Patterns of transgene expression and viral clearance from the transplanted liver following ex vivo adenovirus-mediated gene transfer

Background/Aims In the rat liver transplant model, the liver graft can be transduced ex vivo by adenovirus encoding CTLA-4Ig (AdCTLA-4Ig) to achieve high level of immunosuppression in the liver after transplantation. To characterize the pattern of transgene expression following ex vivo gene transfer to the liver and examine whether immunosuppression would promote adenovirus persistence, we followed the life span of vector DNA and transgene expression in the transplanted liver. Methods Rat liver grafts were perfused ex vivo with adenovirus carrying the reporter gene β-galactosidase (AdlacZ). The period of transgene expression was assessed at predetermined intervals after transplantation into syngeneic, allogeneic or nude (athymic) recipients. Clearance of vector DNA was assessed by PCR analysis of liver DNA after transplantation. Results Graft transduction with AdCTLA-4Ig or systemic cyclosporine treatment effectively abrogated the alloimmune response but did not result in sustained lacZ expression. The course of viral DNA clearance from the liver was also unaffected by immunosuppression as was the implied nucleolytic cleavage of viral DNA. Conclusions In the transplant setting, local expression of CTLA-4Ig or systemic immunosuppression does not solve the problem of viral clearance from the liver. Non-adaptive immune mechanisms may have a significant role in the host response to adenovirus after liver transplantation.