title: Hepatocyte-specific gene expression by baculovirus pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus envelope glycoprotein.
abstract: We have developed the recombinant baculovirus pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G protein. The VSV-G gene was under the control of the polyhedrin promoter so that it was expressed at high levels in infected insect cells but not in mammalian cells. The presence of VSV-G protein in purified baculovirus preparations was confirmed by Western analysis. This recombinant baculovirus also carried human AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) promoter for hepatocyte-specific gene expression. After an in vitro infection by a recombinant baculovirus carrying the luciferase gene under the control of human AFP promoter/enhancer (BacG-AFP-Luc(+)), the luciferase gene was expressed in AFP-producing Huh7, Hep3B, and HepG2 cell lines, but not in AFP-nonproducing cell lines. BacG-AFP-Luc(+) transduced with human hepatoma cells in vitro at an efficiency about fivefold greater than the recombinant baculovirus lacking VSV-G (the virus Bac-AFP-Luc(+)). The utilization of the AFP promoter/enhancer in a baculovirus vector could provide benefits in gene therapy applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, Korea.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Paik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta; D008156:Luciferases / Q000378:metabolism; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C028391:G protein, vesicular stomatitis virus; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D008156:Luciferases