Abstract
Alphavirus vectors based on Sindbis virus and Semliki Forest virus (SFV) were characterized as potential gene transfer vectors. Initial studies were performed using vectors engineered to transfer either lacZ or green fluorescent protein (GFP). High levels of gene transfer were achieved in human primary fibroblasts, BHK and 293T cells, with low levels of transduction observed in more than 20 other target cells. Alphavirus-based expression was generally very high, but transient in every cell type. Replication-competent alphavirus was never detected in SFV preparations but could be produced by Sindbis-based vectors at a frequency of up to 3 × 10−3 infectious units per ml. We constructed a human clotting factor IX (hFIX) cDNA-containing Sindbis virus and compared it with hFIX cDNA-harboring adenoviral and retroviral vectors. In most cases, hFIX levels obtained with Sindbis vector were initially at least an order of magnitude higher than those obtained with other viral vectors. These data demonstrate that alphavirus vectors compare favorably with adenovirus vectors as systems to promote high-level transient gene expression and should be considered as an alternative vector for gene transfer and potential gene therapy studies.
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Acknowledgements
SL obtained financial support from Saastamoinen Foundation and Finnish Cultural Foundation of Northern Savo. We thank Drs G Nolan (Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA), E Oldfield (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA), S Rosenberg (National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) and N Fusening (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany), for the cell lines, and Drs J Lozier and L Chen for the FIX adenoviral and retroviral vectors, respectively.
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Wahlfors, J., Zullo, S., Loimas, S. et al. Evaluation of recombinant alphaviruses as vectors in gene therapy. Gene Ther 7, 472–480 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gt.3301122
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gt.3301122
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