title: Spleen necrosis virus-based vector delivery of anti-HIV-1 genes potently protects human hematopoietic cells from HIV-1 infection.
abstract: In this study, we report on the efficacy of using a spleen necrosis virus (SNV)-based vector delivery system to block human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) replication in human hematopoietic cells. These efforts were directed towards the development of human immune system cell resistance to HIV-1 infection, based on the strategy of "intracellular immunization" via generation of a series of anti-HIV-1 therapeutic constructs carrying scFvs, single-chain variable fragments, against HIV-1 integrase and reverse transcriptase in combination with the trans-dominant mutant of HIV-1 Rev, RevM10. The efficiency of the anti-HIV-1 constructs were tested in viral challenge assays with different doses of HIV-1 NL4-3, Bal, 89.6 and R7-GFP strains. These experiments demonstrated the reduction of HIV-1 replication by these retroviral vector constructs in a range of 4- to 10-fold in CD4+ T-lymphocytes, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and primary human macrophages. We observed selective efficiency of SNV-based therapeutics in H9, C8166 and Jurkat T-lymphocytic cell lines, demonstrating the most efficient inhibition of HIV-1 replication in Jurkat T-cells. Thus, these data are the first demonstration of the ability of SNV-based retroviral vectors with select transgenes, which may have certain molecular advantages over other retroviral vector systems, to combat HIV-1 replication in human hematopoietic cells and support the potential for using SNV-expressed constructs in anti-HIV-1 molecular therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Human Virology and Biodefense, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Suite 329, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
authors.forename: Elena I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Marusich
authors.forename: Zahida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Parveen
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strayer
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mukhtar
authors.forename: Ralph C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Dornburg
authors.forename: Roger J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pomerantz
mesh_terms: D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D015658:HIV Infections; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology; D013155:Spleen Focus-Forming Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014779:Virus Replication