Halting angiogenesis by non-viral somatic gene therapy alleviates psoriasis and murine psoriasiform skin lesions

J Clin Invest. 2011 Jan;121(1):410-21. doi: 10.1172/JCI41295. Epub 2010 Dec 6.

Abstract

Dysregulated angiogenesis is a hallmark of chronic inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis, a common skin disorder that affects approximately 2% of the population. Studying both human psoriasis in 2 complementary xenotransplantation models and psoriasis-like skin lesions in transgenic mice with epidermal expression of human TGF-β1, we have demonstrated that antiangiogenic non-viral somatic gene therapy reduces the cutaneous microvasculature and alleviates chronic inflammatory skin disorders. Transient muscular expression of the recombinant disintegrin domain (RDD) of metargidin (also known as ADAM-15) by in vivo electroporation reduced cutaneous angiogenesis and vascularization in all 3 models. As demonstrated using red fluorescent protein-coupled RDD, the treatment resulted in muscular expression of the gene product and its deposition within the cutaneous hyperangiogenic connective tissue. High-resolution ultrasound revealed reduced cutaneous blood flow in vivo after electroporation with RDD but not with control plasmids. In addition, angiogenesis- and inflammation-related molecular markers, keratinocyte proliferation, epidermal thickness, and clinical disease scores were downregulated in all models. Thus, non-viral antiangiogenic gene therapy can alleviate psoriasis and may do so in other angiogenesis-related inflammatory skin disorders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ADAM Proteins / genetics
  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Endothelial Cells / physiology
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Genetic Therapy*
  • Humans
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / genetics
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / pathology
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / physiopathology
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / therapy*
  • Psoriasis / genetics
  • Psoriasis / pathology
  • Psoriasis / physiopathology
  • Psoriasis / therapy*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Transplantation, Heterologous

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • ADAM Proteins
  • ADAM15 protein, human
  • Adam15 protein, mouse