Gene Localization and Transcriptional Dynamics in the Optimization of Transgene Expression

Gene transfer techniques such as retroviral transduction have many applications such as cell marking, cell reprogramming, and therapeutics. Transgene expression, however, is often variable and maintaining long-term expression is problematic in progenitor cell types. To better control transgene expression, research has focused on the optimized use of cis-regulatory elements, such as promoters, enhancers and insulators. In addition to controlling gene expression, these regulatory elements modulate the nuclear organization of the transgene. The integration site also exerts significant effects on steady state and temporal transgene expression via the neighbouring chromatin environment. The first part of this thesis describes the co-operation of modified β-globin intronic elements in providing high-level expression and favorable nuclear localization. I demonstrate that these elements are compatible with efficient lentivirus transduction for globin gene therapy purposes. In the second chapter, I examine high-expressing EGFP retroviral transgenes and show that such steady state expression may exhibit rapid transcriptional fluctuations, which is modulated by different transcriptional dynamics at different integration sites. Finally, in the last chapter, I evaluate the use of a 3’D4Z4 insulator element in maintaining long-term EGFP transgene expression in ES cells, and discover integration-site specific temporal dynamics in retroviral vector expression. Overall, my results demonstrate that using multiple regulatory elements and insulating these elements from different types of genomic loci optimize transgene expression and dynamics in progenitor cells.Ph