The cryptic life style of adenoassociated virus

✍ Scribed by Kenneth I. Berns; R. Michael Linden

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 944 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0265-9247
• DOI: 10.1002/bies.950170310

✦ Synopsis

Although 80-90% of adults are seropositive for antibodies against the human parvovirus adeno-associated virus (AAV), infection has not been associated with either symptoms or disease. In cell culture, AAV infection is not productive unless there is a coinfection with a helper virus, either adenovirus or any type of herpes virus; in the absence of a helper virus coinfection the viral genome is integrated into the genome, usually at a specific site on chromosome 19ql3.3-qter. The integrated genome can be activated and rescued by subsequent super infection by a helper virus. The high frequency of site-specific integration by AAV and the lack of associated disease have encouraged the use of AAV as a vector for gene therapy. This review will focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment of, and Accepted rescue from, the latent state and their relevance to use of AAV as a vector.