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Journal of Virology, December 1999, p. 10426-10439, Vol. 73, No. 12
Molecular Neurogenetics
Unit,1 Department of
Neurology,2 and Department of
Neurosurgery,3 Massachusetts General
Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
Received 23 March 1999/Accepted 25 August 1999
We report here on the development and characterization of a novel
herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) amplicon-based vector system which
takes advantage of the host range and retention properties of
HSV-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) hybrid amplicons to efficiently convert
cells to retrovirus vector producer cells after single-step transduction. The retrovirus genes gag-pol and
env (GPE) and retroviral vector sequences were
modified to minimize sequence overlap and cloned into an HSV-EBV
hybrid amplicon. Retrovirus expression cassettes were used to
generate the HSV-EBV-retrovirus hybrid vectors, HERE and HERA, which
code for the ecotropic and the amphotropic envelopes,
respectively. Retrovirus vector sequences encoding lacZ
were cloned downstream from the GPE expression unit. Transfection of
293T/17 cells with amplicon plasmids yielded retrovirus titers between 106 and 107 transducing units/ml, while
infection of the same cells with amplicon vectors generated maximum
titers 1 order of magnitude lower. Retrovirus titers were dependent on
the extent of transduction by amplicon vectors for the same cell line,
but different cell lines displayed varying capacities to produce
retrovirus vectors even at the same transduction efficiencies.
Infection of human and dog primary gliomas with this system resulted in
the production of retrovirus vectors for more than 1 week and the
long-term retention and increase in transgene activity over time in
these cell populations. Although the efficiency of this system
still has to be determined in vivo, many applications are foreseeable
for this approach to gene delivery.
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Single-Step Conversion of Cells to Retrovirus Vector Producers
with Herpes Simplex Virus-Epstein-Barr Virus Hybrid
Amplicons
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Molecular
Neurogenetics Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General
Hospital, CNY 6205, Bldg. 149, 13th St., Charlestown, MA 02129. Phone:
(617) 726-5728. Fax: (617) 724-1537. E-mail:
breakefield{at}helix.mgh.harvard.edu
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