Lentiviral Vectors: Innovative Solutions Unveiled in the Gene Delivery Landscape A Look at the Latest Advancements
Lentiviruses are a subgroup of retroviruses that are capable of infecting non-dividing cells. Some well-known lentiviruses that cause disease in humans and other animals include HIV, FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus), and EIAV (equine infectious anemia virus). Lentiviruses have the ability to integrate their genetic material into the host cell genome, allowing for long-term expression of viral genes. This ability to integrate and express genes long-term in both dividing and non-dividing cells makes lentiviruses attractive platforms for gene delivery vectors.
Development of Third-Generation Lentiviral Vectors
The first Lentiviral Vectors gene delivery vectors were developed in the early 1990s based on HIV. However, these early vectors still contained viral genes that posed biosafety and toxicity risks. Significant advances were made in the late 1990s with the development of self-inactivating (SIN) HIV vector, which are now considered third-generation vectors. In SIN HIV vector, the enhancer and promoter elements in the long terminal repeats (LTRs) are removed or mutated. This prevents transcriptional activity from the promoter in the 3' LTR and allows safer expression solely from an internal promoter. Additional toxic viral genes such as tat and rev were also removed to further improve the safety profile of third-generation HIV vector.
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Lentiviruses are a subgroup of retroviruses that are capable of infecting non-dividing cells. Some well-known lentiviruses that cause disease in humans and other animals include HIV, FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus), and EIAV (equine infectious anemia virus). Lentiviruses have the ability to integrate their genetic material into the host cell genome, allowing for long-term expression of viral genes. This ability to integrate and express genes long-term in both dividing and non-dividing cells makes lentiviruses attractive platforms for gene delivery vectors.
Development of Third-Generation Lentiviral Vectors
The first Lentiviral Vectors gene delivery vectors were developed in the early 1990s based on HIV. However, these early vectors still contained viral genes that posed biosafety and toxicity risks. Significant advances were made in the late 1990s with the development of self-inactivating (SIN) HIV vector, which are now considered third-generation vectors. In SIN HIV vector, the enhancer and promoter elements in the long terminal repeats (LTRs) are removed or mutated. This prevents transcriptional activity from the promoter in the 3' LTR and allows safer expression solely from an internal promoter. Additional toxic viral genes such as tat and rev were also removed to further improve the safety profile of third-generation HIV vector.
Get More Insig
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