BM) cells did not result in detectable plasma FVIII levels. However, specific immune tolerance was achieved against neo-antigenic FVIII. Here, we used lentiviral vectors to study the ability of various hematopoietic cell types to synthesize and secrete recombinant FVIII. Several myeloid, monocytic and megakaryocytic cell lines (K-562, TF-1, Monomac-1, Mutz-3, Meg-01) expressed FVIII at 2-12 mU/10(4) cells. In contrast, two lymphatic cell lines, BV-173 and Molt-4, were less-efficiently transduced and did not express detectable FVIII. Similarly, peripheral blood-derived primary monocytes were transduced efficiently and expressed up to 20 mU/10(4) cells, whereas primary lymphocytes did not express FVIII. Although human and canine CD34(+) cells were transduced efficiently, the cells expressed very low levels of FVIII (up to 0.8 mU/10(4) cells). Following xenotransplantation of transduced CD34(+) into NOD/SCID mice, ELISA failed to detect FVIII in the plasma of engrafted mice. However, NOD/SCID repopulating cell (SRC)-derived human monocytes isolated from BM of these mice secreted functional recombinant FVIII after culture ex vivo. Again, SRC-derived human lymphocytes did not secrete FVIII. Therefore, certain hematopoietic cell types are able to synthesize and secrete functional recombinant FVIII. Our results show for the first time that transplantation of transduced CD34(+) progenitors may give rise to differentiated hematopoietic cells secreting a nonhematopoietic recombinant protein.