Acute myeloid leukemia is associated with retroviral gene transfer to hematopoietic progenitor cells in a rhesus macaque

R Seggewiss, S Pittaluga, RL Adler, FJ Guenaga… - Blood, 2006 - ashpublications.org
R Seggewiss, S Pittaluga, RL Adler, FJ Guenaga, C Ferguson, IH Pilz, B Ryu, BP Sorrentino…
Blood, 2006ashpublications.org
We report, for the first time, a replication-defective retroviral vector–associated neoplasia in a
nonhuman primate. Five years after transplantation with CD34+ cells transduced with a
retroviral vector expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and a drug-resistant
variant of the dihydrofolate reductase gene (L22Y), a rhesus macaque developed a fatal
myeloid sarcoma, a type of acute myeloid leukemia. Tumor cells contained 2 clonal vector
insertions. One insertion was found in BCL2-A1, an antiapoptotic gene. This event suggests …
We report, for the first time, a replication-defective retroviral vector–associated neoplasia in a nonhuman primate. Five years after transplantation with CD34+ cells transduced with a retroviral vector expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and a drug-resistant variant of the dihydrofolate reductase gene (L22Y), a rhesus macaque developed a fatal myeloid sarcoma, a type of acute myeloid leukemia. Tumor cells contained 2 clonal vector insertions. One insertion was found in BCL2-A1, an antiapoptotic gene. This event suggests that currently available retroviral vectors may have long-term side effects, particularly in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
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