Glucocorticoid-inducible retrovector for regulated transgene expression in genetically engineered bone marrow stromal cells

Transplantable bone marrow stromal cells can be utilized for cell therapy of mesenchymal disorders. They can also be genetically engineered to express synthetic transgenes and subsequently serve as a platform for systemic delivery of therapeutic proteins in vivo. Inducible production of therapeutic proteins would markedly enhance the usefulness of stromal cells for cell therapy applications. We determined whether synthetic corticosteroid hormones can be used to tightly control transgene expression via the glucocorticoid response pathway in primary bone marrow stromal cells. This regulatory mechanism does not require the presence of potentially immunogenic prokaryotic or chimeric "Trans-activators.'' Further, synthetic corticosteroids are pharmaceutical agents that can be readily used in vivo, We designed a self-inactivating retroviral vector in which expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter is controlled by a minimal synthetic promoter composed of five tandem glucocorticoid response elements upstream of a TATAA box. Vesicular stomatitis virus G-pseudotyped retroparticles were synthesized and utilized to transduce cultured cell lines and primary rat bone marrow stromal cells. We have shown that primary rat bone marrow stromal cells could be efficiently engineered with our ORE-containing retrovector, basal reporter expression was low in the absence of exogenous synthetic corticosteroids, and GFP expression was dexamethasone inducible and reversible. To summarize, this strategy allows dexamethasone-induced, "on-demand" transgene expression from transplantable genetically engineered bone marrow stromal cells.