Mesothelial cell-mediated gene therapy: feasibility of an ex vivo strategy

We have developed a model system in the rat to test the feasibility of recombinant protein expression by genetically modified peritoneal mesothelial cells following autologous peritoneal implantation. Rat primary peritoneal mesothelial cells, isolated from parietal peritoneum by enzymatic digestion, were stably transduced (using a Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV)-derived retroviral vector, BAG, expressing the Escherichia coli lacZ gene) to mark the cells with a reporter protein (beta-galactosidase, beta-gal). Such transduced mesothelial cells, tagged with DiO, a fluorescent lipophilic dye used for long-term tracing of transplanted cells, were then reseeded on the denuded peritoneal surface of syngeneic recipients. DiO-labeled, BAG-transduced mesothelial cells were observed to repopulate the denuded areas and remain attached there for > 90 days. Moreover, these genetically modified mesothelial cells continued to express the reporter gene product in vivo (ie beta-gal activity was present for at least 1 month). Our results demonstrate the feasibility of ex vivo gene therapy using peritoneal mesothelial cells.