1. ¹Program in Gene Therapy, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
2. ²National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
3. ³Program in Gene Therapy, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
4. ⁴Program in Gene Therapy, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA

Correspondence: BL Davidson, Roy J. Carver Professor in Internal Medicine, 200 EMRB, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52252, USA

⁵The first two authors contributed equally

Received 20 March 2002; Accepted 2 June 2002.

Abstract

Classical late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL) is caused by mutations in tripeptidyl peptidase I (TPP-I), a pepstatin-insensitive lysosomal protease, resulting in neurodegeneration, acute seizures, visual and motor dysfunction. In vitro studies suggest that TPP-I is secreted from cells and subsequently taken up by neighboring cells, similar to other lysosomal enzymes. As such, TPP-I is an attractive candidate for enzyme replacement or gene therapy. In the present studies, we examined the feasibility of gene transfer into mouse brain using recombinant adenovirus (Ad), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing TPP-I, after single injections into the striatum or cerebellum. A dual TPP-I- and -galactosidase-expressing adenovirus vector (AdTTP-I/nlsgal) was used to distinguish transduced (-galactosidase positive) cells from cells that endocytosed secreted TTP-I. Ten days after striatal injection of AdTTP-I/nlsgal, -galactosidase-positive cells were concentrated around the injection site, corpus callosum, ependyma and choroid plexus. In cerebellar injections, -galactosidase expression was confined to the region of injection and in isolated neurons of the brainstem. Immunohistochemistry for TPP-I expression showed that TPP-I extended beyond areas of -galactosidase activity. Immunohistochemistry for TTP-I after FIVTTP-I and AAV5TTP-I injections demonstrated TPP-I in neurons of the striatum, hippocampus and Purkinje cells. For all three vectors, TPP-I activity in brain homogenates was 3–7-fold higher than endogenous levels in the injected hemispheres. Our results indicate the feasibility of vector-mediated gene transfer of TPP-I to the CNS as a potential therapy for LINCL.