AAV general Flashcards
adeno associated virus - facts
AAV vector genome
ssDNA genome 4.7kb consists of ITR-Rep-Cap/AAP-ITR three promotors (p5, p19, p40) nine gene product; alternative translation start sites, differential splicing
large Rep proteins
Rep 78 and 68
under p5 promotor
mediate integration of wtAAV genome
bind to Rep-binding elements within ITR’s to mediate integration
they unwind the DNA and introduce a single-stranded nick at the adjacent terminal resolution sites (trs)
problem: known to induce DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis
AAV structure
non-enveloped
icosahedral
AAV abbreviation
family
infectivity
adeno associated virus
parvovirus family
dependent on co-infection
AAV discovery
found as a contamination of adeno virus preparations
Rep
encodes for family of non-structural proteins
needed for viral genome replication and packaging
named by size
Rep 78,68,52,40
small Rep proteins
Rep 52 and 40
under p19 promotor
Cap
encodes for capsid proteins VP1,VP2,VP3 all share common VP3 region under control of p40 promotor ratio 1:1:10 share the same stop codon defines the tropism and protect the DNA genome forms the icosahedral protein shell, consists of 60 subunits
VP1
87kDa
VP2
72kDa
unnatural start codon: ACG
decreased translation
VP3
62kDa
strong start codon: AUG
increased translation in comparison to VP2
AAP
assembly activating protein
alternate reading frame in Cap
nuclear protein
thought to provide scaffolding function for assembly
essential for nuclear localization of VP proteins
non-essential in AAV4, 5 and 11
ITR
inverted terminal repeats flank recombinant AAV genome origin of replication and packaging signal 145 nucleotides 125 first nucleotides are palindromes T-shaped contain Reb-binding elements
recombinant AAV
replication deficient
lack viral DNA, only ITR’s left
“protein-based nanoparticle”
transgene remains as episomes in absence of Rep in the nucleus of a transfected cell
does not integrate, lost quickly through cell division
long lasting expression in non-dividing cells
random integrations happen only very rarely
loss of transgene expression
rAAV does not integrate
is out-diluted in dividing cell
time dependent on turnover rate of specific cell type
actively dividing cell types
stem cells
limitations of rAAV vector design
packaging size
limitations of rAAV vector design
packaging size
broad tropism, loss of strong transgene expression through outdilution into non-target tissue
strategies to increase coding capacity
overlapping vectors
dual vectors
strategies to increase coding capacity
overlapping vectors
dual vectors
co-injection of two vectors
self complementary transgene
scAAV
packaged ssAAV genome complements itself to form dsDNA
accomplished through a mutation in one ITR
faster transgene expression
only half of the coding capacity available (around 3.3kb left)
AAV2
one of the first serotypes to be characterised
best “lab model”
most rAAV’s use ITR’s of AAV2