Long-term correction of phagocyte NADPH oxidase activity retroviral- mediated gene transfer in murine X-linked chronic granulomatous disease

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited deficiency of the superoxide-generating phagocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, resulting in recurrent, severe bacterial and fungal infections. The X-linked form of this disorder (X-CGD) results from mutations in the X-linked gene for gp91(phox), the larger subunit of the oxidase flavocytochrome b₅₅₈. In this study, we used a murine model of X-CGD to examine the long-term function of retroviral vectors for expression of gp91(phox) based on the murine stem cell virus (MSCV) backbone. NADPH oxidase activity was reconstituted in neutrophils and macrophages for up to 18 to 24 months posttransplantation of transduced X-CGD bone marrow into lethally irradiated syngeneic X-CGD mice. Southern blot analysis and secondary transplant data showed proviral integration in multilineage repopulating cells. Although relatively small amounts of recombinant gp91(phox) (approximately 5% to 10% of wild-type levels) were detected in neutrophils after retroviral-mediated gene transfer, superoxide-generating activity was approximately 20% to 25% of wild-type mouse neutrophils. Expression of gp91(phox) is normally restricted to mature phagocytes. No obvious toxicity was observed in other hematopoietic lineages in transplant recipients, and provirus-marked cells were capable of reconstituting secondary transplant recipients, who also exhibited NADPH oxidase-positive neutrophils. MSCV-based vectors for long-term expression of gp91(Phox) may be useful for gene therapy of human CGD targeted at hematopoietic stem cells.