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Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors are attractive vehicles for gene therapy. Gene delivery to the adipose tissue using naturally occurring AAV serotypes is less successful compared to liver and muscle. Here, we demonstrate that oral administration of an engineered serotype Rec2 led to preferential transduction of brown fat with absence of transduction in the gastrointestinal track. Among the six natural and engineered serotypes being compared, Rec2 was the most efficient serotype achieving high level transduction at a dose 1~2 orders lower than reported doses for systemic administration. Overexpressing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in brown fat via oral administration of Rec2-VEGF vector increased the brown fat mass and enhanced thermogenesis. In contrast, knockdown VEGF in brown fat of VEGF (loxP) mice via Rec2-Cre vector hampered cold response and decreased brown fat mass. Oral administration of Rec2 vector provides a novel tool to genetically manipulate brown fat for research and therapeutic applications.

Activation of the hypothalamus-adipocyte axis is associated with an antiobesity and anticancer phenotype in animal models of melanoma and colon cancer. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key mediator in the hypothalamus leading to preferential sympathoneural activation of adipose tissue and the ensuing resistance to obesity and cancer. Here, we generated middle age obese mice by high fat diet feeding for a year and investigated the effects of hypothalamic gene transfer of BDNF on a hormone receptor-positive mammary tumor model. The recombinant adeno-associated viral vector-mediated overexpression of BDNF led to marked weight loss and decrease of adiposity without change of food intake. BDNF gene therapy improved glucose tolerance, alleviated steatosis, reduced leptin level, inhibited mouse breast cancer EO771 growth, and prevented the metastasis. The reduced tumor growth in BDNF-treated mice was associated with reduced angiogenesis, decreased proliferation, increased apoptosis, and reduced adipocyte recruitment and lipid accumulation. Moreover, BDNF gene therapy reduced inflammation markers in the hypothalamus, the mammary gland, the subcutaneous fat, and the mammary tumor. Our results suggest that manipulating a single gene in the brain may influence multiple mechanisms implicated in obesity-cancer association and provide a target for the prevention and treatment of both obesity and cancer.

Adipose tissue plays an essential role in metabolic homeostasis and holds promise as an alternative depot organ in gene therapy. However, efficient methods of gene transfer into adipose tissue in vivo have yet to be established. Here, we assessed the transduction efficiency to fat depots by a family of novel engineered hybrid capsid serotypes (Rec1∼4) recombinant adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors in comparison with natural serotypes AAV1, AAV8, and AAV9. Rec2 serotype led to widespread transduction in both brown fat and white fat with the highest efficiency among the seven serotypes tested. As a proof-of-efficacy, Rec2 serotype was used to deliver Cre recombinase to adipose tissues of insulin receptor floxed animals. Insulin receptor knockdown led to decreased fat pad mass and morphological and molecular changes in the targeted depot. These novel hybrid AAV vectors can serve as powerful tools to genetically manipulate adipose tissue and provide valuable vehicles to gene therapy targeting adipose tissue.