Challenges of experimental gene therapy for urea cycle disorders

Abstract

Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are inborn errors of liver metabolism that often result in hyperammonemia and failure of arginine synthesis due to the deficiencies of one of the six enzymes or two mitochondrial transporters involved. Despite current treatment options, including dietary therapy, stimulation of alternative routes of nitrogen disposal and cell therapies (hepatocyte and orthotopic liver transplantation), significant morbidity and mortality still remain. Gene therapy has emerged as an attractive alternative strategy for providing a definitive cure for patients with metabolic diseases. Successful phenotype correction in pre-clinical animal models is encouraging and research effort is increasingly being focused on translation from the laboratory bench to proof-of-concept human therapy. Gene therapy for UCDs must target the periportal hepatocytes, as these are the only liver cells that express all six enzymes required for full ammonia detoxification. This review explores current efforts to develop and translate liver-directed gene therapy approaches to UCDs caused by each of the defects of the six enzymes. The prominent issues that will need to be addressed and overcome for the future development of clinical trials, including alternatives to mouse mutants and to vectors that are not necessarily conditioned to rodents are also discussed.

Keywords

Urea cycle disorders - UCDs - liver-directed gene therapy - metabolic disease