Towards simple artificial infectious systems.
Inefficient gene delivery represents a major obstacle for widespread use of promising approaches in molecular medicine, including human gene therapy, genetic vaccination and gene suppression based on endogenous transcription of antisense RNA, ribozymes or small interfering RNA. We introduce a new concept of gene delivery by exploiting protein transduction. We discuss the feasibility of coupling intercellular spreading of phenotypes and their encoding genotypes in vivo, thus ensuring a compartmental linkage of genes of interest and their gene products, and thereby approaching an artificial infectious system. Such a system can be reduced to a few molecular components, and, hence, contrast with current gene delivery approaches, which incline to higher complexity. Artificial infectious systems can be useful for successive and penetrative tissue targeting.
Patzel
Volker
V
Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Department of Immunology, Schumannstrasse 21/22, D-10117 Berlin, Germany. patzel@mpiib-berlin.mpg.de
Kaufmann
Stefan H E
SH
D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000502:physiology*