title: Enhanced selective gene delivery to neural stem cells in vivo by an adeno-associated viral variant.
abstract: Neural stem cells (NSCs) are defined by their ability to self-renew and to differentiate into mature neuronal and glial cell types. NSCs are the subject of intense investigation, owing to their crucial roles in neural development and adult brain function and because they present potential targets for gene and cell replacement therapies following injury or disease. Approaches to specifically genetically perturb or modulate NSC function would be valuable for either motivation. Unfortunately, most gene delivery vectors are incapable of efficient or specific gene delivery to NSCs in vivo. Vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) present a number of advantages and have proven increasingly successful in clinical trials. However, natural AAV variants are inefficient in transducing NSCs. We previously engineered a novel AAV variant (AAV r3.45) capable of efficient transduction of adult NSCs in vitro. Here, to build upon the initial promise of this variant, we investigated its in vitro and in vivo infectivity. AAV r3.45 was more selective for NSCs than mature neurons in a human embryonic stem cell-derived culture containing a mixture of cell types, including NSCs and neurons. It was capable of more efficient and selective transduction of rat and mouse NSCs in vivo than natural AAV serotypes following intracranial vector administration. Delivery of constitutively active β-catenin yielded insights into mechanisms by which this key regulator modulates NSC function, indicating that this engineered AAV variant can be harnessed for preferential modulation of adult NSCs in the hippocampus. The capacity to rapidly genetically modify these cells might greatly accelerate in vivo investigations of adult neurogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA 4D Molecular Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kotterman
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Tandis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vazin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA 4D Molecular Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1462, USA schaffer@berkeley.edu.
authors.forename: David V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Schaffer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D000229:Dependovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: Adeno-associated virus; Gene delivery; Neural stem cell