Circumvention of Anti-Adenovirus Neutralizing Immunity by Administration of an Adenoviral Vector of an Alternate Serotype

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Abstract
Effective gene transfer and expression following repetitive administration of adenoviral (Ad) vectors in experimental animals is limited by anti-Ad neutralizing antibodies. Knowing that anti-Ad humoral immunity is serotype-specific, we hypothesized that anti-Ad neutralizing immunity could be circumvented using Ad vectors of different serotypes (Ad2, Ad5) within the same subgroup (C) to transfer and express β-glucuronidase (βglu) in the lung. Sprague-Dawley rats received an intratracheal administration of either Ad2βglu or Ad5βglu, and, 14 days later, repeat administration of either the same vector or a vector of a different serotype. Analysis of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid following initial vector administration demonstrated systemic and local serotype-specific neutralizing antibodies. For both the Ad2 and Ad5 vectors, βglu expression 24 hr following the second administration of the same serotype was 0.2 both comparisons). Although the alternative serotype bypassed anti-Ad neutralizing immunity, persistence of expression was reduced compared to that following administration to naive animals. Compatible with this observation, systemic administration of the same vectors to C57B1/6 mice demonstrated induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes directed against the βglu transgene, as well as products of the Ad genome. Interestingly, intratracheal administration of vectors with different serotypes and different transgenes to rats resulted in longer expression (but still not normalized) compared to that achieved with vectors of different serotypes but the same transgene. These observations demonstrate that alternate use of Ad vectors from different serotypes within the same subgroup can circumvent anti-Ad humoral immunity to permit effective gene transfer after repeat administration, although the chronicity of expression is limited, likely by cellular immune processes directed against both the transgene and viral gene products expressed by the vector. Despite the efficiency of adenoviral in vivo gene transfer vectors, immune responses to both viral and transgene products limit the persistence of expression of the transgene. One strategy for achieving persistent expression is to administer the Ad vector repetitively. An obstacle to this strategy is the generation of neutralizing antibodies elicited by the initial vector which prevents the subsequent administrations of the vector from reaching the target cells. This study demonstrates that anti-Ad neutralizing immunity can be circumvented by using alternate serotype Ad vectors from the same subgroup, although the chronicity of transgene expression is still limited by cellular immune responses to both viral gene and transgene products.