Tamplicon-7, a novel T-lymphotropic vector derived from human herpesvirus 7.
We describe the derivation of a novel T-cell-defective virus vector employing the human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7). The new vector, designated Tamplicon-7, replicates in CD4(+) T cells. The system is composed of a helper virus and defective virus genomes derived by the replication of the input Tamplicon vector. There are two cis-acting functions required for the replication and packaging of the defective virus genomes in the presence of the helper virus: the viral DNA replication origin and the composite cleavage and packaging signal, which directs the cleavage and packaging of defective virus genomes. Viral DNA replication is compatible with the rolling circle mechanism, producing large head-to-tail concatemers of the Tamplicon vector. Thus, in the presence of the helper virus, the replicated vectors are packaged and secreted into the medium. Furthermore, we have shown that the vector can be employed to express a foreign gene, encoding the green fluorescent protein, in the T cells infected with the HHV-7 helper virus. We predict that the Tamplicon-7 vector might be potentially useful for gene therapy of diseases affecting the human CD4(+) T cells, including autoimmune diseases, T-cell lymphomas, and AIDS.
Laboratory for Molecular Virology, Department of Cell Research and Immunology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
H
H
Romi
O
O
Singer
D
D
Rapaport
N
N
Frenkel
D001483:Base Sequence; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D004261:DNA Replication; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015870:Gene Expression; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006378:Helper Viruses; D016199:Herpesvirus 7, Human / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018741:Replication Origin; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D019065:Virus Assembly; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins